Off The Coast of Africa

Visiting Mauritius on a Budget

While Mauritius is often regarded as an expensive destination due to its popularity and location in the Indian Ocean, it is nevertheless quite possible to travel there on a budget. Obviously, travel agencies and tour operators are running a business, which entails them trying to sell you the most expensive package as soon as you inform them of your desire to visit Mauritius. However, Mauritius is in fact a very affordable destination as long as you know what you are doing and take measures to ensure your budget does not spiral out of control.

Choose the off-peak season

It sounds like an obvious advice and one that should never have to made this list but it is still amazing how people overlook the simplest of considerations. Most tourists still want to visit Mauritius during the December festivities or during the months of July to August when everybody is going on holiday. They consequently end up spending a lot on air tickets and accommodation. The off-peak season in Mauritius is from February to May and from September to October, and traveling to the island during these months will allow you to save a lot of money.

Stay clear from all inclusive travel packages

Travel packages that include the air ticket, the accommodation, and various other things important to a holiday in Mauritius are often regarded as a great way to avoid the hassle of looking for each thing separately. However, the fact remains that these packages are often much more expensive than if you booked everything separately.

Unless you get a package that you know is advantageous, it is always cheaper to find your ticket and hotel separately. With so many websites offering tons of information on Mauritius, it's not as if it can be very hard to find out everything you need to know about the famous Indian Ocean island.

Choose a reasonable accommodation

One of the biggest factors that will initially make Mauritius look extremely expensive is the rates charged by the tourist accommodation throughout the island. Due to their popularity, it makes sense for the famous Mauritius hotels and resorts to charge a lot to tourists. A lot of people thus book these without being aware that there are also cheaper options that will nevertheless provide great lodging during their holidays.

In addition to those popular 5 star or even 4 star Mauritius hotels, there exist various types of accommodation perfect for budget travelers. These include smaller boutique hotels such as the Paradise Cove Ile Maurice Spa, self catering villas and guesthouses, lodges, and even apartments that are only five minutes from the beach.

Changing your currency

Changing your currency to Mauritius Rupees in the island when you get there is another method of sticking to a lower budget. All the banks in Mauritius have better exchange rates and changing your currency there before dedicating yourself to your well-earned break is as straightforward as it sounds. In any case, you will save a lot of money if you rely on these banks instead of going to a private agency where the rates will be different.