All beaches in Mauritius are public. Also the hotels that are located right at the beach cannot reserve a strip of beach for their guests.
So the hotel guests are frying their poor bodies on sunbeds on the border to the public beach, with the latter remaining empty, more or less. Most hotel guests even prefer to swim in the hotel pool. Dunno.
Turning the camera away from the hotel, but on the same beach, you see a different picture.
Mauritians love their beaches, to spend the Sunday, or just to have supper in the evening also on workdays, to meet and chat, play music, or play some football or boules.
Some families have quite some infrastructure that they bring along and install. They cook full meals right on the beach, eating there seems part of their daily routine.
To be fair, I need to note that the pictures were taken on different days, and at different times. The hotel beach might look somewhat less bleak if the photo had also been taken at the Golden Hour closer to sunset. Then again, it helps to make my point, right? :)
It’s also interesting how close to the sea the vegetation grows, with wide strips of grass and trees. Very inviting to relax in the shadow under the trees, read a book, whatever.
On some beaches, like this one in the north, there are also fishermen, with boats going out, and also the anglers right in front of the beach.
Some of them gut and prepare their catch right on the beach, selling it to passers-by.
Pretty much as fresh as you can get it.
And the beach is of course the place for the youth to meet and hang out!