Mauritius - Eat, swim, click, repeat

In my Norway blog I concluded saying “If your idea of a vacation is lying by the beach sipping a cocktail, this one's not for you.” For this blog I start by saying if that wasn’t for you, Mauritius most definitely will be.

Mark Twain famously said, “Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius”. 

I now have no reason to disagree!

When a week long Eid holiday was suddenly declared in the region, we were desperate to get a respite from the heat. We had never been to Mauritius and a quick check with flights and hotels revealed that doing this with such short notice was easily feasible.

This trip was going to be a number of firsts for us – 

• We were travelling to the Southern hemisphere for the first time. 
• A six-and-a-half-hour flight and no time difference! Now that was a first. Travelling all over one longitude was an interesting first in the journey.

• This was also the first time we planned and traveled last minute. Our plans were finalized a day before the travel and the hotels were booked after check-in at the airport.

Visa:

Indians get visa on arrival in Mauritius. Better still it is free of charge. Thank you Modiji (Nothing to do with him, but this is in fashion 😊)

Currency:

The Mauritian rupee (MUR) is almost double that of the Indian rupee (June 2019). So 1 MUR = 2 INR. We did not carry MUR. Since the Mauritian vacation was going to be mostly at the resort, we did not anticipate the need for local currency. International credit cards are accepted in all hotels. USD and Euros are accepted by everyone, even taxi drivers. Euros are better cause you can get the change back in Euros. Change for USD will be in MUR.

People:

Since the economy thrives on tourism, the people there understand the meaning of keeping the visitor happy. Every single person we met from airport to hotel staff was friendly and helpful.

The Mauritian people speak Creole (similar to French. The French were the first to set up a colony there, followed soon by the British). Almost 70% of the population has Indian ancestry. Their forefathers had been brought into Mauritius in the 19^th century by the British, as indentured labor to work in the sugarcane fields. It is interesting that the current generation of Indo-Mauritians, speak Creole with the locals, speak English (in a heavy African accent) with the visitors and use their native Indian language for all their religious activities. Our driver Akshay, who turned out to have Maharashtrian roots, shared a video of them singing a variation of our ‘Arti’ during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Watch it if interested - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=820&v=lWjqDHGkeHI

It is heartening to see them still so connected to their roots!

Travel within Mauritius:

If you plan to travel around Mauritius, rent a car from the airport. In our case however, the little members in the family had warned me, “Mom this is a beach staycation, and we will not be leaving the resort!” But hey, who's the boss here? I outsmarted them and planned 2 days in one resort in the south and 2 days in another in the north and 'just a few places of interest' on the way from one to another. ;) Mom - 1, Kids – 0.

Mauritius itself is not such a big island. You could drive around it's coast in around 4 hours. We rented a taxi with a driver and traveled from the south to north west, visiting some points of interest through the center.

We started with the famous 7 colored sands of Chamarel and the Chamarel waterfalls. The sands did not impress me much. 

The waterfall was picturesque.

Next we visited the Black river gorge but it was so cloudy, we only caught a fleeting peak of the vast gorge.

Our driver/guide also took us to Ganga Talao and the Shiva temple but the weather was so nasty with wind and the chill, we couldn’t really see or enjoy much. And we didn't have any rain gear (Lesson learnt: If you plan to travel around Mauritius, an umbrella/rain coat has to be handy at all times!)

I was excited about our next stop - a visit to a dormant volcano. But the rain gods must have been heavily bribed by the conniving kids cause the drizzle had turned into heavy rain. We tried to step out of the car but were forced back in a minute. "Can we just drive to the resort?" I sheepishly suggested. The kids looked at each other triumphantly. Mom - 1, Kids - 1. Even!

The drive in the car itself was pleasing. Rugged, evergreen mountains stood tall in the distance. Sugarcane fields formed a vast portion of the Mauritius landscape. The sugarcane industry forms a vast portion of the economy too. But as our driver explained “No one wants to do the hard work in the fields now. They’d rather work in one of the many resorts.”

Most roads were small and passed through small villages. 

Staying in Mauritius:

Every coast in Mauritius has its own beauty. “The west is the best,” they say and I somewhat agree. That is also mainly because I enjoy watching sunsets where the sun sets in the ocean. 

If you happen to travel during winter (Winter in the southern hemisphere is June to September), avoid if possible, staying on the south and east coast as it can be quite windy and chilly because of the strong south east winds. Winter in Mauritius has three advantages - One, the flight/hotel rates are lower. Two, it's easier getting last minute accommodation. Three - the weather is more pleasant (if you stay on the right coast as suggested before)

Also, if staying in a resort, opt for a half board or all inclusive. Most resorts seemed quite remote, with no decent food options around. Half board will turn out to be cheaper and more convenient.

Another suggestion. Try staying in 2 different resorts on 2 different coasts. Each resort has its own charm and it’s own buffet spread 😊 I would have gotten bored eating at the same place for 5 days.
This was my staple at the end of every buffet though -

(Don't miss the tamarind!)

All resorts also have a number of activities, from Kayaking, glass bottom boat rides, Paddle boat rides, Kids club, Tennis, Table tennis, snooker, spa and of course snorkeling. Except for the spa, all were complimentary. Never a dull, boring moment! 

Some resorts just provide snorkeling gear so you can snorkel near the shore. But one of the resorts where we stayed took us into the sea closer to the reef where we could jump into the open sea and snorkel and marvel at a thousand fish! The experience - my first time - was surreal! Before deciding on where to stay it would be a good idea to check what activities are offered there.

All resorts have a private beach. So, if nothing just go for a stroll on the beach.

The shore itself will be so beautiful you could spend an entire day just looking at the ocean(or in my case, photographing the ocean) This beautiful boardwalk in the Outrigger resort made for a number of stunning photo ops.

From our morning cup of tea -

to an evening walk by the sea -

Even a walk into the milky way late in the night -

And lucky to see a rainbow the next morning - 

Mauritius is for everyone. It is very popular for honeymooners – most resorts have separate kids-free zones where couples can enjoy the quiet. And Mauritius is an ideal getaway for the family too – we truly bonded and brawled and bonded some more over our kayak races  (Mom - 2, Kids - 1 by the way)

and our Table tennis and snooker matches (Mom -2, Kids - 3, Dad - 5 ! )

“Quality, family time spent outdoors in the laps of nature,” is what I would sum this short vacation as. So what if I lost! :(

  

Recommendations - 

Outrigger beach resort and spa (South Mauritius. Excellent facilities. Good food. Very good service.)

Victoria Beachcomber resort and spa (North west. Frankly I wasn't too pleased with the service here. I hate seafood nights, when even the fresh green salad has mussels, but that's just me! The snorkeling experience in the sea is a must do and this resort offers it as complimentary)

Akshay (our driver) - You can contact him on whatsapp (+230 5705 3461) before your trip, to schedule your pick ups. [Update: Akshay loved the blog and has agreed to give a discount to my blog readers. Mention "thetravellingdesi" when you book his service and he will offer a discount. Discount depends on the number of days you hire his service. ]

Pick up these chocolates on the way back at Duty Free. We also tried the lichee and lemon chocolates from the same brand, right at the airport and they were all interestingly tasty.

Other attractions to visit recommended by TheTravellingDesi readers (their children seem to have been of the more co-operative kind :) ) -

1. Casela Park - for the zip line and animal safari
2. Blue Safari Submarines - for a submarine experience
3. Quarter Bornes Market - for street style shopping
4. Curious corner of Chamarel - interesting, optical illusion museum (we had gone there, but again because of the heavy rain, cancelled the plan. Seemed like a fun thing to do though!)