Accommodation

In Mauritius, the hotel park consists of luxury and quality resorts, small to medium hotels and charming guest houses; all offer the same welcome touch and a remarkable level of service.  Major local or regional hotel group members include Sun Resorts, Naiade Resorts, Apavou Group, Veranda Leisure and Hospitality, ConstanceHotels, Attitude Resorts, Indigo Hotels and Resorts, Alizée Resorts and Gold Group of Hotels.

The natural charm of the country has also attracted International Hotel chains such as the One and Only Le Saint Géran, Starwood Hotels' Le Méridien and Luxury Collection, Four Seasons, Nira Resorts' Shanti Maurice, Hilton, Oberoi, Sofitel Imperial and Sofitel So, Maritim, Club Med, Mövenpick, Valtur, and Intercontinental amongst others.  ITwo more hotels, Angsana (Banyan Tree) and the Saint Regis are also expected to open in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Climate

As Mauritius is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the summer and winter months are the opposite of those of  Europe i.e. the tropical summer months are from November to April and the ‘sub-tropical’ winter months from May to October.  The temperature during the summer months vary from 27°C to 33°C with a maximum of humidity during the month of February (sometimes humidity can reach above 90%) and from 17°C to 25°C during winter months.  The lowest temperature ever registered in Mauritius during winter is 10°C, on the central plateau, which rises 600 meters above sea level.

It is recommended to wear light cotton clothing if you visit Mauritius during summer and advisable to carry some jersey or light woolen clothes in your luggage for the evenings during winter.  Day light is from 6am to 7am during summer and from 6.30am to 5.45am during winter. The temperature of the sea varies from 22°C to 27°C in winter and from 26°C to 30°C in summer.

Rainfall

The highest rainfall normally occurs during the months of February and March, usually on the central plateau.  The Northern and Western parts of Mauritius are the warmest and driest, whereas the eastern and southern regions are the breeziest.

Cyclones

The cyclonic season extends from November to April, but luckily Mauritius is often spared as the cyclones' trajectory takes them far from the island.  However, should they pass near or over Mauritius, they can cause severe damage to the vegetation, environment, power supply. Thus in case of cyclones, it is common that the people occupying fragile habitation, such as wooden houses, need to find shelter in government schools as cyclonic winds can blow up to 200 to 250 Km/hour. However, most of the island's infrastructure are cyclone-proof and resist very well to these strong winds.

Popular Beaches

White sand beaches surround the island and the most famous are : Cap Malheureux, Pereybère, Grand Baie, Trou aux Biches, Mon Choisy in the North, Flic en Flac, Le Morne and La Prairie  in the West/South-West region, Trou d’Eau Douce, Palmar and Belle Mare in the East, Blue Bay and Pointe d’Esny in the South.

What to do and what to see

A multitude of opportunities exist for the tourists such as : adventure sports, scuba  diving, snorkelling, waterskiing and windsurfing, among others.  Your tour operator, a local DMC or the hotel you will choose for your stay, will be able to guide you and give you the list of excursions available, so that you enjoy every moment of your stay with us.

Places to visit

To name a few : Sir Seeewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden (Pamplemousses), Balaclava ruins, Chamarel's Seven-Coloured Earth, Black River Gorges, Grand Bassin, Ile Aux Cerfs, L’Etoile, Casela Nature Park, Vallée de Ferney, Domaine des Sept Vallées, Parc Aventure, La Vanille Crodocile Park, the Tea Route, Sugar Museum, Rhum factory etc…

Popular Shopping places : Port Louis market, Caudan Waterfront amongst others.

Banks

Banks are open from Mondays to Fridays, from 9a.m to3p.m and a few open up to 5p.m on Fridays.

At the airport, on arrival, you will find banking facilities just before the exit of the Tour Operators' Hall.

At departure, banks and money changers operate in the check-in hall. However, there are no banking facilities after immigration and passport control.

In both the departure and the arrival halls, services are offered by the following: Barclays, State Bank, The Mauritius Commercial Bank, Shibani Finance and Thomas Cook. Furthermore, Barclays, Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, State Bank, and The Mauritius Commercial Bank provide ATM services outside the arrival hall.

Payments/cards

The following cards are accepted nearly everywhere throughout the island : Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, American Express.  However please note that some small shops and restaurants are not equipped to accept cards.  For e.g. at the Port Louis market or at the craft market in the Caudan Waterfront, payment must be in cash.

Currency

The currency is the Mauritian Rupee.  As an indication, the Euro is worth around Rs 40 and the USD Rs 30.

Customs

Duty-Free Allowances (For Travellers arriving in Mauritius and Rodrigues on International Flights).
Personal-use goods (i.e. not for re-sale) up to a value of:

Rs. 7,500 (Foreign passport holder. No age limit)
Alcohol: 1 litre of spirits and 2 litres of wine or beer; Tobacco products: 250 grams

Traveller must be aged 18 years and over to qualify for alcohol and tobacco allowances.

Travellers with No Goods to Declare or non-commercial goods valued within their duty-free allowances may proceed directly to GREEN CHANNEL.

Travellers with Goods to Declare, that is, goods valued above their duty-free allowances, restricted/prohibited goods, commercial goods, and temporary importations must proceed directly to the RED CHANNEL or COMMERCIAL COUNTER for Commercial Goods.

Failure to properly declare goods to Customs is a serious offence that may lead to seizure of goods and / or fine imposed.
For more information, please consult the Customs Website :

http://www.gov.mu/portal/sites/mra/index.htm

Visas

Please check the following website to enquire on your visa requirements as it varies depending of your country of origin :

http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/passportSite/menuitem.39d33e5039cfc354d0db7010e2b521ca/

Driving

People in Mauritius drive on the left hand side of the road and give way to traffic to the right.  Upon fulfilling formalities at the Traffic Branch, foreigners with a driving licence issued by a competent authority in their country of residence, are allowed to drive during their stay for a limited period of 6 months.  In the case the traveler is above 60, a medical certificate will have to be produced.