[Closed] Anyone been to Mauritius, or somewhere equally lovely? Romantic fool content

Bareboat charter in the Whitsundays?

Anyone been to Mauritius, or somewhere equally lovely?

I've been to Skegness?

I won a works trip to Le Tousserok in the '80s - it was absolutely amazing.

When I got married 11 years ago I looked to see if I could take my wife there.................unfortunately not!

We also visited a sister hotel which was lovely, but the little "hut" style rooms were excellent

Free watersports / learn how to water ski?

Do it if you can!

Yep, have done Mauritius and it is, as you might expect, lovely.

Stunning country, beautiful people, made even more so by being a bit British, a bit French, a bit Indian, and a large dollop of African. A real melting pot. I really enjoyed my time there. Stunning views, great food.

However, if I was after an island paradise, I'd go back to Barbados instead. If you can find a better lunch than grilled flying fish and Mount Gay XO on Heron Bay, I'll eat my hat.

We did Mauritius for a fraction of that price a few years ago - flights via Dubai with Emirates, booked the hotel separately (Paradise Cove) and hired a car. It was an unbelievable holiday. The staff and other guests (all honeymooners) were fascinated/horrified by the idea that we wanted to leave the hotel in our tiny hire car every day and go exploring, but we had a blast. We ate amazing street food, went on private boat trips (booked direct rather than through the hotel so didn't share the boat with 50 loved up couples), and saw many sunsets on deserted remote beaches. It was ace!

We've been to a few possible places; Mauritius, Thailand, Maldives a few times. All in 5 star resorts I think, all would probably be under your budget if you are happy to travel in economy class?

For pure simplicity, and romanticism then the Maldives are hard to beat. However unless you are into diving, snorkelling or sunbathing then there isn't a lot to do. I love it, but not sure about stuff for kids. Some resorts have more'facilities' than others, but to me that kind of misses the point of the Maldives.

Mauritius was good enough, we took a few trips out of the resort into the hills and snorkelling, but I wouldn't rush back, it was not up the standards of the other places in my opinion.

My favourite place was The Sarojin in Thailand, brilliant service, lovely place and fantastic food. Maybe a bit pricier than the other places but it would be the first place I'd return to I think. Just thought though - no kids under 10 or 12 at the Sarojin I think.

I think it may be the time of year that's doing it. I've had a brief look at doing it separately, but flights are coming in at nearly £4.5k

Stunning country, beautiful people, made even more so by being a bit British, a bit French, a bit Indian, and a large dollop of African. A real melting pot. I really enjoyed my time there. Stunning views, great food.

This.

We did Mauritius for a fraction of that price a few years ago - flights via Dubai with Emirates, booked the hotel separately

And this.

I think it is a brilliant place with amazing food, culture and people. I am a bit biased though - being of mixed English and Mauritian heritage....

We were there in December - didn't cost anything like that though, you need to work on your google skills 🙂

How old is STR junior? I don't know if there would be enough for older kids to do but I don't have kids so what do I know.

£4.5k for flights seems excessive, we flew business class to Thailand with Emirates in November for a lot less than that. Have you tried a broker/travel agent like Trailfinders? They seem to save a huge amount of time and hassle yet have decent prices too.

Hmm, will sharpen my skills.

Jnr is a 14yr old girl, but she's happy with the beach/swimming

I went to Mauritius for 3 weeks arriving back mid December. It's a lovely island, I prefered it to the Maldives as there was, if you wanted it, a bit more to do. We flew with Thomson directly 11ish hours on the Dreamliner planes, while the economy section isn't as good as they make out it's a bit nicer than other long haul planes. We stayed 5* for 3 weeks all well under your budget by a few grand and all inclusive.

It's a lovely island, if you go be sure to visit the Hindu temple, the markets and the national park. All driving is a lot like the UK should you wish to hire a car. Locals all speak English and are very friendly.

Edit: if jnr is 14 I would definitely look at Mauritius over Maldives, unless she really is happy just chilling.

We went all-inclusive to a four star hotel via The Holiday Place. Give them a ring. Flights were with Emirates via Dubai and part of the package.

Went to bora bora last year for our overdue honeymoon and lucky for me my 30th birthday. It was better than expected and really is magical. It was very expensive but when you think where in the world it is and the service in the hotels it seemed to more than worth it! I flew from Sydney so have no idea of the cost from the UK.

We have been to the Al Maha Conservation Reserve in Dubai, middle of the desert own personal plunge pool, another alternative is Zighy Bay in Oman - they have mountain bikes! Mrs W likes the Maldives and we have been Thudufushi and Athuruga. If you go to the Maldives don't bother with the water bungalows, it is worth having the seaplane transfers
Flew with Emirates for all of these holidays

I'd recommend the Belle Mare Plage as a great hotel. 5 star but laid back at the same time. Air Mauritius planes were a tad creaky for my liking though... I'm a golfer for which Mauritius caters well, I'd struggle there for ten days if not as beaches are tolerated rather than enjoyed for me.

Cook Islands, lovely place lovely people.

We have to have our holidays in June or September anyone been to Mauritius then?
Everywhere outside of Europe seems to having their wet season.

Corporal Flashheart, more Barbados recommendations please. Where did you stay?

Mauritius in indeed lovely, have been several times under the umbrella of my "other" job.

Hotels are generally very good for the money, whether top-end or mid-range. It's a very laid back an relaxed place, stunning scenery, and very easy to get around - hiring a car and driving yourself is very straightforward (though when we took the hire bikes from one resort out for an 80km ride we got some strange looks...)

In terms or price, the only reason you're seeing such high costings is, I'm sure, the dates. If you're taking in Christmas, or in particular New Year, the flights will be expensive and hotel offers thin on the ground - especially if travelling out after the start of the school holidays and/or travelling back before they end - which I am guessing you'd need to with a 14yo. If you can go earlier in December, come back before NYE, or travel later into January, that would help. Early December is in fact one of the most affordable times to go to Mauritius.

This doesn't apply only to Mauritius, of course. Those commenting about how cheap their flights were to different parts of the world at different times of year, are missing the point somewhat. If you want to travel anywhere hot and lovely over the peak Christmas dates, it won't be as affordable as it would be at another, less busy, time.

Zippy - Mauritius is not bad at that time of the year, it's the SE monsoon which means the southern and eastern coasts are windy and best avoided if you want to relax on the beach (hotels on those parts of the island have silly offers though in these months) but north or west are more sheltered. It's pretty dry, especially in the lee of the mountains in the north and west. Temperatures are not that high - it's "winter" - low to mid 20s during the day - although the water is still warm. It's a good time to go in my opinion if you're happy with not-scorching temperatures.

Other tropical places which are in their dry season at that time include east Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar) - better in September than June though - and the eastern parts of the Malay peninsula (so east coast of Malaysia, mainly - less visited than the west coast and very attractive)), Borneo, and Bali in Indonesia.

yep i've been to Mauritius in september and also in november, as everyone says its a real special place very hard to describe as it's quite unique both in landscape and cultures.

the thing is it's very cheap if you can get put the resort hotels and mingle with the locals, favourite place was grande baie for restaurants and beaches with a nice sprinkle of laid back bars. still saying that my last visit was in 2001 !!!.

Mauritius can be a bit wet in September - not lashed with rain though. Wetter than peak season anyway - as said above it's their winter really. Swimming in a warm sea in warm rain is an experience though!

Also if you do go OP an essential food to try is dhalpuri. A kind of chapati that is made with the addition of ground lentils. Extremely delicious with a variety of fillings. For me, would be up there in last meal territory.

oh yep i forgot that bit, it did rain twice in two weeks in september, once was for a whole 3hrs solid…without stopping…disgusting behaviour…

I went to barbados in 2003 in the off season, it rained everyday for around 45 mins at 5pm regular as clockwork..

as an englishman i don't mind a bit of rain now and then especially if it's warm rain in a lovely country. I wouldn't let a few clouds and spots of the wet stuff put you off.

+1 for the dhalpuri, cheers Jam i had forgot about that !, go for a meal at the sugar plantation in port louis too, indian pavilion complete with sword wearing sikh waiters that looked like body guards, plus eating on pillows on the floor, bit pricey but an experience all the same.

oh yep i forgot that bit, it did rain twice in two weeks in september, once was for a whole 3hrs solid…without stopping…disgusting behaviour…