Shopping Day: Curepipe, Quatre Bornes & Bagatelle

Mauritius isn’t only beaches: the highland towns have a life of their own, and this day shows them to you through their trade. We start at the Mauritius Glass Gallery in Phoenix, a workshop blowing entirely recycled glass — the workshop is worth as much as the shop.

Then Quatre Bornes and its fabric market, where haggling is still the rule. Loud, colourful, and thoroughly Mauritian. We finish at Bagatelle, the large modern mall, for those after brands or simply air conditioning.

I suggest this outing for rainy days — the highlands get more rain than the coast — or at the end of a stay for presents. Leave room in the suitcase. An hour’s drive from the north.