"Everywhere is about an hour away," says our guide when I ask at the airport how long it will take us to reach Beachcomber's Paradis Hotel on Le Morne peninsula. There is a good reason for my question. We've arrived on Mauritius in summer. The temp is over 30C and the humidity is about as high as it gets without raining.

"It's always humid," I am told, "but in summer it's around 90 percent."

Yet this hasn't deterred the honeymooners. Our Air Mauritius Airbus from Sydney has a full quota it seems, and I'm guessing they're here to see how they look against the backdrops they've fallen in love with from the colour brochures - the ones with dazzling white sands, and turquoise lagoons laced with waves breaking on reefs a hundred metres or so out. Maybe they just can't wait to tuck into a massive seafood platter, or dive into glassy pools at a five-star resort.

At around 1800 square kilometers - less than half the size of Kangaroo Island - Mauritius is just the right size for vacation (or honeymoon) exploration. That's if you can tear yourself away from your hotel buffet or beach or spa or whatever else is on offer.

While textiles and sugar are listed as the main industries of Mauritius, it's not hard to see that tourism ranks pretty high on the list as a means of making Mauritian rupees (around 30 to the Aussie dollar, if you're interested).

Yet, this lush green drop in the ocean has had a fascinating history of its own.

Once upon a time, flightless and none-too-bright birds roamed the island. You've heard the expression "silly as a dodo" and it seems that if these birds had been a bit brighter (and maybe less tasty) they would have escaped the early Portuguese - or was it Dutch, no-one is quite sure - settlers who hunted them to extinction.

Then came the French and finally a war which saw the Brits taking control of the island. Uncharacteristically the people were allowed to remain French-speaking, so when independence came in 1968 and most of the English returned home, Mauritius retained the French street signs, French billboards, and dual language.

In fact, as I talked to locals, it was soon apparent that many speak more than just two languages. There's Creole, which also exhibits itself in skirt-swirling dances such as the nightly one at Coralia Hotel, and also as the inspiration for spicy dishes on many menus. Hindi and Tamil are spoken widely too by the many descendents of the slave trade that flourished until 1835.

The capital, Port Louis (population 144,000) bustles with life and we dropped in briefly to the markets, bright with the fresh scents of just-harvested fruit and vegetables. One vendor called for us to try some carrots, another offered mounds of chillies, but we had lunch on our minds, and nothing would do but to enjoy it under umbrellas on the Caudan Waterfront.

This is the Darling Harbour of Port Louis, full of cafes and bars, boutiques and craft shops, the ideal venue to enjoy a local Phoenix beer as you watch the ships come and go.

Later we shopped for Armani and DKNY, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana at a couple of the many factory outlets dotted around the island. Mauritius is where many of the big designer names are put together in the island's 500 or so textile factories. This is the genuine article - no copy handbags and labels here - and there are serious savings to be made.

But as we drove across country, the greatest influence seemed to be sugar cane. Think Townsville, roughly on the same line of latitude, and you'll understand why. 

At l'Aventure du Sucre, not far from Port Louis, we wandered through a reconstructed sugar mill, followed the history of the island - including the poor old dodo, last seen somewhere around 1700 - in the museum upstairs, then tasted the most popular sugar product of all at the shop at the end of the tour.

Mauritian rum is greatly prized. Try it with some added sugar stirred into it, and it becomes ambrosial. With a vanilla pod steeping in the bottle, as we tried it at Trou aux Biches, another Beachcomber property and one of the island's most popular honeymoon resorts, you have a taste that embodies the tropics.

One evening we walked along the beachfront, the air like warm honey, and listened to the distant slap of the waves on the reef, remembering the many cultures that have come to Mauritius. Each remains, adding another layer to the rich facade of this remote island.

Others like us, the tourists, come for just a few days of rum and romance, and to take away shopping bags of goodies and photo albums packed with memories.

FACTFILE:
What: Air Mauritius flies weekly from Sydney, via Melbourne to Mauritius. Beachcomber Hotels offer a range of luxury accommodation.

Where: Mauritius is seven hours behind EDST, approximately eleven hours flying time from Sydney.

When: Temperatures and humidity drop from April to November.