Mauritius - self catering or all inclusive?

[NatterNatter50]

Hello!

DH and I are celebrating a big anniversary next year so looking to go somewhere special. Our DC will be 5 years old then and we will be stuck going during school holidays so even though Europe is a nice short flight, we don’t feel it’s worth the cost during school hols. So thinking of going t Mauritius for a good mix of luxury, nice beaches and things to do with DC.

Does anyone know if it’s worth going self catering or is all inclusive best there? Is it safe, clean and reasonably cheap to eat out there? Or are the all inclusive resorts really amazing and worth experiencing. If we do go for self catering then whereabouts on the island is best to stay so we are close to restaurants?
I do like all inclusive (especially hotel breakfasts) but hate crowded all inclusive buffets!

Bump

Have a look at beachcomber hotels. We went for a big anniversary and paid for breakfast and dinner. As it was a big anniversary they gave us lunches included too ( we dont drink much so the drinks being included wasnt a deal breaker for us). We stayed at troux au biches. They had i think 7 restaurants all v good except i wasnt a fan of the buffet one. It was lovely. We had to take our wedding cert as proof so we could get the anniversary deals.

Sounds amazing! Thank you @defnotadomesticgoddess we don’t drink much either so all inclusive would just be a bit of a waste of money for us.

I'd second Beachcomber in Mauritius. AI was worth it, even if you don't drink much. There are some lovely places to eat out, but from many resorts, you'll have to pass through some dodgy areas to get there, so it's not really feasible 3 times per day, unless you are very careful with where you stay. Beachcomber are very good at making special occasions special.

We just got back from self catering and found that food shopping and eating out were quite expensive so thought that in hindsight AI wouldn't have been that much more after we added up everything we spent. Recommended staying in the North but it's good to hire a car if you want to see the island.

We have just booked a holiday to Mauritius yesterday and spent time googling the various dining options, though we did know we definitely wanted a hotel and at least breakfast.

We ended up deciding on AI but will also go out and about during the day and eat lunches out occasionally.

Thank you @Shinyshoesv and @Longma - that’s a huge help as I was under the impression it was cheap to eat out but at the same time wanted to experience an AI resort there too. Think we’ll go with AI then. It will be easier with DS too. I’m seeing some good deals for around £6k AI for 10 nights next year Easter holidays which is the same as what we’d pay in Europe for 7 nights in school holidays so I’m definitely set on Mauritius. Have always wanted to go too.

Hi OP, can I ask which hotel you’ve found for £6k? Also looking next Easter! Thank you so much

Hi @Sproufortheelf - there are a few options on Travel Republic.
specifically Le Meridien Ile Maurice but there were other options in that price range too .

We went to Long Beach in Mauritius and it was absolutely incredible. We are hoping to go back in the next few years. Hands down best holiday ever

@Darkambergingerlily - long beach looks amazing! Which month did you go? Just wondering about weather on that part of the island. We would look to go in either Easter holidays or October half term next year so trying to figure out which side of island would be best weather wise.

We went for our honeymoon to Sugar Beach and we did half board, which we found to be a happy medium. We don't drink enough to justify AI and HB meant that on the days we did trips out, we didn't feel like we were "wasting" meals we'd already paid for. We went end Oct / start November. Drinks were reasonably priced (in 2019) so we just charged them to the room (plus any extra lunches we had and paid at the end of our stay.

Check out Paradise Cove - amazing place we stayed for an anniversary a few years ago. Wherever you go you MUST try the lychee wine.

Thanks these are great suggestions.