Advantages: Sunny, Lush greenery, blue sea, and incredible bargains if you know where to go! Disadvantages: You need to have a huge stock of sunscreen! Keep an eye out for bargains to avoid Tourist Traps!
Lost in the vast Indian Ocean, upon the Northern side of the Tropic of Capricorn lies a tiny, sun-kissed volcanic island that has marked its place among the world’s favourite romantic destination. The Republic of Mauritius is legendary for the white beaches, blue lagoons, lush greenery, wide spreads of sugar cane fields, and wonderful flea markets. In brief, this is the ultimate holiday destination for every age and tastes. Whether it is a romantic ... ...even wonderful bargains on tons of pretty stuff, this is the one place you will get it all. The reason why I am sounding like an over-enthusiastic TV advert is because I visited this island and it was love at first sight. Since it is very small Island with an area of 1,860 square kilometres only (781 square miles), the beaches are accessible at every corner. Transportation is hence easy by rental cars, bus or taxi service. I went with a group of ...
diamond_sparkles 29.06.2009 (15.07.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Beautiful island, lovely sea, gorgeous weather Disadvantages: Lack of drinking water, water gets stopped, roads in poor condition
When I found out that I was going to be going to Mauritius in November 2007, I will admit that I was both excited but also a bit apprehensive. Obviously, we have all seen the pictures of the idyllic Mauritius on the television and in books - white beaches, palm trees and blue seas...this was the part I looked forward to. However, I wasn't looking forward to the heat, the burning sun on my pale skin and the food, if I am honest! But things went a ... ...Mauritius. Mauritius is a republic, having become independent from the UK in 1968. It became a republic in March 1992, 24 years later, and as such is officially known as the Republic of Mauritius. It is off the coast of Africa, in the South-west of the Indian Ocean. The island itself is a former volcano, which is why there is a vast expanse of mountains across the country, which are a stark contrast to the gorgeous beaches and clear blue sea surrounding ...
mummy2harry 21.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Good weather, lovely people, lots to do Disadvantages: Stressfull to get there
The Arrival and Departure
We flew with BA, for the first time in many years and the last time ever, they are still not a good airline but that is another opinion
The baggage retrieval and custome clearance were very speedy we were out off the airport in less than half an hour even though we arrived on a 747 which was full in all classes. The taxi was waiting outside and we were on our way to the hotel.
The departure was just as efficient, beware ... ...pay is negotiable, I only paid for 12 KG at UKŁ7 per KG, I actually had 63 KG excess a bargain.
Hotel
Accomodation is all of a very high standard in Mauritius.
We Stayed at the Hotel Ambre on the East Coast. The journey form the airport is just over an hour by Taxi, if you are awake the views along the way are stunning along the costal road, through villages just waking up for the day and the sights sounds and aroma’s of village life. Arrival ...
denise.parry 13.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Breathtaking nature, lots of fun and activity, friendly locals Disadvantages: Too much sun can cause a bad sunburn
I meet a lot of people who are unfamiliar with Mauritius, or have never heard of this magnificent island situated east of Madagaskar on the Indian Ocean. This is completely understandable, as there are a trillion great places to go to that boasts rich cultures and incredible architecture in Europe, but it is a pity, as this island offers one thing – the splendor of nature. White beaches are offset against a dazzling blue ocean, swaying palms ... ...Mauritius is situated in the Indian Ocean, 2400 km off the south east coast of Africa, and is surrounded by coral reefs. Mauritius used to be a British colony, taken from the French in 1710. They gained independence in 1968. Mauritius is mainly focused on agriculture, with 80% of its cultivated land area devoted to sugarcane. Weather
======= The summer season is from November to April, with temperatures in the region of 30 degrees, and winter will ...
neofran 19.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: beautiful views, relaxing, warm safe swimming Disadvantages: locals are very poor, tourist areas expensive.
From The Airport to Grand Baie
Coming from South Africa with it's highways and bridges, we smiled a little at the taxi drivers excitement about the new double road from the south, where the airport is situated, to the north of the island. The road is about as wide as the road in front of my house. We understood his excitement when we end up on the narrow roads running to Grand Baie. It carries a lot of traffic and it looks as if two busses will ... ...to it quickly.
The Busses
Bus fares are very cheap and you can get anywhere by bus but don't be in a hurry . The bus goes right into the sugarcane fields to drop of passengers. A trip from Grand Baie to Port Louis can take up to 3 hours and it is only about 50kms.
Shopping
I found the shops in the Grand Baie area had many more and better specials on clothes than te market in Port Louis. The market doesn't smell nice at all and is very busy. It ...
cleocats 17.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Mauritius is surrounded by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The world's most beautiful hotels including the one and only, le touesrok rated by many holidays magazines as the best in the world, are found there. The island is surrounded by hotels, most of them rated five stars. The weather is the best you can get all year round. In summer, temperatures can soar to over 36 oC. Don't forget your sun cream. The ile au cerfs is a fabulous ... ...a visit. The yellow sand, blue seas. There are no sharks in the lagoons. About tropical diseases, malaria virtually does not exist in Mauritius. There are many activities to practice. Diving, underwater walking, surfing, deep sea fishing (the blue marlin, the world cup of marlin fishing is held in Mauritian seas), water skiing, parachuting, etc..... Kids love the place. About the people, almost everyone can speak English and everyone's friendly especially ...
Turan 29.05.2004 (13.04.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Beautiful, relaxing, friendly, excellent all round, hot Disadvantages: Expensive
My wife and I went to Mauritius last October for our honeymoon and words struggle to portray the experience.
It was everything you would want a tropical paradise to be. We stayed at the Beau Rivage hotal, a place where we failed to fault the hotel or the staff service. Everything was top quality from the food to the cleanliness. But the best part in my opinion was the truly magnificent beaches. It was a joy to be able to get up in the morning knowing ... ...the beach. We made a special effort to get out of the hotel by walking into the local village, this is no problem as at no time do you feel under any threat either day or night. I would advise any one to do it - don't stay in the hotel. We chartered a yacht for a day - well worth doing, and always negotiate. Bargains can be had. The only down side is the cost - it is expensive to get there (although this keeps the standards up) and drinks etc in ...
liammartin 14.02.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: What a beautiful island Disadvantages: Having to leave at the end of the holiday!
I visited the island when one of my friends was getting married there. What a place!!
Facts:
Mauritius is a small island that lies in the south west indian ocean, just to the right of Madagascar, off Africa. it covers a total of about 1860 square kilometres, with a sub tropical climate, and mauritian rupees as the currency.
The country became independant in 1968 when the British gave up sovereignty. The official language is Creole, which is a ... ...French lessons!!!). My experince:
The first thing that leapt out at me when we arrived was how strikingly beautiful the island was. I mean wow!! i was there for just 2 weeks, with friends, one of whom was getting married. He had family there, so they acted as tourguides and organisers for us. that left us with the job of exploring and just having fun! Not sure where to start. We stayed in a couple of villas in Grand Baie, North of the island. we ...
jamesbt 04.12.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Very charming people, Very good hotel staff Disadvantages: Roads and infrastructure
I am in Mauritius right now, staying in a rented home. In fact, I was very amazed by some expressing negative feelings concerning their trip to Mauritius. Its the opposite. Namely, that if you go to a good hotel, like Le Paradis, Beachcomber, Le Meridien, Prince Maurice and Le Shandrani, you would be very far from being disappointed. In fact, I spent my days in Beachcomber hotel at Trou-Aux-Biches, in the North of the island. It was magnificent. ... ...and to correct, the nicest beach is Pereybere, and not Grand Baie. Plus there are tons of things to see, like Domaine du Chasseur, Grand River South East, the Dutch landing in Mauritis at Mahebourg, Gris Gris, La Roche Qui Pleure, Trou d'eau douce, and the list goes on. You can pay around 20-30 pounds to spend one day on Catamaran, including your food (served 3 times) and make a trip round the island, go on the different islands, some of which are ...
javedkas 07.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Beautiful, very friendly people, fresh fruit and fish Disadvantages: Not much to do outside your resort
I went to Mauritius on my honeymoon in November 2007 and absolutely loved it. We stayed at the Movenpick Hotel in the South of the Island. When we arrived at the airport we were picked up by someone from the hotel who drove us back. The drive was interesting, the island produces a lot of sugar cane so most of the fields you could see were full of sugar. We drove through quite a few shanty towns and it was quite sad to see how they were living but ... ...are very very happy compared to people from the West who complain when they can't get their hands ont he latest designer bags.
The hotel was gorgeous, set right on the beach and our room overlooked the ocean. The hotel didn't accept tips so the staff were genuinely nice. The lady who cleaned my room brought me a flower one day and I mentioned that I had forgotten my hair conditioner so she went to the local store on her day off and bought some for ...
Spottydog11 02.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: beautiful weather, sun sand and beaches Disadvantages: depends what time of the year you visit
I visited Mauritius in August and the first thing i could feel when i stepped off the place was the warm and welcome sunshine and smiling friendly faces of the locals. I instantly felt comfortable in my new surroundings and couldn't wait to explore more of the island.
As i was driven to my hotel (Sugar Beach) i saw much of the island, most of the island is beautiful yet very behind the times compared with england. However there are many beautfil ... ...grass is stunning! the houses that people live in are very quaint and not very modern at all, but i don't think i saw one Mauritian while i was there who didn't smile!
When i got to the hotel i was greeted by a waitress with a huge fruit cocktail ready and waiting, and while looking over the verander i saw a bride and her new husband having photos taken as the sun was setting ... it was so picturesque ... so beautiful it is actually hard to describe.
...
fluffchillin 21.02.2004 (28.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: good website for checking restaurants in mauritius Disadvantages: only in english
My wife and I are organically from Poland. We came to Mauritius first time in an organized tour. We had no idea how to find restaurants that will suit our budget and taste. Our guide only suggested fancy and expensive restaurants. Luckily we found on the internet a restaurant site (http://www.restaurants.mu) that offered a great selection of restaurants and reviews So we enjoyed the local Mauritian food without spending much money :-) Our favorite ...
supermario2202 20.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of General: Mauritius
Advantages: Great value for money for excursions and food Disadvantages: shopping for clothes is expensive
I've travelled to Mauritius for the first time this year for Easter, it's a good time for cheaper flight tickets and the weather is quite hot even though Easter is the beginning of winter for the locals . The island is as amazing as on the travel brochures. In my opinion it's better to stay in the north west of the island near Grand Bay where the beaches are fantastic. I didn't enjoy the capital, St Louis where the air was heavily polluted in my ... ...would advise to do it once you're there as it's is ridiculously cheaper than booking from home. The beaches are clean and most hotels have their private beach. I stayed in a 2 star hotel which is would be a 4 star equivalent here in the UK the service was excellent with a warm and luxurious deco. Next time I get there I will definitely stay in a 4 star hotel. The major uk building societies are in Mauritius too. ...
lolo1977 26.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of General: Mauritius
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