Experience the best of Balaclava

Balaclava is a small coastal village in the Pamplemousses district on the north-west coast of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. The bay is calm behind a coral reef, and sugar-cane fields and low hills lie behind it, with the capital, Port Louis, a short distance to the south.

Balaclava Marine Park, at Turtle Bay, protects a shallow reef where snorkellers see colourful fish and corals and, with luck, turtles. Port Louis has a fort on a hill, a busy market and Aapravasi Ghat, a UNESCO site recalling the arrival of indentured workers. Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, with giant water lilies and long avenues of palms, is a short drive away, and the beaches of Trou aux Biches, the resorts of Grand Baie and the red-roofed church at Cap Malheureux lie to the north.

Mauritian food blends Indian, Chinese, African and French cooking: dholl puri flatbreads, gateaux piments, fried lentil cakes, fish vindaye, rougaille and curries, often with chilli on the side, and fresh cane juice or local rum to drink. The climate is tropical, hot and wet from November to April and cooler and drier from May to October.