Qn for those who have travelled to Mauritius | ExpatWoman.com
 

Qn for those who have travelled to Mauritius

74
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 17:04

Hello Ladies,

The exchange houses here do not have Mauritian Rupees....so we need to get the currency exchanged at the Mauritius Airport. Do they exchange Dirhams or do we need to carry USD / Euros?

Also, our accommodation at the Resort is fully paid and all inclusive (all meals included). So apart from this, how much cash do you think would be needed for about 5 days for 2 adults? We are planning to relax at the Resort / beaches most of the time but we do plan to visit the Casela Nature Park and drive around the island too.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

511
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 March 2013 - 08:41
My hubby to be is from Mauritius. We went in December and had to take dollars, and just changed them at one of the smaller exchange places in the city to get best rates. Beautiful place, and I particularly enjoyed it because there is more to do than just lie on a beach unlike Maldives etc. but they do have some gorgeous beaches too. The bits I enjoyed the most were: Ile aux Cerf - gorgeous little hotel owned island which you can take day trips to by boat, they will usually take you to the see waterfall which is just closeby too. Gorgeous beach, nice beach bar with pretty good food too. Rhumerie de Chamarel - the rum factory up in the mountains among the sugarcane plantations. They take you through the process of how rum is made and you get to sample various type of Mauritian rum. It's a gorgeous setting. Varangue sur morne - a gorgeous restaurant up in the mountains, just perched on the edge of a hillside. Probably the best food I had in Mauritius. It was pricey by Mauritian standards but worth it. Casala - We had great fun here, saw the giant tortoises, zip lines, quad biking etc but it poured down that day so we got soaked dong it! Markets in Port Louis are worth a trip to, as you can buy all sorts of bits and bobs. There is also a market that takes place once a month somewhere (will have to check) and it is huge, it just goes on for miles and you can get lost. Got some nice cotton kaftan type tops and dresses form there, super cheap. Flic en Flac beach area is also nice, there are lots of little bars and restaurants along the beach front. I don't think the arbitrage exists now for EK vs Air Mauritius booked flights as they last few flights we have booked (and looking now for Sept) and they are exactly the same price, but at least with EK I can collect reasonably useful airmiles so we stick with them. <em>edited by BellaUK on 19/03/2013</em>
2725
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 19 March 2013 - 01:35
One pointer we picked up was book with air Mauritius instead of EK. It is the same plane(!) but AM significantly cheaper! It is operated by EK. Hope this helps someone save money!! Yes we booked with Emirates and it was an Air Mauritius plane, we could of saved some money If we had known.
2725
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 19 March 2013 - 01:31
We took dollars too. A word of advise, if you plan to hire a car and see the island, make sure you have a full tank. We were driving down the West Coast and there were hardly any petrol stations.
250
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 22:50
We stayed at 3 different hotels in one stay - the Moevenpick next to the Tamassa, you can just walk along the beach to the different hotels. Another Beachcomber hotel in Beau Vallon, Le Mauricia - steer clear and The Shandrani, all inclusive, it was fabulous. In one of the restaurants you get to choose the bottle of grape, not just by the glass! Fizz is served from 6pm. Lots of activities are also included. We took dollars and changed the currency as we needed to. NB Some of the smaller/local establishments prefer local currency, we ended up borrowing money from our driver when we first arrived! Enjoy.
74
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 22:32
Sorry to reply with a question but please can you tell me where you're staying? I'm looking for info on All Inclusive resorts. Is it fully all inclusive or just meals? Thanks . Hi Sue, we will be staying at the Tamassa Resort by Lux Group. Its in the southern part of the island. Its an all inclusive resort....and from what we have been told by our agent, I presume it includes drinks etc as well (the agent clearly told me we dont have to pay for anything there). Apart from meals, they have a lot of complementary water sports included in their price. Check out their website for more details. Here is the link: http://www.tamassaresort.com/en/welcome.aspx
74
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 22:28
Thanks for the lovely tips ladies. Will carry USD and get it exchanged for local currency there. We booked our vacation through Emirates Holidays since they gave us a better deal compared to what we were offered directly by the Resort. We have hired a car already and will be driving around the island by ourselves. And all your suggestions on places that we must cover will definitely be very helpful :)
1440
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 21:16
One pointer we picked up was book with air Mauritius instead of EK. It is the same plane(!) but AM significantly cheaper! It is operated by EK. Hope this helps someone save money!! We did exactly the same :)
246
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 21:11
One pointer we picked up was book with air Mauritius instead of EK. It is the same plane(!) but AM significantly cheaper! It is operated by EK. Hope this helps someone save money!!
1440
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 21:05
We went a few years ago and stayed at The Shandrani Resort which was all inclusive (including all drinks). It worked out great value and there were several choices of restaurants so it wasn't a buffet for every meal. If I remember correctly we took USD with us and changed a small amount into local currency for the taxi fare to the hotel and tips. We hired a car through the hotel which we paid for in USD so we only exchanged money if we went on day trips or shopping.
230
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 19:15
We always bring dollars/pounds when travelling to Mauritius, and exchange it in the city (better rates), only exchange a small amount at the airport. I love Casela and we do it everytime we go to Mauritius. Pricey but worth it. We did the dolphin trip, too, but I did not like it at all. There were 7 to 10 boats going to the same spot, chasing the dolphins. Some people jumped into the water to 'swim' with them but the dolphins kept on moving and only the lucky ones got to be in the same spot when the dolphins changed the direction they moved. We also did a glass bottom boat trip - total rubish: no fish, no nice corals, no sealife... at least we did not pay for this one! Go to the market in Port Louis, make sure to haggle. A day trip to Isla aux Cerfs is a must! Also nice to do a catamaran day trip with snorkeling and bbq Visit La Vanille crocodile park (have a steak at their restaurant, too!) Coloured earth and chamarel waterfall, pamplemousses botanical gardenl, tea plantations and factory I would say around $100pp/day for big activities. Taxis as such do not exist so renting a car is a good idea if you want to explore. Have a lovely trip
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 19:08
Sorry to reply with a question but please can you tell me where you're staying? I'm looking for info on All Inclusive resorts. Is it fully all inclusive or just meals? Thanks .
40
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 18:53
Check with your airline/travel agent. Went to Mauritius a while ago from UK but would warn you that not all places will change AED. I tried to change some really really clean and new notes for Euros at Nice airport( France). There is only one exchange leaving the airport and it did not want to take any AED. They eventually only change a very small amount. There is a direct Emirate flight to Nice - so surprising really..
304
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 March 2013 - 18:27
We exchanged with dollars at the airport. Not sure if they take Aed, sorry. But make sure to get two desks bidding against each other if you are exchanging a relatively large amount as they will outdo each other to get you better rates. Not sure about the cash estimate either but keep in mind that sometimes AI does not include alcohol or even any drinks at all! Our hotel's half board did not inlude even water when we were there. For activities, the best thing we did was a Dolphin/Whale watching boat tour. A bit pricey but you get to get right in the water with the dolphins and snorkel with them. Absolutely amazing experience. Wild dolphins, and they are careful to instruct you not to touch, or get too close or bother them. They only allow a few ppl off the boat at a time, and they don't chase the dolphins if they have enough and leave the area. So its ecologically friendly as well as an incredible experience. Casela is okay, but not the best. The most fun after the dolphins I had was renting a moped and just driving around the northern part of the island. Really neat to see the local culture. Sunsets over the beach are amazing. The Botanical garden is nice too, and the 7 sands are worth a look. Our hotel had a free snorkel boat going out to the reef in the mornings, take advantage of this if you don'tdive- so many types of fish.Try mauritian food, spicy with a cajun kick! Sorry I got carried away, I got married in Mauritius earlier this year so some great memories there! Hope you enjoy your trip.
 
 

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