Погода: Гранд-Бе, февраль

November is the front of the Mauritian summer, and regulars value it for what has not arrived: the humidity and the rain do not really kick in until December, and the cyclone season rarely starts before then either. October is named the driest and sunniest month with November and early December just behind it. They also say the coasts stop differing at this point in the year - the shore you choose matters in winter, not now - though the north-west around Grand Baie is where they report clear mornings running late into the afternoon. Their figures run hotter than ours: they say low 30s climbing through the month, our row has 27.8C reading as 30C at 73 percent humidity. The record: 28.2mm across 8.3 days, 11.9 hours of sun and a 26.8C sea.

August is Mauritian winter and the advice regulars give is entirely about which coast you pick. The south-easterly trades blow hard now, so the east and south feel cool and windy while the north, north-west and west - Grand Baie among them - get the best of it. Our row's 29.7 kph is that wind measured on the sheltered side. Days are fine at 24.6C; evenings are the part people underpack for, and a wrap earns its place at 20.5C reading as 19C. The wind holds until about mid-September before easing ahead of the summer rains, and late August is already warmer. Rain is minimal at 13.8mm across 3.6 days. The record: humidity 71 percent, 10.4 hours of sun, a 24.7C sea and AQI 39.

September in Mauritius is late winter: warm, sunny, and with October the driest and sunniest part of the year. The month improves as it runs - early September still carries strong trade winds, which ease towards the end - and those winds are why the north and west are the side to be on, Grand Baie among them, while the east takes the brunt of them. Regulars describe the north-west in September as warm to hot days with little rain and less humidity than midsummer. Our row still has 28.8 kph of wind against a 25.2C day and a 24.7C sea. The record: 20.8C nights, 2.6 precipitation days carrying 8.3mm and 11 hours of sun.

Mauritius forum threads are direct that January is hot and humid summer, often pushing past 30C, and sits right in the wettest and peak cyclone stretch of the year (January-March). The typical rain pattern described: a burst of maybe 15 minutes followed by a couple of clear hours before the cycle repeats - though a cyclone passing nearby can mean several consecutive rainy days confined largely to the hotel. Posters were clear that direct cyclone hits are rare even in peak season, and outcomes vary widely year to year - some visitors get lucky with little rain, others hit a genuinely wet stretch, with a quality resort and flexible plans the standard recommendation either way.