Things To Do in Calodyne

Hindus take the day off to celebrate the god of wisdom’s birthday. In the Calodyne region, devotees beat a track to the ocean with pink models of the elephant-headed god, which have to be dunked in water before sunset. Afterwards, there’s a big party, with dancing and music.

The nearest place to browse for take-homes is Goodlands, less than a 10-minute drive south of Calodyne. It’s a typical Mauritian village, with a big Indo-Mauritian population. Influenced by the locals, the shops along the busy main road sell traditional Indian fashions – designer sarees, kurta pajamas, and costume jewellery – straight from factory outlets. Market days are Tuesday and Friday.

Picnic spots scatter the coastline around Calodyne. It’s easy to pick up titbits at roadside food stalls, where traders do a mean line in the likes of Indian roti and curried rice. Otherwise, the closest restaurants outside the hotels are knotted around the red-roofed church at Cap Malheureux, five kilometres north. Their big-on-flavour seafood is the thing to order.

When you’re ready to stir from the hotels’ sands, Pointe aux Roches Beach is five minutes’ drive north of Calodyne. You’ll need to clamber over the black rocks that divide it from Cap Malheureux Beach to get to it, but the sands are long and wide here. And they’re so hidden away that you’ll probably have them all to yourself.

The hotels kick evenings off with cabaret shows, and there’s a séga night at least once a week, with Mauritian dancers and drummers taking to the dancefloor. But apart from that, Calodyne isn’t one to raise the roof. There’s a better chance of a big night out at Grand Baie, 15 minutes' drive west. It’s got plenty of bars and restaurants, plus a party-hard road crammed with nightclubs.