Expensive in Mauritius? I'm going there in October...?

Question

and I'm wondering if things are quite expensive there.. if so I'll go somewhere more affordable.. by "things" I mean public transport, taxis, meals, excursions.. thanks!

Does anyonelse find it weird that a country in the Indian ocean is classed as being part of Africa???

oh.. i was going to go half board so would that help!!

juan s: Cutting and pasting loadsof information really does not help!!! I asked whether it was expensive there simply that...

Answer 1

I am kind of surprised with answers that you have received saying that Mauritius is expensive. I have lived in Mauritius and visited a few times since. I also have many Mauritian friends. Mauritius is one of the few places left in the world where you can have a lovely holiday without paying through the nose. If you want to stay in some high-class hotel and eat on the premises all the time you are going to pay more. That is usually because in these hotels you have inclusive water sports. You can find many affordable hotels there. After moving from Mauritius, when we went back for a visit we rented a small 2 bedroom furnished apartment right across from the public beach at Grande Baie at $12 a day. In restaurants along that stretch you can easily eat for $6 a person. Buses are cheap (crowded though and not air-conditioned), taxis are very reasonable or rent a car very reasonable as well and go where you want. Shopping is reasonable. It is true that some vendors will rip you off if you don't haggle. It is better to pretend that you live there and not to act like some rich tourist. There are plenty of foreigners living there. Port Louis market is especially bad for this. I have had them ask me 8 times the normal price in Port Louis. Just don't mess with those types. Keep walking and asking prices and you will hit some good ones. They all speak English in the markets, so just tell them flat out they are asking too much. The market in Grande Baie is better for prices, but is smaller. By the way, a lot of Mauritian people are fairly poor to our standards, but they still have their pride. They are of many cultures and religions, but most Mauritians have a very sweet nature and they appreciate the tourists who come to their country. I really love Mauritius and it's people. I hope that you choose to go and experience it for yourself. By the way, Mauritians do not consider themselves Africans and most of them aren't in fact, but they are closest to Africa than any other continent, and are considered part of the continent of Africa.

Answer 2

Yes, I spent three weeks in a hotel there and it cost a fortune to get anywhere on the island as the public transport is almost non existent so taxis are a must. You have to negotiate a price before you get in the car to save arguements later. Self-catering is not too bad as food is reasonable but restaurants are expensive.

Answer 3

Very expensive, food-wise, check out the rough guides, for the cheapest places to eat.

Answer 4

Mauritius (pronounced: /məˈɹɪʃəs/; French: Maurice /mɔʀis/; Mauritian Creole: Moris; Officially the Republic of Mauritius (French: République de Maurice), is an island nation in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometers (560 mi) east of Madagascar and about 3,943 kilometers (2,450 mi) southwest of India. In addition to the island of Mauritius, the republic includes the islands of St. Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, with the French island of Réunion 200 kilometers (125 mi) to the southwest.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Politics
3 Administrative divisions
4 Geography
5 Economy
5.1 Financial Services
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 See also
8.1 Economy related
8.2 Education
8.3 People and Culture
8.4 Miscellaneous topics
9 Further reading
10 External links



[edit]
History
Main article: History of Mauritius
While Arab and Malay sailors knew of Mauritius as early as the 10th century and Portuguese sailors first visited it in 1505, the island remained uninhabited until 1638 when it was colonized by the Dutch. They named the island in honour of Prince Maurice of Nassau. Because of climate changes, cyclones and the deterioration of the settlement, the Dutch abandoned the island some decades later. The French controlled the island during the 18th century and named it Ile de France (Isle of France). Despite winning the famous Battle of Grand-Port, the French were defeated by the British in the north of the island, at Cap Malheureux (Cape of the Unlucky Ones), a month later, and thus lost possession to the British in 1810 and the latter reverted the island to its former name.

In 1965, the United Kingdom split out the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius to create the British Indian Ocean Territory, in order to utilise the strategic islands for defence purposes in cooperation with the United States. Although the Government of Mauritius agreed to the move at the time, subsequent administrations have laid claim to the islands stating that the divestment was illegal under international law - claim recognised by the United Nations.


A postcard of Mauritius, Port Louis: Theatre, c.1900-1910Independence was attained in 1968, with the country becoming a republic within the Commonwealth in 1992. Mauritius has been a stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, and has attracted considerable foreign investment earning one of Africa's highest per capita incomes.

Mauritius aims to become the business hub of the Indian Ocean. New business opportunities in banking and the technology sector are being actively sought.

[edit]
Politics
Main article: Politics of Mauritius
The head of state of Mauritius is the President, who is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly, the unicameral Mauritian parliament. The National Assembly consists of 62 members elected directly by popular vote, with between 4 and 8 further members appointed from "best losers" election candidates to represent ethnic minorities, depending on the results of the election. The government is headed by the prime minister and a council of ministers.

The most recent general elections took place on the 3 July 2005 in all the 20 mainland constituencies, as well as the constituency covering the island of Rodrigues.

Historically, elections have always adhered to a two-party system in Mauritius and this has also been the case this time, with the outgoing MSM/MMM/PMSD coalition against the PTr-led Alliance Sociale which includes PMXD, Les Verts, MR, MSD and MMSM.

The Alliance Sociale coalition won 38 seats and will form the next government with PTr leader Navinchandra Ramgoolam as Prime Minister. The MSM/MMM/PMSD coalition won 22 seats and will form the opposition. The 2 remaining seats for Rodrigues were won by OPR candidates. According to the Constitution, an additional eight seats were allocated to "best losers" to guarantee equitable representation of all ethnic groups. This brought the total representation to 42 Alliance Sociale, 24 MSM/MMM/PMSD, and 4 OPR.

In international affairs, Mauritius is part of the Indian Ocean Commission.

In 2006, Mauritius asked to be an observing member of CPLP in order to become closer to those countries.

[edit]
Administrative divisions
Main article: Districts and dependencies of Mauritius
The island of Mauritius itself is divided into 9 districts:

Black River
Flacq
Grand Port
Moka
Pamplemousses
Plaines Wilhems
Port Louis
Rivière du Rempart
Savanne
Dependencies of Mauritius:

Rodrigues, a populated island which used to be Mauritius's 10th district is now autonomous
Agalega (two small islands about 933 kilometers (580 mi) north of Mauritius)
Cargados Carajos Shoals also known as the Saint Brandon islands (about 402 kilometers (250 mi) north of Mauritius)
Note: Mauritius also claims the following islands:


Satellite map of MauritiusIn French possession:

Bassas da India
Europa Island
Glorioso Islands
Juan de Nova Island
Tromelin Island
In British possession:

Chagos Archipelago
Other Mauritian Territories

Soudan Banks (including East Soudan Bank)
Nazareth Bank
Saya de Malha Bank
[edit]
Geography

Map of MauritiusMain article: Geography of Mauritius
Together with Réunion and Rodrigues, Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands. This archipelago was formed in a series of undersea volcanic eruptions, as the African plate drifted over the Réunion hotspot. Mauritius and Rodrigues were formed 8-10 million years ago. They are no longer volcanically active, and the hotspot now rests under Réunion. The island of Mauritius itself is formed around a central plateau, with its highest peak in the southwest, Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire at 828 metres (2,717 ft). Around the plateau, the original crater can still be distinguished from several mountains.

The local climate is tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; there is a warm, dry winter from May to November and a hot, wet, and humid summer from November to May. Cyclones affect the country during November-April.

The island's capital and largest city is Port Louis, in the northwest. Other important towns are Curepipe, Vacoas, Phoenix, Quatre Bornes, Rose-Hill and Beau-Bassin.

The island is well known for its exceptional natural beauty; "You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius", as Mark Twain noted in Following the Equator.

[edit]
Economy

Port Louis, capital of Mauritius
Pamplemousses Botanical Garden, north of Port LouisMain article: Economy of Mauritius
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been of the order of 5% to 6%. This has been reflected in increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality and a much improved infrastructure.

Estimated at $16.28 billion for 2005, Mauritius has the 2nd highest GDP per capita in the whole of Africa. It is only exceeded by Equatorial Guinea, which derives most of its revenue from oil exports. Mauritius on the other hand is a very mature economy with a great deal of wealth distribution among its citizens. The economy is mainly dependent on sugarcane plantations, tourism, textiles, and services, but other sectors are rapidly developing as well.

Sugar cane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. However, a record-setting drought severely damaged the sugar crop in 1999. The government's development strategy centres on foreign investment. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities; many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa while investment in the banking sector alone has reached over USD 1 billion. Economic performance during the period from 2000 through 2004 combined strong economic growth with unemployment at 7.6% in December 2004. France is the country's biggest trading partner, and have close ties with the country. They also provide technical assistance in various forms.

[edit]
Financial Services
Mauritius provides an environment for banks, insurance and reinsurance companies, captive insurance managers, trading companies, ship owners or managers, fund managers and professionals to conduct their international business. The economic success achieved in the 1980s engendered the rapid growth of the financial services sector in Mauritius. The following types of offshore activities can be conducted in Mauritius:

Offshore Banking
Offshore Insurance
Offshore Funds Management
International Financial Services
Operational Headquarters
International Consultancy Services
Shipping and Ship Management
Aircraft Financing and Leasing
International Licensing and Franchising
International Data Processing and Information Technology Services
Offshore Pension Funds
International Trading
International Assets Management
International Assets Management
International Employment Services
On 4 April 2005 during his budget speech, Hon. Pravind Jugnauth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development announced that Mauritius will become a duty-free island and that will take about 4 years. Duty has been decreased (and for many products completely eliminated) for more than 1850 products including clothing, food, jewelry, photographic equipment, audio visual equipment and lighting equipment.

The main motivations are (1) Attract more tourists going to Singapore and Dubai, and, (2) Give all Mauritians easier access to quality products at affordable prices.

A plan by ADB Networks calls for Mauritius to become the first nation to have coast-to-coast wireless internet access. The wireless hot spot currently covers about 60% of the island and is accessible by about 70% of its population. By the end of 2006, antennas should provide access to 90% of the island.

Its biggest trading partners are France and the UK.

Mauritius ranks first in respect of FDI inflows to India amongst all the countries with cumulative inflows amounting to US $ 10.98 billion. Top sectors attracting FDI inflows from Mauritius (from January 2000 to December, 2005) are electrical equipment, telecommunications, fuels, cement & gypsum products and services sector (financial & non-financial). (http://www.indlawnews.com/EC1844380C5E7E269C1E2116696BA40E)

[edit]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Mauritius

A beach from MauritiusMauritian society is highly multicultural. Island residents are the descendants of people from the Indian subcontinent, continental Africa, Madagascar, France, England, China plus a few other places. The official language of Mauritius is English. French dominates the media and business, radio and television, despite France having lost its colonial dominion over the island nearly 200 years ago. The French-derived Mauritian Creole, with influences from the other dialects, is widely spoken (80%) on the island and is considered the lingua franca of the country. French and French creole is used in everyday life. Several other languages, including Arabic, Portuguese, Indian languages such as Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Gujarati or dialects of Chinese like Cantonese, Hakka and Mandarin are also spoken.

The latter South Asian languages are spoken by descendants of the labourers brought from British India during the British rule. The Indo-Mauritians (when the ethnic groups are combined) form approximately 70% of the total population, while the rest of the population is of either African, French, Chinese, or mixed descent. There are approximately 30,000 Mauritians of Chinese descent, from Hakka, Mandarin and Cantonese language groups. More than 90% of the Sino-Mauritian community adhere to the Roman Catholic faith.

Of all religiously affiliated Mauritians, Hindus constitute 52%, while the remainder is composed mostly of Christians (28%) and Muslims (16.6%). Buddhists (2.5%), Sikhs (0.3%) and other religions are also followed.[1]

[edit]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Mauritius
The mixed colonial past of Mauritius is reflected in its culture. For example, the cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian Cuisine, Creole, Chinese and European. It is not uncommon for a combination of cuisines to form part of the same meal. The "cari poule" or chicken curry, for example, is a very popular dish and eaten by all sections of the community. Mauritian Cuisine is a great leveller and brings together all sections of the community. Famous chefs on Mauritian Cuisine come from varied cultural backgrounds. Among the best known for traditional Mauritian Cuisine are Guy Felix, Lalita Sookhee, Philippe Lenoir, Raymond de Ravel, Madeleine Philippe and Zubeida Randera. Madeleine Philippe is well known for her promotion of Mauritian Cuisine on the internet. Most restaurants are owned by the Sino-Mauritian community, thus it is not surprising that well-known 'chinese' dishes have become Mauritian favourites. The "mine-frit" (Mauritian fried noodles) and "niouk nien" (dumplings) are loved by all and readily bought by the Mauritian community either in restaurants or on the sidewalks of main streets. Moreover, since the food stalls by the streets are mainly owned by the Muslim and Indo-Mauritian communities, the 'Alouda' (a milky drink with basil seeds) has become a typical mauritian drink and the 'dholl puri' is the favourite of all communities.


Mauritius is the only known habitat of the extinct Dodo birdIn 1847, Mauritius became the fifth country in the world to issue postage stamps. The two types of stamps issued then, known as the Red Penny and the Blue Penny are probably the most famous stamps in the world, being very rare and therefore also very expensive.

When discovered, the island of Mauritius was home to a previously unknown species of bird, which the Portuguese named the dodo (simpleton), as they appeared not too bright. However, by 1681, all dodos had been killed by settlers or their domesticated animals. Nevertheless, the dodo is prominently featured as a supporter of the national coat-of-arms (see above).

Mauritius has from time to time also been chosen as setting for films, most of which are Bollywood productions from India. The latest Hindi film to feature Mauritius has been Garam Masala (2005).

[edit]
See also
[edit]
Economy related
Communications in Mauritius
Foreign relations of Mauritius
Transport in Mauritius
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport
Air Mauritius - National Airline
Financial Services in Mauritius
[edit]
Education
Education in Mauritius
Tertiary education in Mauritius
University of Technology, Mauritius
[edit]
People and Culture
Indo-Mauritian
Creole
Sino-Mauritian
Franco-Mauritian
List of notable Mauritians
Hinduism in Mauritius
Islam in Mauritius
Music of Mauritius
[edit]
Miscellaneous topics
Military of Mauritius
The Mauritius Scout Association
[edit]
Further reading
Dodd, Jan and Madeleine Philippe. Lonely Planet Mauritius Reunion & Seychelles. Lonely Planet Publications, 2004. ISBN 1-74059-301-4
Lee, Jacques: "Mauritius: Its Creole Language - The Ultimate Creole Phrase Book and Dictionary"
Paperback 160 pages (August 15, 2005) Publisher: Nautilus ISBN 0-9511296-4-3

Lee, Jacques: "Sega: The Mauritian Folk Dance"
Paperback 104 pages (December 1990) Publisher: Nautilus ISBN 0-9511296-1-9

[edit]
External links
Find more information on Mauritius by searching Wikipedia's sister projects:

Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Government of Mauritius official government site
Mauritius travel guide from Wikitravel
Entry on Mauritius in the CIA World Factbook
Photogallery - Mauritius Island
MAURITIUS Informationen & Fotos

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

v·d·e Countries and territories of Africa (UN subregions)[ Hide ]
Northern Africa: Algeria • Egypt • Libya • Morocco • Sudan • Tunisia • Western Sahara (SADR)
Western Africa: Benin • Burkina Faso • Cape Verde • Côte d'Ivoire • Gambia • Ghana • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Liberia • Mali • Mauritania • Niger • Nigeria • Senegal • Sierra Leone • Togo
Central Africa: Angola • Cameroon • Central African Republic • Chad • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Equatorial Guinea • Gabon • Republic of the Congo • São Tomé and Príncipe
Eastern Africa: Burundi • Comoros • Djibouti • Eritrea • Ethiopia • Kenya • Madagascar • Malawi • Mauritius • Mozambique • Rwanda • Seychelles • Somalia • Tanzania • Uganda • Zambia • Zimbabwe
Southern Africa: Botswana • Lesotho • Namibia • South Africa • Swaziland


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dependencies and other territories:
United Kingdom: Indian Ocean Territory • Saint Helena (Ascension Island Tristan da Cunha)



Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius"
Categories: African Union member states | Island nations | Mauritius | English-speaking countries | French-speaking countries | Francophonie

ViewsArticle Discussion Edit this page History Personal toolsSign in / create account Navigation
Main Page
Community Portal
Featured articles
Current events
Recent changes
Random article
Help
Contact Wikipedia
Donations
Search
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Printable version
Permanent link
Cite this article
In other languages
Afrikaans
አማርኛ
العربية
Aragonés
বাংলা
Bân-lâm-gú
Bosanski
Български
Català
Česky
Cymraeg
Dansk
Deutsch
Eesti
Ελληνικά
Español
Esperanto
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
한국어
हिन्दी
Hrvatski
Ido
Bahasa Indonesia
Íslenska
Italiano
עברית
ქართული
Kernewek
Kiswahili
Latviešu
Lietuvių
Magyar
Македонски
Malagasy
मराठी
Bahasa Melayu
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk (bokmål)
Norsk (nynorsk)
Occitan
Oyghurque
Pampangan
پښتو
Plattdüütsch
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
संस्कृत
Shqip
Simple English
Slovenčina
Slovenščina
Српски / Srpski
Srpskohrvatski / Српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
Tagalog
Tiếng Việt
Türkçe
Українська
Volapük
中文

This page was last modified 17:27, 10 September 2006. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers

hope this helps