Living in Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava: a Quiet North-West Coast

Living in Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava means a residential stretch of coast between Port Louis and Grand Baie, without the bustle of either. You live here, spend time on the lagoon, and drive for almost everything else. In return you get a Mauritian village of 7,488 people (2022 census), sheltered beaches, and a marine park and a historic site a few minutes away at Balaclava.

A residential coast, not a resort strip

Pointe aux Piments is a village council area in the Pamplemousses district. The 2022 census counts 7,488 residents, all classed as rural by the Central Statistical Office. Creole is the home language of 5,828 of them, ahead of Bhojpuri (1,326), French (112) and English (58). It is, first of all, a village where Mauritian families live, with hotels and residences along the shoreline, not a district built around visitors.

Balaclava lies just to the south-west, between Grand Baie and Port Louis, around a crescent-shaped bay. Both share the same coast road: a British tour operator puts Pointe aux Piments less than 4 km from Balaclava Bay.

Balaclava: a marine park and 18th-century ruins

The Balaclava Marine Park covers 4.85 km² of lagoon, according to the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC). If you love the sea, that is a practical reason to live here: part of the neighbouring lagoon is a protected area.

The Ruins of Balaclava, a national monument, date from the 18th century. Under French rule and Governor Mahé de La Bourdonnais, the site held an iron foundry, a gunpowder factory, a naval arsenal and a flour mill that supplied Port Louis. Before that, the Dutch called the bay Schildpad Baai, “Turtle Bay”. The ruins sit inside the grounds of the Maritim hotel. Its guests enter free; for everyone else the hotel lists Rs 1,000 per adult and Rs 500 per child under 12 for non-residents, and Rs 500 and Rs 250 for Mauritian residents.

Daily life: you will need a car

Plan on driving for the main shop, restaurants and activities. Grand Baie remains the commercial hub of the north, as our guide to Grand Baie’s neighbourhoods explains. The flip side of that distance is quiet: this north-west coast sits away from the busiest parts of the north, which our guide to living in the north compares in detail.

If you want to live without a car, compare it with Grand Baie first: our guide to living without a car in Grand Baie covers the subject.

Climate: what the northern readings show

The Mauritius Meteorological Services use the Pamplemousses station for the north. It records average maximums of 31.1 °C in January and 25.7 °C in July, and average minimums of 22.2 °C in February and 16.1 °C in July. The average wind is stronger in August (13.3 km/h) than in May and June (9.3 km/h). These are station averages. Wind exposure varies from house to house, so check it on site against the way the property faces.

Health and emergencies

The Ministry of Health places Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava under the same health office, known as “SSRN”. The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam hospital in Pamplemousses is the main public hospital for the north, with an accident and emergency department and an intensive care unit. For routine care or a private clinic, find the closest address to your home before you decide. Our page on the healthcare system in Mauritius explains what the public and private sectors cover.

Buying in Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava

The market is mostly villas and apartments in secure residences. One Balaclava listing is a single-storey three-bedroom villa in Royal Park, on a 433.30 m² plot with 211.10 m² of built space and a pool, advertised at 10,480,924 South African rand and described as open to foreigners. The listing does not say which scheme applies, so ask before committing. This is an asking price, not a sale price, and it applies only to that property.

To understand how foreigners can buy, see our page on new developments in Mauritius and our comparison of PDS options in the north. For budgets, see property prices in Mauritius. Westimmo shows its northern properties in Trou aux Biches and Grand Baie.

Compared with the neighbouring areas

• Compared with Trou aux Biches: Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava lie further south, so closer to Port Louis, and stay residential. The Trou aux Biches market is covered on our property page.
• Compared with Grand Baie: Grand Baie remains the commercial hub of the north, while Balaclava puts you closer to Port Louis in a more residential setting.

Who this coast suits, and who it does not

It suits anyone who wants a quiet setting by a sheltered lagoon and has a car: families, retirees and second-home owners. It suits less well anyone who wants to do everything on foot, a lively neighbourhood in the evening, or schools and medical care within walking distance.

Sources and checks

• Central Statistical Office of Mauritius, 2022 census, Pointe aux Piments (figures reproduced by citypopulation.de)
• Mauritius Meteorological Services, climate sheet for the North region (Pamplemousses)
• Ministry of Health, health offices and localities covered
• Défi Santé, National Hospitals (SSRN hospital, Pamplemousses)
• Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC), Balaclava Marine Park
• Maritim Resort & Spa, Ruins of Balaclava
• Blue Bay Travel, Balaclava
• Pam Golding Properties, villa in Royal Park, Balaclava