900 km east of Madagascar and 3943 km south-west of India, the island of Mauritius occupies an area of land covering 2040 sq km in the south-west waters of the Indian Ocean. Part of the Mascarene Islands that also includes the French island of Reunion 200 km to the south-west of Mauritius, the entire republic is comprised of St.Brandon, Rodrigues and Agalega islands as well as Mauritius, which is arguably the most popular of all when it comes to tourism, an industry that has only really developed in relatively recent years but continues evolving due to an equally expanding interest in the island as a holiday destination.

The rugged mountainous landscapes of Mauritius bear testimony to its volcanic origins - a broken ring of peaks that rise up to 800 metres and enclose a central plateau, or tableland, that sits at around 300 meters above sea level in the northern region of the island, rising to 600 metres in the south, covering almost a quarter of the total land mass of Mauritius. The mountains, in turn, are surrounded by low-lying coastal plains - particularly in the northern Pamplemousses - that are sometimes hilly in nature, especially in the south where the gentle undulations gradually increase to create a coastline that is often precipitous. The hilly plains leading up to the tableland and the fertile districts of Black River and Port Louis are largely savanna and scrub forest, although the cultivation of tea, rice and sugarcane in these areas have historically been a primary industry for the island, supported by a climate that ranges from temperate during the winter to tropical during summer, with frequent localised downpours.

With ocean temperatures reaching up to 28°C and idyllic beaches cooled by a south-easterly trade wind, Mauritius is a country that can be enjoyed at any time of the year - from May to October the warm dry winter is still light years away from a European summer, and with temperatures rising steeply from November to April, there couldn't be a greater contrast to the gloomy chill of a more north-western climate during the same months. But whatever season you choose to rent a holiday villa in Pamplemousses, you'll find a part of northern Mauritius where ancient customs and cultures blend easily with a growing cosmopolitan awareness, particularly in the Grand Baie and Port Louis areas where the wealth of shopping and leisure facilities (including golf) are almost as attractive as the blissful white sand beaches that have been created ultimately by the coral reefs that continue, virtually uninterrupted, around the entire 160 kms of the island's coastline. So wherever you decide to book your holiday villa in Mauritius you'll be rewarded with a destination of such other-worldly proportions that nothing much could compare with the magical atmosphere of this tropical island paradise.

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