J9

We just reserved a room at the Oberoi in Mauritius for the last part of our honeymoon. We were wondering whether anyone has stayed there and their reviews. Is it worthwhile to stay at another place that offers half board or includes water sports?Also, what does rainy season really mean in January in Mauritius?

Joelle

We were in Mauritius early January 2004.
What generally happened was a clear blue sky in the morning (west coast), then clouds coming around noon and possible thunderstorms in the early evening.
And don't forget that storms are generally located on one particular area (originating from Mauritius central mountains), so it means you may have a shower in one place, drive a couple of miles further on and have sunshine.

What was nice was the fact that sun rose at 5.30 in the morning and sunset was around 7 PM.

Additional note: in January the possible cyclonic season starts. They had one coming near Mauritius on Dec. 31, so it blocked the island for a few days. Planes could not land or take-off anymore and people were stuck in their rooms for a few days.

J9

Joelle
Thanks for the response. I hope we miss the cyclones next year!
Where did you stay? Is there anything to do outside the resorts or should we just plan to hang out at the resort every day?

Joelle

We stayed at the Sofitel hotel in flic en Flac on the west coast (very nice !) and at the Meridien at Pointe aux Piments (north-west coast).

Staying lazily at the resort is of course an option, but you can also rent a cab with driver for the day and discover many parts of the island.East coast and south coast + inland were very nice.

tgfny

The Oberoi is one of the finest hotels in the world. Service is extraordinary.

J9

That's good to hear, thanks. It seems that other hotels besides the Oberoi offered half board for the same cost as just a room. Is the Pavillion room alone worth 800 Euros? Is it worth it to upgrade to a villa?

NoFlyZone

I just checked my favorite Mauritius site and the Oberoi in January is 800 dollars, not euros...

Joelle

Mauritius offers a lot of high-end resorts. I heard good things about Le Paradis and Belle-Mare resorts.

The Oberoi was closed for refurbishment in January (due to a fire). It is supposed to be very nice, but prices are very, very high...

tgfny

It is expensive, but all of the top hotels in Mauritius are. We only send clients to places that are, relative to comparable places, worth the tarif. We use the Oberoi, and Le Prince Meurice in Mauritius, for what that's worth. Personally, I prefer the Oberoi.

J9

Thank you Joelle

Hi NoFLYZONE- what site did you use to find good rates on Mauritius hotels? The Oberoi website didn't even have that good a rate

TGFNY- What in particular makes you prefer the Oberoi? Any thoughts on Le Saint Geran or Le Tourresok?

NoFlyZone

It is MauritiusMagic.com

tgfny

I have just had two absolutely wonderful stays there. Service was beyond compare as was the cuisine. I also love Le Prince Maurice, I just had an exceptional time at The Oberoi. I do not have experience yet at Le Touessrok or most of the really new, wonderful hotels, but have made it a priority on my next trip. The woman who runs my travel department went earlier this year and marvelled at the level as a whole Mauritius has set in such a short time.

chrism125

Has anyone recently visited Mauritius? Many posts here are quite dated, and some recommend travel to the Seychelles or Maldives instead! I'm curious re: travel from Germany in late April/early May. My husband and I are both active, and would like to dive and sight-see while enjoying beautiful beaches. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!! (what to see/do, what to avoid, best hotel bets, etc.) Many thanks... Christine

kerikeri

if you click my name or search "mauritius hotels" it will link to an article that just ran in the nytimes sunday travel that reviews some hotels. it wasn't that long ago, so maybe that will be helpful. i think i called it mauritius hotels.

z

chrism125, last year we visited Seychelles and Mauritius (second time)on one trip and in April we spent 11 days in Maldives. Mauritius wins hands down. This is only one place where we found coral in a great shape. Seychelles has some nice places for diving but coral is all dead. Not very pleasant to see it. We enjoyed snorkeling in Maldives.

Marie007

Both dh and I loved our stay at the Sofitel Impérial in Flic en Flac and, like Joelle, we rented a cab with a driver to go and visit places in the afternoon. In the morning, my dh did scuba diving, he passed his "niveau II"/level II there while I rested and swam in the beautiful swimming-pool. The only problem is the fact the lagoon is not deep enough in front of the hotel and one must beware of the "poisson-pierre"/stone fish there...

http://medecinetropicale.free.fr/caspierre.htm (photos and explanations in French)

http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com/.../stonefish.htm (in English)

Otherwise, the architecture of the hotel is very pleasant, the staff is wonderful and we enjoyed our Japanese dinner at the Japanese restaurant located on the last floor of the Sofitel. Chirac has dinner there when he comes to "L'Ile Maurice"/Mauritius. Voilà ! Marie

Marie007

I forgot to say we were in Mauritius at "la Toussaint" 2003 (end of Oct, beginning of Nov 03) The weather was gorgeous then.

chrism125

Thanks to all (particularly z!) as my dh will no doubt seek scuba diving over beach lounging. I'm a bit concerned about reef/sea life damage... has anyone visited Mauritius or the Maldives since the tsunami tragedy? Best regards and many thanks... Christine

ms_katydid

I was in Mauritius in November 04. We didn't scuba, but we did snorkel. We were incredibly disappointed. We traveled to three seperate beaches on different parts of the island. All were murky with very little fish life. Beaches were rocky or coarse sand. Accomodations on Mauritius were nice though and so was the weather. We stayed at the Shandari, the Prince Maurice and Oberoi.

chrism125

Ms Katydid... I'm so sorry re: your disappointing trip! Can anyone else provide info re: scuba diving in late April/early May? I'm trying to decide between Mauritius, the Maldives and the Seychelles. Many thanks, Christine