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Before
considering the night scene of Mauritius one
should keep in mind that Mauritius and its
people is more stuck-up than it should be. Fun, and pleasure
seem to be prohibited and in some ways it is. Political and
religious powers are so linked up that the authorities have
a policy of sending everyone to bed at 10 p.m. after having
watched a Z series movie on T.V. their ideal is to turn mauritians
into hard working social units and perfect bourgeois.
On the
positive side, there is a permanent uprising of the youth
and the scene is now much livelier than it was 10 years ago.
Nightlife
in Mauritius is closer to the continental style than
to an exotic scene in the sense that in the few regions where
“something’s up” it is mainly in restaurants,
bars, and discothèques; there are unfortunately neither
beach parties nor full-moon parties…
at least not officially.
Bars
and discotheques
Most bars & discothèques are open every night except
Sundays but the evenings that work best are Wednesdays, Fridays
and Saturdays. Bars get fuller after diner (between 9 and
10 and this lasts only 2 to 3 hours. Typically, bar people
are not discotheque people; most bars being
in open-air venues more suitable to all. The bar people tend
to be a bit older (25 to 50) whereas the discothèque
crowd is more between 18 and 40.
The liveliest
area at night is definitely Grand
Bay; mostly for its restaurants but it has also a fair
amount of bars and discothèques. Below is a list of
the main bars and discotheques.
Discotheques
in Grand Bay
Stardance and Godz discothèque. Royal
road Grand Bay. Technically the largest and best discothèque
of Grand Bay with excellent sound system. The Stardance is
unfortunately like all of the most famous discotheques of
the world; purely commercial. It attracts people of all regions
and kinds and although there are not so many incidents, this
place is not of great interest. It has no soul and the music
is a mix of commercial and local.
The
Banana Café, (bar) Royal road Grand Bay, is
a nicely set-up semi-open bar under trees and was the first
of its kind. It is the expatriates’ favourite spot.
Now partly owned by an American expat fond of live rock and
jazz music. Jamming sessions occur every weekend and sustained
(sometimes too much) recorded music plays along the rest of
the time. The place gets pretty full on weekends as it is
of good professional quality with a good mix of expats and
local people. Prices are reasonable.
The
Zanzibar (fun bar / discothèque) at Royal
road, Grand Bay. The Zanzibar is situated in the same yard
as the Banana; however, the concept is completely different
and there is only a small proportion of the Banana clients
that move to the Zanzibar afterwards. The Zanzibar is in between
a fun bar and a pretty small discothèque. It is often
crowded with young people of all origins preferring the hip
hop and R&B influence to the commercial / tech school.
The music and quality of sound is far from the best but does
the job. The crowd being generally very young, behaved and
clean, the Zanzibar remains one of the two acceptable places
of Grand Bay.
Le
Bamboo nightclub, Chemin Vingt pieds, Grand Bay. Fairly
maintained nightclub where lonely men and couples are welcome.
Funny to visit once as its crowd is most “roots.”
Zeclaire
nightclub, Chemin vingt pieds, Grand Bay. Not really a discotheque…
To be avoided.
Les
Enfants Terribles. (Discotheque) Royal road, Pointe
aux Canonniers.
Les “Enfants Terribles” counts
a medium-sized dance floor indoor and especially a large patio
with an open-air bar.
Open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, it is a rather traditional
nightclub with music of the 80’s, suitable
to people of all ages, but most appreciated by the 40 to 50’s
who specially enjoy its open-air area making “Les Enfants
Terribles” an hybrid between a bar and a nightclub.
Looking at the types of cars in the parking, it is clear that
“Les Enfants Terribles” enjoys
a clientele of relatively rich people but the success of the
place is in offering to this clientele the possibility to watch
younger people, and attractive jet-setters having fun. The mood
heats up as dawn approaches as many younger people stop by for
a last drink.
“Les Enfants Terribles” is often
crowded on weekends and the management reserves the right of
admission. Dress code is smart casual.
“Les Enfants Terribles” is not the place for the
young, up-to-date party animals as the music
is really decades away but remains a good address for the “Look-at-me”
who likes to watch and be seen.
The Buddha Club (Discotheque) Royal road, Grand
Bay.
The name rings a bell of course but the only similarity with
the well-known Parisian “Bouddha Bar”
is a statue of Buddha which is not as nice and big as the one
there.
After a good start as a fun bar, the Buddha was unfortunately
transformed into a nightclub. Entry is free of charge like most
clubs in Mauritius and the place is crowded.
Open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, its clientele is
fortunately a minimum selected and except on rare occasions,
behaves itself.
The music (mainly House) is fair to good but
the sound system could be improved; not only for the dance floor
but to save the ears of those who just wish to enjoy a drink
at the bar.
The Buddha
remains the right address for the 20 to 30’s who want
to dance long nights on up-to-date music and a good address
for sexy dancing.
N-Gyone Nightclub:
Sexy, Classy, Ahead of its time! N-Gyone nightclub offers a
tropical feel merged with the industrial era in which we are
living. The concept is strong, yet subtle, just like the atmosphere
inside. The focus is based on musical talent, innovative concepts,
friendly atmosphere, big events and a breathtaking decor.
Discotheques
outside Grand Bay
The Saxophone, Royal road, Beau Bassin. The
“Saxo” was the first place for house music in Mauritius
when the worldwide house movement started and was the reference.
Since then, it has had ups and downs but managed to stay alive
and kicking. It maintained a pleasant and faithful clientele
that, with their peaceful attitude, help the newcomers in feeling
at ease. Arena,
Pasadena complex, Royal road, Flic-en-Flac. The Arena
nightclub has an excellent potential, as the core architecture
is modern and well designed. The sound system could have been
improved but is sufficient for the spending of pleasant night.
The Arena is a bit irregular as there is very little communication
from the management. It’s unfortunate as it turned out
to be a good spot for the few times they had organised events
with international D.J.s.
Updated
in June 2006
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