Notre Dame Auxiliatrice chapel in Mauritius was founded in 1938 and welcomes many tourists to join in on Sunday morning mass. Situated on the most northern point of the island, it looks out to the five northern islets, one being Coin de Mire. Known as the Little Red Church in the small fishing village of Cap Malheureux – this is the most famous church in Mauritius, famed for its red roof. Located on a gorgeous beach, I would say this was one of our favourite and most memorable days from an unexpected visit. I honestly thought it would be a quick sight seeing stop but there is so much more to it.
Less than 10 minutes from Grand Baie and on one of our first few days in Mauritius we rocked up and parked on the side of the road and had a little wander around to check out what I had always known as the most photographed church, we didn’t have time to stay but thought it would be a good spot to come back to explore properly. Anyway, after a few weeks of exploring Mauritius and towards the end of our trip, my 7-year-old asked if we could go back to the beach where they catch and cook the fish… I had to remind myself and realised that he meant he wanted to go back to the red roof Church. This time we took fishing nets along with us on our adventure. After visiting the church, which is a beautiful yet simple chapel we stepped on to the beach and soaked up the picturesque views out to the ocean whilst the kids paddled around the rock pools looking for crabs and small fish. There are a couple of locals selling really pretty pieces of handmade jewellery, which were the best for value that we came across and perfect little gifts, a tree swing for the instagrammers and my favourite part was this little BBQ set up by the locals called Lazak Sandrine, where they catch and prepare the fish right on the beach front in front of you. You simply pop in your order and by the time you have finished exploring you can enjoy the most amazing seafood dish with some yummy wine. Chairs and tables are set up in the shade under a huge Banyan Tree where the kids loved climbing in and swinging off the vines and making friends. We enjoy a whole fresh snapper, king prawns, garlic bread & fries for all four of us oh and a bottle of wine for only £75. To watch them de scale the fish, grill it and serve it all up as fresh as can be was pretty cool, we made some very special memories here. This unexpected stop turned into one of our most cherished family memories. It’s not a traditional sunbathing beach, but it’s perfect for a relaxed day spent exploring, eating, and soaking up local vibes.
