Pointe Aux Piments: Beach and Heritage

The Mauritius Aquarium is located in the village of Pointe aux Piments on the northwest coast and is permanently closed, so do not include it as a current visitor attraction in your plans. Additional cultural topics belong to the broader destination of Pamplemousses and form a distinct regional focus.

Public Beach and Choosing Where to Stay

Pointe Aux Piments Beach (Main Beach) is designated as a public beach. This gives you a specific point of reference when choosing a location if you would like to include a beach in your travel plans. Check the conditions on your intended visit date so that your plans are based on up-to-date information. You can also consider whether the beach or the historic side of Pointe Aux Piments carries more weight in your decision. This helps you separate the question of where to stay from which topics you are most interested in during your visit.

Heritage Associated with Pointe Aux Piments

Heritage associated with Pointe Aux Piments includes the Batterie des Grenadiers, the battery at the Oberoi Hotel, and the powder magazine at the Oberoi Hotel. The names indicate that more than one type of historic structure is represented here: there are two batteries as well as a powder magazine. If you would like to visit one of these sites in particular, check access arrangements in advance. This lets you include your interest in history in your plans without assuming that a visit will necessarily be possible.

The Mauritius Aquarium: A Former Visitor Experience

For a long time, the Mauritius Aquarium offered visitors a glimpse into Mauritian marine life; it is now permanently closed. This former attraction is part of the area's history, not a reason to plan a visit to an aquarium today. When considering Pointe Aux Piments as a destination, you can distinguish this historical aspect from the area's more current features: its beach and heritage.

Cultural History in the Broader Destination of Pamplemousses

L’Aventure du Sucre is an interactive museum in a former sugarcane factory in the broader destination of Pamplemousses. Its topics include the history of Mauritius and the country's close ties to sugarcane. It also covers the importance of sugar in the past and present, sugar production and harvesting, the various processing stages, and the global sugar trade. Together, these topics trace a path from sugar's historical role through harvesting and processing to trade. L’Aventure du Sucre has also hosted temporary exhibitions, including examples on Mauritian photography and on food and hunger. If any of these topics are important to your plans, check whether they are currently on offer.

The history of churches and cemeteries is also part of Pamplemousses. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi was built in 1735 in honour of the Governor of Isle de France, François Mahé de Labourdonnais, and the wealthy settlers of the time. An old cemetery is located near St Francois D’Assises Church, where several graves are classified as historical monuments. These include the grave of Buonavita, Napoleon's chaplain, which is also classified as a historical monument. These sites connect architectural history with specific places of historical remembrance in Pamplemousses.

Explore more destinations: Pamplemousses, Trou Aux Biches, Long Mountain, Triolet, Balaclava, Tombeau Bay, D'Epinay

Go to the broader travel overview: Pamplemousses.