Mauritius Photo Diary And Travel Tips

I have recently gotten back from my trip to Mauritius, which was amazing! The main reason for my visit was that one of my best friends was getting married there and I was her Maid Of Honour, but we also decided to make a holiday out of it. I didn’t know what to expect from Mauritius and boy was I taken away by its beauty!

Today I wanted to share some beautiful photos from my trip as well as give you guys my insights, information and tips that I picked up along the way.

The flight– The flight from Johannesburg to Mauritius is just under 4 hours, and you can expect to pay anything from R7000 for it (depending on time of year and day of the week). To me the flight felt short, because I am used to doing a long journey to Europe, so 4 hours is a breeze. Bring a book and enjoy the flight.

The hotel– I’m going to say this right now- rather splurge on a good hotel in Mauritius than try and save pennies by booking something a little more budget. Because the wedding was at the Le Victoria Hotel (on the North Western side of the island) we opted to stay there for 3 days- so we would be there for the rehearsal dinner, the day before the wedding and the wedding day.

We took the “All Inclusive” package and I’m so glad that we did, because to be frank, there is no other way. If you had to pay for every drink and every meal, I guarantee you that you would spend a lot more than if you took the package from the start.

Most “All Inclusive” packages at hotels include breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, and the rest depends on the hotel that you are staying at. Our hotel included snacks at the bar the whole day (pizzas, samosas, baguettes etc.), a pancake bar, a beach bar with drinks, the mini bar and other things like picnic baskets. It also included all non-motorized water sports so we paddled, kayaked and water skied away.

However the package doesn’t come cheap- Le Victoria will cost you just under R2500 per night(per person). I found it worth it because of the clean beaches, the great pool and all the food and drinks!

The reason I say splurge on the hotel, is that for the first two nights that we were there, we decided to do a budget stay and it did not pay off. Most budget-friendly places will not be on the beach, which defeats the whole purpose of a beach holiday. They won’t have any activities for you to do either, especially if you are travelling with kids.

However if you want more of an adventure holiday where you will be out of the hotel the whole day, then go for it. If you want a relaxing beach holiday, then spend that extra money on the hotel.

On the budget version side, I really liked Voile Blue where we stayed on the last night.

Do get out of the hotel a little– On our second day we took a catamaran trip to Flat Island which is a beautiful nature reserve. Usually all drinks are included on the boat (but watch out for that rum, it is strong) as well as lunch.

Do however bring your own snorkelling equipment just in case- our guys didn’t have a lot so we had to always swop and take turns. We enjoyed a lovely lunch on the island and the snorkelling in Mauritius is amazing!

Keep an eye out for the flying fish while you are travelling on the boat, they are super cool.

Do also bring a few nausea pills with you in case you get sea sick. A few of us did, and I found it better to lie down for a bit when the tide got rough. The experience was still awesome as you get to see other little islands along your way.

Airport transfers– If you take a package with the hotel, transfers are usually included, but because we arrived at one hotel and left from another, we had to get taxis. Airport transfers are not cheap, so make sure to put an extra R2000 aside for that (R1000 each way).

Local currency– As a must, make sure to draw money at the airport. A lot of places don’t accept cards there, such as the taxis and activities outside(and even inside) of the hotel. You could draw a maximum of R2000 from Le Victoria hotel per person, but that came with a 5% tax, so rather draw enough cash for transfers as well as all other activities that you plan on doing in Mauritius beforehand. The local currency is called Rupee, and at the moment 1 rand will equal round about 2.5 rupee.

And of course, enjoy your trip! Forget about the diet for a bit and enjoy everything that Mauritius has to offer.

It was one of the most relaxing holidays I’ve ever had and I’ve come back feeling refreshed and with a golden tan!

PS I will also have a post on my tips for being a bridesmaid as this experience has taught me a lot! 🙂

In these pics, my beach wrap and the hat are from Cotton On, and my bikini is from Ted Baker.