Where to stay in Mauritius

Hotels

The line between hotels and resorts in Mauritius can be fairly blurred, but there are many large, self-contained beach resorts offering every service and amenity from babysitting to windsurfing. Most resorts are scattered along the country’s best beaches – particularly along the south coast and the east coasts.

There is an abundance of hotels throughout the island, most of them hugging the coast. Mauritius standards and service are known to be the best in the Indian Ocean.

From June to September, and during the Christmas and Easter holidays, reservations should be made in advance. A 10% tax is added to all hotel bills.

Grading: Although there is no official grading system away from the international chains, many of whom have hotels on the island, Mauritius has a higher density of 5-star hotels than anywhere else in the world. Most of Mauritius' hotel inventory is 4 and 5 star; even 3-star hotels provide a 5-star welcome.

There are also plenty of budget options, increasing with the trend for visitors to book over the Internet. These include family-run chambre d'hôtes, self-catering campements or weekend houses, beach bungalows and villas and lodges or even rental of colonial outhouses in the interior. They can be found throughout the island, although mainly in tourist centres - in the north around Grand Baie and in the west around Flic-en-Flac.

Bed and breakfast

So called chambre d’hôte accommodation (the French equivalent of bed and breakfast) is an extremely popular and excellent value option. These rooms tend to be of higher quality and in more charming surroundings than the term ‘bed and breakfast’ suggests in English – the very best are downright luxurious. Many also offer table d’hôte, or a lavish home cooked meal hosted by the owners – a great way to meet fellow travellers and locals in a relaxed and friendly setting.

Camping

Other accomodation

Self-catering is a great option in Mauritius, as there are plenty of good markets and supermarkets to buy food, and there’s no shortage of apartments and houses for holiday rentals. You’ll find plenty of self-catering units in and around Flic-en-Flac and along the northern coast.
Mauritius has some wonderfully unique accommodation opportunities including the chance to stay in bamboo cottages high in the hills of beautiful Domaine du Chasseur hunting reserve, taking a small lodge on the colonial-era estate of Eureka near the town of Moka, or by staying at the luxurious Le Touessrok Hotel, which has its own desert island for you to lounge about on.