Soudha's Travel Log 3: Shopping by the Sea!

Hi guys! Today I'm back with a new entry in my travel log series. 

So today, I'll be taking you on a virtual trip at the Caudan Waterfront. Simply put, it's a set of shopping malls, food courts and hotels built along the harbour. You're basically doing your shopping by the sea! It comes with a docking area for cruise boats as well and is always bustling with people, both locals and tourists. 

When I arrive at the Caudan, I am greeted by the sight of boats docked for the day, bobbing lightly above the deep blue sea. The parking area stretches along the harbour and as soon as I leave the car, the smell of salt on the wind hits me. Regardless of the season or time of the year, it always feels like summer at the Caudan!

I enter the main area of the Caudan and flanking the steps leading up to the first mall, I find the famous wood sculptures of local artist PEM. A favorite spot with tourists and Mauritians alike, the beautiful hand carved display is a little teaser for the other local pieces of art and handcraft scattered throughout the Caudan.

A few steps into the first mall and I find one of the several art galleries of the Caudan. Under the brush strokes of local artists, Mauritius come to life through the vibrant colors of the local scenery and beaches captured at standstill on canvas. Spotted in almost all pieces, the Mauritian dodo, extinct since centuries, seems more alive than ever under plumage of bright reds and blues. 

I leave the first mall and head to an open space leading to various shops and food spots, walking under the shade of a myriad of colorful umbrellas that overlook the entire alley. 

To my left, a few people are sitting under the colorful shadows of the overhanging umbrellas, sipping fresh fruit juice from the fruit cart stationed on the side of the alley. This is the ideal place to stop by for a taste of local fruits and freshly pressed juice.

Just a few steps further, there's a cart selling the traditional 'manioc galettes', local treats made with cassava. These galettes are perfect on their own or with a warm cup of tea.

I now head to the other side of the Caudan. To cross between the different areas of the place, you get to walk by the harbour. To my right stretch high end restaurants and popular fast-foods, the sounds of laughter and clinking of glass occasionally cut by the splash of the waves. 

The Caudan is home to both local art and delicacies and high end shops. The Vendome does not only offer beautiful pieces of jewelry, but the shop itself is worth a stop. With its stone façades and balconies, the shop itself is as beautiful as the little treasures displayed inside.

Another visitor favorite is the boat shaped casino with the massive figurehead of a prancing lion. The casino, housed within a boat docked right in the middle of the alley, is one of the highlights of the Caudan at night, both with visitors and the people staying at the hotels in the vicinity. 

I enter another of the malls and this time head towards its craft market. Inside, you can find all sorts of locally made crowd pleasers ranging from sweets, local tea, scented candles and carved wooden decorative pieces to scarves, boat models and handcrafted soaps. 

Leaning on the balcony of the mall's top floor, I take a moment to glance at the sprawling view of the mountains looming above the coastal city. The bridge, which leads to another entrance to the Caudan, unfolds into the edge of the road beyond which lay the town of Port-Louis, the capital of Mauritius.

Any tour of Mauritius would be incomplete without a stop at the Caudan. With its countless shops and food spots, galleries and food carts, it's the perfect place to hang out on a sunny day, as well as for tourists as with its local visitors.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know your thoughts in the comments ^^