Mauritius was a revelation for us, we didn't expect 'that'.
We first arrived in the main harbour, Port Louis where the modernity of the Waterfront with all the shops and restaurants was a surprise to us. It's nice, clean and moreover the Mauritians are very friendly and welcoming.

The following day, we went to town and there was yet another surprise: the fruits and vegetables market. Not only is it nice and plentiful but it's also very lively, a great place to walk through. We only hear French on this island although it was British before the independence. Although English is the official language, all Mauritians speak Creole and French which is very handy for us.
Thanks to yachties we met in Chagos, we called Goolam, a taxi driver who took us for two tours of the island at a very reasonable price. It was great since we also learned a lot about the island. What Goolam likes best is the fact that so many religions live side by side with no problem. We were pleased: a beautiful island and tolerance, a paradise!

He drove us to the centre of the island. We drove through acres of forest. There, it's cool, roughly 5°C less than on the coast. The air is pure, the forest splendid. We enjoyed the hills and the large valleys with the sugar canes giving them a light green colour.
We are so pleased with what we saw that we said 'Why not settle here when we'll end our sailing "career"?

We left Port Louis a few days later to anchor in Grand Baie in the north of the island. The bay is large and well protected. We stayed roughly 15 days taking advantage of the pontoon of the small Yacht Club to leave our dinghy and walk through the city. We even bought "rare" food for yachties like us: Camembert, Brie and Roquefort.
3 days before we left, Goolam took us for a tour to the East and South of the island. We were flabbergasted by the beauty of the bays. No doubt so many De Luxe hotels are there with their beautiful white sand beaches and 18 holes golfs.
The South is really the wild coast. No beach here, just rocks but the wilderness is stunning, beautiful.
We left Mauritius and swore we'll be back!

24 hours of sailing and we were in Reunion. We decided to leave the island quickly, the first impression was bad. The marina of Port de la Pointe des Galets is in an industrial site full of noise and fumes. The office is opened from 8 to 15 then the showers are closed too. Everything is expensive, up to 30% more than in Europe.
Thanks to yachties again, we discovered what's "best" is Reunion, the volcanic mountains. After a 4 hours walks going up and down steep tracks, we understood why people who like to climb like it here.
Well, as a conclusion, we don't like Reunion where we stayed one week and will certainly never be back.