I was wondering if anyone could give me a pro vs. cons to Mauritius vs. the Seychelles? We're planning a safari honeymoon for our 1 week(Kruger), followed by one of these island destinations for the second week. Would love to hear any insight re: these 2 destinations -thanks

congratulations on your honeymoon!

i can address mauritius only, as that's where i've just been.

pro- direct flights to/from europe and jnb at covenenient times for connections.

a wide range of very deluxe hotels with private villa accommodation and safari caliber service (you'll get used to being pampered and you can continue that here).

outstanding french/creole/ sea food preparations by some of the world's top chefs working with fresh island ingredients.

gorgeous lagoon and entire fringing reef surrounding the island if you want to explore.

many hikes and hindu temples and cities for a change of scenery.

cons: it lacks an exotic feel.

you could truly be anywhere, that is, there is nothing distinctively "mauritian" about it here.

depending on your currency, mauritius can work out to be the more expensive destination, because you really have to spend a lot for the resorts.

on the whole, i would say it boils down to the type of traveler you are. if you are a beach and watersports resort person, you will be very happy in mauritius.

also, if you want to go hiking one day, then they have a great trail system, too.

if, however, you are looking for an exotic feeling ploace, then i think you will de disappointed with mauritus, despite the fact that some scenery is quite nice.

I have been to both.

Here are some impressions:

Seychelles : scattered islands (so more hassle with transportation) with beautiful landscapes and beaches.

Expensive hotels for an average 3 star rating.

Mauritius: one island only (unless you want to go to Rodrigues) with a high density in population. Nice landscapes and beaches, maybe not so wonderful as in the Seychelles.

A pile of 5 star hotels, some of them very expensive.
People are more tourism-oriented than in the Seychelles where tourism is rather state-controlled and service can be so-so.

To sum up : both are good destinations in the Indian Ocean. I understand the choice can be difficult !

Been to both as well and agree with Joelle. Mauritius wins hands down

I used to work as a travel agent in South Africa. I am currently in the USA though. I have not personally been to either as yet but have sent honeymoon couples to both. As far as price goes - in Mauritius most watersports are usually included in your package where in the Seychelles they are not, or are very limited.

Mauritius has great beaches at the resorts - but as others have said you could be at any beach resort in the world.

Seychelles is the better location for diving if that's what you're looking for and can be more private.

Feel free to email me if you have any further questions.

Bianca

Faust: not sure what your emphasis is to picking your island vacation but you may want to consider Mozambique if you are big into diving/snorkeling and want to be away from highly populated areas. However, it is a small accomodation area so if you want 5 star large hotel atmosphere it cannot compete.

Here is a link to a thread where much info is provided.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4

Somewhere in that thread I have also posted a link to my pics of the area.

Haven't been to Mauritius, but have been to the Seychelles and we loved it. As mentioned, there is more then one island, so you can split your time between Mahe (main island) and Praslin with a day-trip to La Digue. If you want to spend more money, there is always North Island and Fregate Island. Another thing to consider is flight schedules, as I don't believe there are flights to either of these on a daily basis.

dear sandi-

when you say that you don't think there are "flight to these on a daily basis" do you mean to those internal seychelles places? because there is definitely a daily flight to mauritius from both europe and jo-burg.

Mauritius has traditionally been thought of as a 3-star destinations with 5-star resorts. Whereas Seychelles has traditionally been considered a 5-star destination with 3-star resorts.

Of course, with 7 to a dozen truly 5-star resorts, things in Seychelles are changing.

kerikeri - Regarding the flights I was referring to there not being daily flights to the Seychelles from JNB (can't say about Mauritius). As to transport - air, boats, ferries, helicopter - between the islands in the Seychelles, with the exception of the far outter islands - between the oft visited islands - Mahe, Praslin, Fregate, North - regular schedules.

In the past few years, there have been built a number of 5* resorts - Banyan Tree, Lemuria, North and Fregate Island Private resorts... and some longstanding hotels have/are being refurbished.

Thanks so much for all the insight from everyone on both destinations! I think we're all about the relaxation/being pampered bit (and being lazy after a week of safari activities)- less emphasis on diving/snorkeling - so it sounds like Mauritius might be our best bet. To Predator/Biologist - saw your pics of Mozambique - incredible. I'll have to put that on our list of next destinations to hit.

Faust: Glad you enjoyed the pics. Good luck with your wedding and have an amazing honeymoon!