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Mauritius
by Scrypt
What can I say? I was there over New Year and Xmas of last year with 4 friends and had the best time ever. Flying to Mauritius is definitely the most expensive part of the holiday, with flights ranging from £500 in off-peak times, to well over £1000 during the Christmas periods. Flights go from all over the UK; ... Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester. Mauritius is serviced by 3 main carriers from the UK Air France, British Airways and Air Mauritius - the countries national airline.
We flew Air Mauritius this time and I have to say the flight was excellent! The plane was extremely comfortable; the food excellent ad the flight just flew by - which is no mean achievement bearing in mind it was 14hours. Take note it is a long flight and smaller children (as well as certain adults!) may get bored.
Upon arrival entry to the country is a very simple process, with the customs staff being both helpful and efficient. One tip though is to not put your return ticket in the suitcase, you need it upon entry to show your exit dates.
The Island
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The island itself owes much to European, Indian and African cultures. The first people to colonise the island were the Dutch (who will also go down in history for hunting the Dodo to extinction!). Next the French took hold of the country, and then finally the British won Mauritius as part of a Treaty with France in reparation for war damages. Mauritius gained its independence in the 1960's, though retains the Queen as Head of State.
The African influence comes from Mauritius lying off the east coast of Africa and many slaves were brought over in the late 1700's early 1800's to work on the sugar cane plantations - which is still a mainstay of the Mauritius economy nowadays.
The Indian influence can also be seen likewise as people were brought over from southern India to work in Mauritius in the late 1800's/ early 1900's.
Lying
just south of the Equator, Mauritius benefits from sunny weather all year round with the hottest time being from November to April. Temperatures can hit 32c, and with no breeze this can become unbearable.
The national languages of Mauritius are English, French and Creole - a native dialect of French. Language should prove no barrier for visitor's from the UK as everyone is taught English from their first day at school, and speaking English is seen as being the norm.
Hotel
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Hotels in Mauritius are some of the best in the world, and combined with 90% of them being set on the beach, prices can accordingly be very high. The all-inclusives are absolutely stunning! Top hotels on the island are the St Geran, Sugar Beach, Coco Beach and La Pirogue. Do not expect to stay at any of these for less then £100 a night off peak!
Further afield are a plethora of 2 and 3 star hotels which are superb and are situated towards the north of the island around Grand Baie (the main tourist area) can be found for as little as £20 a night including breakfast.
Sight-seeing
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For most people, Mauritius represents an opportunity to sit on a stunning beach and do nothing. And why not? But if you want to venture further a field hire a car (approx. 750 rupees a day) and have a drive round the island. Theres loads to do and see, from the botanical gardens, to visiting a tea factory and if you get the chance also a sugar cane refinery. Experiences not usually available in good ole blighty! Other experiences you should try out include the Port Louis bazaar, and the La Vanille Crocodile park in Riviere-Des-Anguilles towards the southern coast
Okay ? so you don't want to sightsee? Well in that case beaches, the best beach according to the locals (and we asked loads) is Perybere in the north of the island. Though to be honest we didn't find a single beach we could rank as anything less then gor
geous. For an amazing afternoon go and watch the sunset over Flic-en-Flac beach, it's an image that stays in your mind long after the holiday is over. Alternatively, for a fantastic day out head to Ile-aux-cerfs. Set on the east coast of Mauritius and owned by the Sun International group of hotels, it's the most idyllic place ever. Mark Twain once wrote that God designed Mauritius first, and then modelled Heaven on it. I'm sure he must have been talking about Ile-aux-cerfs.
When going to Ile-aux-cerfs you need to get a ferry across. Drive straight to the Sun International hotel and do not stop by any other locals selling tickets pretending to be Sun International reps. Its obvious when you get to the hotel as a security guard will allow you in and note your number plate.
Shopping
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Shopping in Mauritius really isn't that great. Theres obviously the usual souvenir etc to buy, but be weary of clothing badged up as being designer labels. Though many companies, such as Next, have factories on the island, designer garments on sale by Versace etc should be treated with great caution.
Notes
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When driving be very careful in Mauritius. Drivers have very little road sense, and driving without caution may lead to your getting into trouble. At night there are very few road lights, so take extra caution, and if possible take a taxi instead. Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap. All drivers and cars are regulated by the government, so even ladies travelling alone will be safe.
Tourism is of paramount importance to the island, so safety of tourists is very high on the agenda
Food
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Food in Mauritius is cheap ... very. Especially on the streets. Feel free to eat on the streets as it's clean and safe .. most of the food is cooked inside and then brought out to sell on these little mopeds akin to the ones used by Domino's to deliver your
pizza. Food to look out for and try include Dholl puri, like a chapatti with curry filling (about 10p), gateaux piments, like a bahji (approx. 20p for a pack) and of course samosa's -which are a lot smaller then their UK relatives but taste even better especially when freshly fried!
Seafood is high on the priority of the island but suprisingly locals prefer meat to seafood. Do not do this!! The seafood is stunning. Everywhere. Try everything your can out there as you are guaranteed its fresh, and the prices you will pay compared to anywhere else for that quality is ludicrously low.
For a special dinner try out Le Cravache D'or in Trou aux Biches. We had a 7-course meal overlooking the ocean for about £35 each. It was definitely the most expensive meal there by a long shot, but the quality of the food, the service and the atmosphere was worth triple what we paid. You would probably pay over £150 for a similar meal in the UK.
All in all it's a great island. I've been 5 times and each time I find myself wanting to return sooner and sooner. Save your pennies and go have a wonderful time.
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Maldives
by MikeyBean
Maldives! The word is synomonous with paradise and relaxation - and how true! But for some reason many folk still think that you can go there only if you are willing to lose one or two limbs to afford the presumed horrendous price tag. WRONG! The Maldives can offer the ultimate in value - why take your partner to a 4 ... star greek resort when you can be in paradise instead.
To better explain please follow my happy wanderings through the many memorable moments my wife and I shared at our 'island in the sun'.
My wife and I have been twice and are toying with the idea of going again this November. That's right, I said November. If you want great weather but do not wish to turn into a lobster (which by the way is freshly caught and cooked!) then you need to go at the start of the season. You will then have the added benefit of sea breezes which are not present later in the season.
We chose the 'rustic' experience and looked for an island with beach chalets. (As a quick aside - try just saying what we did to our local travel shop "Maldives. Rustic. Paradise" - You will then get the real Maldives).
It is worth pointing out at this point that there is another Maldives which I recommend you do not go for - otherwise you might as well have gone to Greece in the first place. This other Maldives is the hotel experience...
Picture this - a white sand island which you could walk right around in 20mins with a lovely blue lagoon surrounding it. Do you see it? Okay, now imagine a 20 storey hotel which covers most of the actual island. And voila, 'Paradise Lost'.
If you want the hotel thing then go to Greece and save some money as Maldivian Hotel islands ARE astronomic in cost.
Anyway, back to paradise... Our island was 2.5 hours away from the main island, Male. So we had an enjoyable power boat ride to our island with stops on the way to watch the dolphins playing in
the water.
When we arrived we were told Reethi Rah was an island of 'no shoes and no wallet'. In other words, you should feel the sand between your toes and not feel the price of the drinks until the end of your holiday. But don't let that worry you as the drinks cost no more than an average British city.
(But if you go for the cocktail is paradise experience (and why not!), remember your visa card!)
Our Beach Chalet nestled under the palm trees, one step away from the waters edge.
Now for the distractions ... of which there were none. You felt like you were a million miles away from civilisation and it was just you, the sand, the sea, the sun, your book, and your Go-Go Banana cocktail.
If you get stressed by your work then the Maldives is the cure. You relax almost instantly and the pleasant demeanour of the island staff ensure that the next stress you feel is luggage handling at Heathrow.
(20 mins later)
And that relaxing feeling is never forgotten, as just experienced by me when remembering the sand, the sea, the sun, my book, and my Go-Go Banana cocktail.
But if you wish to do something besides drink cocktails, eat fresh seafood and relax, then the Maldives can still offer a great deal.
For instance I learnt to Scuba Dive there, and I would STRONGLY recommend this to anyone as there is another world under the sea, particularly around the Maldives. Better still, the school (like many in the Maldives) was fully accredited by PADI and hence I can now dive anywhere in the world.
You can also try other water sports such as water skiing, windsurfing and the very perilous 'banana boat riding' (best done on an empty stomach!)
So why suffer the normal mediterranean experience when you can be in paradise for the same money.
And how much did this cost me...?
Less than £1500 for two people for 17 nights plus drinks bill (which I won't
disclose as I'm sure my drinking habits are different to yours !!)
Just make sure you think 'rustic'...
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