Magical Mauritius

We've just returned from our kitsurfing holiday which we spent on the magical Island of Mauritius. This awesome place can only be described in one word - Paradise!

We decided to stay on the East coast of the Island which was a bit more off the beaten track, the majority of kiters/windsurfers head to La Morne on the south west tip of the Island. This is the main spot with the best rideable waves but we were after a silky smooth lagoon and when we arrived at our hotel the La Palmeraie we weren't disappointed.

Our room overlooked the kitesurf lagoon and the launch area was a mere 20 yards walk from our front door.

Views to the left and to the right from the balcony











This is Paradise!!!

Mauritius is a fair old hike from London, 14 hours in total and we were all tired after the long flight but our spirits soon perked up when we greeted by the warm breeze and the thought of heading in for our first session on the water.



Early Evening session



















The motley crew getting into the flavour of a themed night at the hotel.

Left to right: Me, Dimi, Dan and Ellie








The lagoon was fully enclosed by an outer reef which was constantly pounded by the endless surf. During our entire stay the outer reef never went flat and on the days that the wind didn't blow (3 in total) the waves were looking sweet. Glassy walls peeling onto the ankle deep reef. According to the locals, this place wasn't surfed as it was too shallow and dangerous but everytime I gazed out I wished I could grab a surf board, paddle out and try my luck.




























During the first half of our holiday the wind was relatively light and it tended to pick up towards the end of the day. Dan and I had some great sessions just before nightfall when the water was butter flat and perfect for learning some new tricks.


Me... Dan...













Now, that is a lovely looking kite!

When it rains... it pours!

These are my favourite photos of the trip. They were taken by Dimi from the balcony early in the morning. Dan and I are the only two in the water and it was great fun blasting around pushing and egging each other on. The tide was low and Dan pushed it just a little too far near the shallow reef, he ended up being speared in the bum by a sea urchin. We all found this highly amusing and to my mis-fortune I also ended up with some sea urchin spines embeded in my hand which Dimi had great pleasure in digging out.
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We all had a great holiday and the Hotel La Palmeraie was amazing. The staff were so friendly and the food was delicious. If any of you are contemplating heading out there, we can thoroughly recommend it. We have some brilliant memories of this holiday and look forward to the next trip.

Here are a few more photos of the guys and girls in action.

Dan..Nice Raley Dimi...airtime