Mark Twain described the sea around Mauritius as "just about the divinist colour known to nature."

Aquamarine and blue topaz waters surround a colourful island with a colourful cultural history.

Three European powers, Dutch, French and then English, successively ruled the small island in the southern Indian Ocean. African, Indian and Chinese slaves and labourers were brought over to work on sugar, tea and spice plantations. All these cultures survive today in Mauritius.

A famous story of survival comes from Le Morne, a great sheer-walled, flat-topped mountain on the southwest coast of Mauritius that became a refuge for escaped slaves. From the 1700s until abolition in 1835, escaped slaves fled and hid on top of the mountain.  Sometimes up to 50 families subsisted there for months and even years.

Today Le Morne’s flanks slope down to four and five star resorts, designer golf courses, boat harbours and small paradises for international travellers.

Sun-bleached bougainvillea petals waft across white sand beaches passed by casual catamarans and water skiers. The snorkelling, sailing, windsurfing, diving, surfing and fishing around Mauritius are world class.

The interior of the island allows travellers to leave the beaches for rainforest walks, mountain lookouts and restaurants, wildlife, waterfalls and a range of land based sports. There are sugar plantations, colonial mansions and even European designer fashion outlets to visit.

A mosaic of cultural influences becomes obvious as you travel the 65-kilometre long island.

More than half the population are of Indian descent, mostly Hindu. Around 30 percent are Creole, five per cent Chinese or Malay and the rest are of European descent, mostly French.

In Mauritius, afternoon tea is taken with vanilla. White rum is steeped with fruits, herbs and spices. Markets sell tropical fruits and Aryuvedic herbs. There are painted churches for the Catholic Creoles and Hindu temples by the roadside.

In resorts, sublime health spas are sponsored by French cosmetics companies like Clarins while vanilla and sandalwood fill the air with elegant aromas. Incredible smorgasbord breakfasts are standard with French produce, fine cheeses, hams, granolas, yoghurts and brioches alongside tropical fruits and drinks. French cuisine and style infuse the hospitality and the charm of Mauritius.

Most Mauritians speak English and French, the two official languages of the country, although at home, everyone speaks Creole.

Local Creole fishermen still ply wooden sailing boats with bamboo masts that bend in the wind beneath brightly coloured sails.  

Creole culture gives Mauritian people an easygoing equanimity and visitors will soon feel the same grace.