Trou-aux-Biches
Trou-aux-Biches is a small town with a public beach on the northern coast of Mauritius in the district of Pamplemousses. According to the World Travel group, the beach is one of the most beautiful on the island. They awarded it the World's Leading Beach Destination at the World Travel Award for 2011. Many tourist resorts and boutique hotels are situated near the beach, such as the Trou aux Biches Resort & Spa. From Port Louis, the M2 highway heads towards it, with Trou-aux-Biches about west from the end of M2. The airport and  the town are connected by a public bus. Trou-aux-Biches began as a fishing village in the 19th century. Its name appears on the Lislet-Geoffroy map drawn in 1807 during the French colonial rule of the island. In the contemporary era it has evolved into a small town with a two kilometre long white sand beach shaded by casuarina trees, snorkelling reefs, boutique shops, a supermarket and other facilities along the B38 road catering to family tourism. While Tourism began in Mauritius in 1952 with the construction of a small hotel in Curepipe for air crews arriving in  colonial Mauritius, the first major hotel was built in Trou-aux-Biches in 1971 after Mauritius gained independence in 1968. The town retains its village style, is less commercialized than Grand Baie. Inland from the town at Triolet is the island's largest Hindu temple built in 1888, is close to a golf course, the Mauritius Aquarium and another beach in Pointe-aux-Piments, and an area for sunset watching. Trou-aux-Biches is among the most famous beaches for sunset watching.