Addresses (IMPORTANT):
The full address of your Hotels or private Holidays Houses
and Bungalows before you arrive. Please note this carefully
as you will be required to write it on a card to be given to
the Mauritian immigration authorities in the airport on your
arrival.
Airport:
Flic-en-Flacq is about one
hour from the airport. Le Morne/Grand Baie [1.5 Hrs],
Belle Mare/Palmar [1.2 Hrs], Port-Louis [1 Hr], and Mahebourg
[20 mins].
Transfer costs varies from 500 to 1200 rupees.
We recommend that you change
some money in the airport immediately on arrival.
(e.g. no banks in Grand Gaube area, which is on the North-West
coast.)
On departure an airport tax
of 500 rupees per person is payable. This can only be paid
in rupees.
You need to re-confirm your
return ticket at least 72 hours before departure.
For Air Mauritius (230-208-7171), British Airways (202-8000),
Condor (207-3000),
Malaysia Airlines (208-4685), SAS (208-5538), and Singapore
Airlines (208-7695).
Driving in Mauritius : Due
to the high import tax on new cars and spare parts, driving
on Mauritius can be expensive. Only super grade leaded petrol
is available on Mauritius and all cars use this. It costs
slightly less than in Europe. Mauritius uses the British driving
system (driving on the left).
Visas: Visas are not
required for people with EEC or American passports.
Vaccination: Mauritius
is fairly unique for a tropical country in that it is free
of such diseases as malaria, yellow fever and cholera. This
is because of the very effective efforts of the government
to combat these diseases. For most people therefore, vaccinations,
etc. before departure are not necessary. If in doubt please
check with your local Mauritian embassy before departure.
Health Care : The medical
standard on Mauritius is well advanced and the hospitals are
free of charge. This applies to visitors as well. There are
now additionally many private clinics in the island and they
offer a more attractive environment plus frequently some of
the latest medical equipment available. They are however not
free and you would be well advised to check that your health
insurance is valid for Mauritius before you come.
The local water is relatively
clean and the Mauritians drink it. You need therefore have
no fear if you use it for cleaning your teeth etc. However,
it is better you boil the water before drinking it or buy
bottled water which is freely available in the local shops.
Mosquitoes: As in all
tropical countries (even Europe in the summer) mosquitoes
do exist. We recommend using a mosquito repellant cream to
keep them away.
Some holidays houses are equipped
with electrical mosquito repellers (vapes) which you can use
at night. Small impregnated tablets are inserted into the
apparatus which is then plugged into the electricity. The
effect will last for about 8 hours. You may leave 1 window
open in the bedroom but you should ensure that there is no
strong wind as this blows the vapor away. If you run out of
tablets they can be purchased locally for about 45 rupees.
Sun Cream: The sun is
exceptionally strong on Mauritius and many people are surprised
(too late) by its strength and have to suffer sunburn for
several days. Even on cloudy days, please make sure that you
use a good sun cream.
Electricity: The power
supply is 240 volts and the power sockets use the british
3 pin standard. If you bring electrical appliances with you
then you will probably need an adaptor.
Language: The official
language of Mauritius is English. A large number of people
can therefore understand and speak it. The main language of
the island however is Creole which is based on French. In
addition the different ethnic groups speak such languages
as Chinese and Hindi.
Holiday Clothing: Men
can usually spend most of the time in short trousers unless
you want to enter a hotel for the evening, in this case long
trousers are required. Additionally the maid in the house
washes and returns clothes by the next day so that you do
not need to take much with you. Do not overload your suitcase
with unnecessary clothes. Leave some room for any shopping
that you do on Mauritius.
Mauritius has a well advanced
textile industry so that instead of taking all your holiday
clothes with you might consider buying them locally on the
local market. The shops are full of ready to wear polo shirts,
T-shirts, shorts, shirts, trousers, pullovers, dresses and
beachwear at low prices.
Disposable nappies for babies
cost about 3 times the price on Mauritius as they do in Europe.
We recommend either taking enough with you or taking nappies
which the maid can wash.
Currency: They use the
Mauritian rupee. Currency rate is EURO 1.00 = 29.00 rupees
[Aug 02]. Mauritian rupees do not circulate outside Mauritius
so that you can only change money on the island. DM/EURO/GBP
or US$ travellers cheques and cash can be changed in the banks.
(Please NOTE that the exchange rate for traveller's cheques
is much better than for cash).
For more info on currency exchange
with the rates of your country,
please visit the Mauritius Commercial Bank.
There are 3 banks in the airport
just after the baggage hall and there are 3 banks in Grand
Bay and in other major towns on the island. Major credit cards
such as Visa and Mastercard are accepted in restaurants and
hotels and also in some shops and supermarkets. In addition
you can use credit cards to obtain cash in the banks or use
them together with the secret (PIN) number to get money from
cash dispensers.
Depending on which country
you come from, you will normally find the prices in the shops
to be reasonable compared to what you pay at home. The food
and drink prices charged in the hotel bars and restaurants
are normally appreciably higher than this.
Tipping : If you stay
in private holidays houses or bungalows, the maid can cook
for you. We would recommend paying her MUR 125 rupees each
time as this is not covered in the house rent. If she washes
your personal clothes for you then the normal price would
be about MUR 100 per person and per week.
Climate : The hottest
time of the year on Mauritius is December / March when you
can expect temperatures of 30 degrees C (approx. 89 F) but
with less humidity. There is always a breeze from the ocean
however so that most people will find it pleasant. Cyclones
(tropical storms) can also occurr during this period.
For those people who do not
enjoy warm weather or want a more active holiday, we recommend
going in July/August when the temperature is 24-26 C. On the
coast the temperature can go down to 16-18 C during the night
so that we recommend taking a pullover.
As you can see the variation
of temperature on Mauritius is small such that enjoyable holidays
can be spent there at any time of the year. Although the weather
is normally sunny it does rain. The rain showers are normally
short and are a pleasant change from the sun.
Things to drink: As
mentioned above you should not drink the local water unless
you boil it first. Tea is grown on the island and is plentiful
in the shops. The local people rarely drink ground coffee
although an excellent version called coffee chamarel is grown
on the island. They mostly prefer instant coffee.
Locally bottled wine and imported
South African and French wines can be purchased from 45 -
200 Rupees per bottle. An excellent beer called phoenix is
brewed on the island and has proved to be very popular with
our guests, price is 25 rupees a bottle in local supermarket
but triple in private hotels and bars. Locally manufactured
rums are also available and cost very little.
Telephone:
1. If your house does not have a telephone then we recommend
that you purchase a Mauritius Telecom telephone card at a
supermarket. There are now many public telephones able to
take these cards all over the island. In an emergency you
can also enter the hotels and call from there.
2. Mauritius now has a mobile
telephone network which conforms to the international GSM
standard. Roaming contracts exist with the UK, France and
Germany and Mauritius Telecom is actively working to have
contracts with the other countries. If you own one of these
telephones why not bring it with you ?
Pamplemousse Gardens: These
gardens are about 20 minutes from Grand Baie and are well
worth visiting. Official guides do now exist and take MUR
200 per person for a tour. There are still however many people
at the entrance who would also like to act as your guide.
If you decide to use one of them be sure to discuss the price
in advance as some of them will try to charge you a high price
afterwards.
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