Introduction
Vacoas-Phoenix is one of the largest towns of the country. The area is composed of two main towns, Vacoas and Phoenix and lies between Curepipe and Quatre Bornes in the west of Mauritius about 10 miles south of Port Louis. Phoenix is home of Mauritius Breweries and the local Phoenix and Blue Marlin beers. Vacoas & Phoenix is also called as Garden Town. In spite of drastic growth of industrial development here, lot of vegetables and flowers are supplied from here.
History
Vacoas was declared as a town in 1963 and was merged with Phoenix. In 1968, it was given the status of municipality and today it is the largest municipality of Mauritius. Vacoas holds its name from a plant whose scientific name is “Pandamus” and which were found in large quantities in this region. Formerly, the leaves of this plant were used to make the bags and mats.
Places of Interest
If you love arts and crafts you can visit La Soufflierie, the glass-blowing factory and display room of the Mauritius Glass Gallery near the brewery where you can watch the traditional glass-blowing process or you can also put your handprint or footprint on sheets of glass at an affordable price. Beautiful lampshades, stained glass pictures, vases and beautifully molded vessels.
The one main point of interest for travelers is the museum. The colonial style building was before a Scottish Presbyterian church, then a rum store.
Vacoas also boasts of its bazaar – vegetable market (active on Tuesdays and Fridays) and its ‘Way’ supermarket. April, May, August and October to December these months are peak time for buying and selling.
Accommodation & Dinning
There are various types of accommodation options available in and around Vacoas and Phoenix ranging from self-catering units to fully inclusive five-star hotels that cater to your every need, providing entertainment and offering great service. Alternatively you can opt for a self-catering villa.
The Mandarin is the Chinese restaurant found in the center of the Town of Vacoas with traditional Chinese decor and delicious food that will take you to China. Chez Manuel restaurant is the cheapest restaurant but you get a variety of food which are really tasty. Ah Youn restaurant is also found in Vacoas. It’s a great restaurant with a mix of Mauritian and Chinese cuisine, has a quick and friendly service and very reasonably priced. They had plenty to choose from and a decent wine list too.