Beaches
Mauritius is a coral reef encircle, it's coastline glistens with beaches of powdery white sands, lapped gently by translucent water lagoons. It is this sandy margin, more than anything, that draws the tourists. Tourism is now the island's third biggest industry, after sugar and textiles. In Mauritius the best beaches have hotels close to them but these are not exclusive tourist enclaves and most have public access. There are also public beaches and it is still possible, away from the hotels and coastal roads, to find secluded stretches of sand. Also rare of Mauritius beaches are lush groves of coconut palms normally associated with tropical island paradises. Instead the long stretches of sand are fringed with pine like casuarina tree. They have been planted in close formation to act as windbreaks. They are known locally as filaos. Not all beaches in Mauritius are walled with hotels and many have only a public kiosk or picnic pavilion as their closest building. Few hotels are actually grouped together, monopolising a whole beach, although they do try to control what happens on their share of the foreshore for the comfort of their guests. Hotel beaches are kept clean, beach hawkers are licensed and not a nuisance, and there is unobtrusive patrolling by security staff in front of the larger hotels. Swimming or paddling off some of the beaches is hazardous, not because of underwater currents but due to the sharp spined sea urchins (Echinoides). It's a good idea to wear sandals when walking in the shallows.