La Preneuse Beach

La Preneuse sits about 4 kilometres south of Flic en Flac on the west coast, past the point where the resort corridor thins out and the beach becomes more purely Mauritian in character. The defining landmark is the Martello Tower — a 19th-century British colonial defensive structure built in 1834, one of only three on the island — which stands at the beach access point like a stone sentinel and gives the bay its distinctive identity. The tower is open to visitors on certain days of the week (check the local signage) and offers a bird's-eye view of the lagoon from its upper platform.

The beach is backed by scrub vegetation and the occasional palm, with no commercial development behind it beyond a small car park and a seasonal drinks vendor. The lagoon is similar in quality to Flic en Flac — protected by the same offshore reef, shallow and warm — but considerably quieter, particularly on weekdays when the absence of hotel guests and day-trippers is complete. Sunday afternoons bring Mauritian families from the Quatre Bornes plateau who prefer the space and calm of La Preneuse to the busier beach further north.

The west-facing beach catches the evening sun directly, and the sunsets from La Preneuse are effectively the same as those at Flic en Flac but viewed in relative peace. The Rempart Mountain — 747 metres, one of the most distinctive profiles on the west coast — turns deep purple against the orange sky as the sun drops, and the lagoon in the foreground goes from turquoise to molten bronze in about 20 minutes. It is the best free show in Mauritius, seen from a beach where you can hear yourself think.