Pointe Aux Piments: Beach and Heritage

Pointe Aux Piments brings together a designated public beach and three named heritage sites. It is also home to the story of the Mauritius Aquarium, which for a long time gave visitors insights into Mauritian marine life and is now permanently closed. When planning your holiday, it is worth keeping these topics distinct: the beach, the heritage sites and a former visitor attraction each tell a different story about the area.

The beach, heritage and the Mauritius Aquarium

Pointe Aux Piments (Main Beach) is designated as a public beach. Heritage sites associated with Pointe aux Piments include the Batterie des Grenadiers, the battery at the Oberoi Hotel and the powder magazine at the Oberoi Hotel. The battery at the Oberoi Hotel and the powder magazine at the Oberoi Hotel are two separately named sites; the Batterie des Grenadiers is another, distinct heritage site. This makes it possible to distinguish the three names and their different associations.

The Mauritius Aquarium is located in the village of Pointe aux Piments on the northwest coast. For a long time, it gave visitors insights into Mauritian marine life, but it is now permanently closed. So you cannot plan to visit it as part of a trip today: it belongs to the area’s former visitor experience. The public beach, the named heritage sites and the closed aquarium thus represent different chapters to consider when learning about Pointe Aux Piments.

Cultural history in the wider destination of Pamplemousses

In the wider destination of Pamplemousses is L’Aventure du Sucre, an interactive museum in a former sugar factory. The exhibition explores the history of Mauritius and the country’s close connection to sugar cane. Its topics include the importance of sugar in the past and present, sugar production and harvesting, the various processing stages, and the history of the global sugar trade. The exhibition therefore ranges from sugar cane and its processing to global trade, placing these topics within the history of Mauritius. L’Aventure du Sucre has also hosted temporary exhibitions, including examples on Mauritian photography and on food and hunger.

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is also in the wider destination of Pamplemousses. It was built in 1735 in honour of François Mahé de Labourdonnais, Governor of Isle de France, and the wealthy settlers of the time. An old cemetery is located near the St Francois D’Assises Church. Several graves there are classified as historical monuments, including the grave of Buonavita, Napoleon’s chaplain. The church and cemetery thus offer different historical points of reference: a specific construction date and dedication on the one hand, and several classified graves, including Buonavita’s grave, on the other.

Le Fangourin restaurant is next to L’Aventure du Sucre.

When choosing where to stay, you can compare the main attractions directly: Pointe Aux Piments is known for its designated public beach and named heritage sites; in the wider area of Pamplemousses, the museum, church and cemetery offer other cultural themes. Base your search for a holiday rental on whether you would rather focus on the beach and heritage of Pointe Aux Piments or on the history of sugar, the church and the cemetery in Pamplemousses.

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

Go to the wider travel guide: Pamplemousses.