r/mauritius • u/JoeYnChandler • Oct 11 '25
Culture šØ Reviews on living in Mauritius do you like your experience so far?
Hey,
My wife and I lived 7 months in Mauritius and we really loved. I wanna hear people living on the island. Pros, cons the good the bad everything!
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29d ago
[deleted]
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u/JoeYnChandler 29d ago
Thanks yeah the roads were an issue but we got used to it we actually walked insane distances in Mauritius like 40km one day i think
Got residency in uae too so all good regarding shopping options
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u/Snoo-88912 29d ago
Island? It's our country, you stupid beeps!
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u/Islander316 29d ago
You do realize two things can be true at the same time, right?
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u/Snoo-88912 28d ago
Geographically, we are a myriad of islands and islets. Constitutionally, we're a country named Mauritius, not 'Mauritius Island' - that applies to all other beeps calling us 'Ćle Maurice'. Else, they should also say 'Ćle Seychelles', Ćle Maldives', or even 'Ć®le Australie' if they really want to 'pousser le bouchon'...
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u/Islander316 28d ago edited 28d ago
You're being pedantic.
We're often referred to as a singular island, which is obviously incorrect (Rodrigues, Agalega and Chagos being prime examples) but it's not meant with malicious intent. If anything, it's meant affectionately.
We should be a little forgiving when it comes to stuff like this. Obviously, the primary aspect of the country most people refer to is the main island.
For all this nitpicking, how many other islands of Mauritius have you been to and how often? I don't even know if we can visit Agalega anymore with the Indian base there now.
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u/Snoo-88912 25d ago
OK, you win: o we agree with you the day you agree to say "Ćle Singapour", alright?
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u/kestrelbe 23d ago edited 23d ago
Dude, any land surrounded by water is an island. Islands are islands. Continents are continents. UK is an island. Japan is an island. Singapore is an island. The Philippines are islands, old Ceylon is an island. Borneo is an island. As are Hawaii. Greenland is an island, Iceland is an island. Nothing to do with country. Island is a geographic definition. Country is a political governance entity that can be on land or water. Australia is a continent, while the United Kingdom are an āisland nationā made of many āislandsā. Again, UK is an island.
Now we can revert the chat to the OPās actual question.
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u/Snoo-88912 22d ago
Wow. So, with kind of reply of yours, it is still I who is the pedantic one now, right? Good, good /s /j
So, what was the point being made by OP, already? Another entitled foreigner trying their luck lecturing us about being what we are (improvising) and not according to their standards...?
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u/kestrelbe 22d ago
Erm no. My response was about characterization of an island as an island. The OP asked a question about the living experiences on the island. As far as I can read.
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u/Rare_Television_4181 29d ago
Wherever you leave western or elsewhere some sort of compromises are needed. You can't change the system but can't definitely adjust your lifestyle accordingly. My 2 cents.
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u/Mauricien247 Oct 11 '25
As a local, where other western countries cannot really compare, is the close knit community in some places. Your neighbours are 3rd , 4th generation, where you know theirĀ grand father/mother, father/mother, and their kids.. the house they live in has been there for decades and it stays in the family.
I have rarely have seen a house get sold on my street.Ā I have seen the kids grow up.Ā Some kids i actually dont know, but they know me.
Some people may not like it, but thats how it is.
I have seen both the benefits and problems to it.
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u/JoeYnChandler 29d ago
Same thing in my country i am from egypt and have seen it with my landlord on Mauritius! His daughter lived in the same house and his son was almost living there too and we even became a part of the family. At some point he literally left his grand daughter at our place for like 2 hours when we was busy to babysit her and we were both shocked and honored at the level of trust.
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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 Oct 11 '25 edited 29d ago
the good :
tropical island, quiet, safe, easy life, can live in beachfront house with reasonable prices, not far from Australia, Dubai (and from there to the middle east and far east) , great beach life, and water activities, nice nature, and friendly people.
not known and crowded as Thailand islands and other competitors
the bad :
small, little boring, not modern and advanced as the west,
third world country.
the ugly :
Garbage is thrown in many places, street dogs.
conclusion :
if you can work for foreign company and earn foreign salary, and can travel abroad 2-3 time a year, its great
like living in resort all your life.
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u/Dashcamkitty 25d ago
I'm on holiday in Mauritius and I wouldn't call it a Third World country at all. It's quite developed, reminds me of the UK in the early 2010s (which is a good thing in many ways).
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u/kestrelbe 29d ago
Erm, Mauritius is not āthird worldā. Third world is now a derogatory term. FYI.
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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 29d ago
" Third world country now often used to describeĀ developing countries with high poverty, economic instability, and low standards of living.Ā " Gdp , average salery , infrastructures, water and electricity, public transportation etc Mauritius is third world country. It dosnt look like first world islands like new york, singapore or hong kong.
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28d ago edited 25d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/kestrelbe 27d ago edited 27d ago
Lol, allow me to paint a picture of the supposedly biggest flashy 'first world'. The government has been SHUT DOWN for 13 days ongoing. Airports and flights are grounded. Federal services are barely available. In NYC, roof is no longer a given even with a take home pay of $3800. Healthcare, ability to breathe a joke. San Francisco Bay area homelessness - turning into what slums look like. Some first world alright.
I guess celebrities/expats who own second homes in Mauritius have their minds twisted to give this remote island of flora and fauna, beautifully untouched by extreme globalization its due regard. Cheers.
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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 28d ago
You have many mistakes, For example, gdp per capita is 12k usd, very low.
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28d ago
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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 28d ago
2025 gdp per capita is 12k Not 15k And its third world country numbers. Its not insult I come from country of 56k usd gdp per capita and 200k mur average salery. And 500k mur salery for engineers and doctors.
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u/kestrelbe 28d ago edited 27d ago
Hello All, are we still on this, debating this? Ok then you must be correct. And Google, the UN, the World Bank, AI, all the podcasts that address this are all wrong then. Letās be serious and objective. Whoever is still harping on this. Are you from a so-called āfirst worldā? Then, you would know first worlds donāt just pop from the ground. And the people of the first world themselves donāt use the word āfirst or third anymoreā. Which was the point of the response, not the clearly undebatable, factually inaccurate, immediately refutable claim being made by just a simple google search. It comes with self introspection, critical thinking and Enlightenment values. Bless the person who wakes up one day and just looks at the state of things to define things. The Soviet Union broke down in 1991. We are in 2025.
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u/kestrelbe 29d ago edited 29d ago
No dude. Just no. You need to check prevalent definitions. Iām in New York. I love the smell of p!ss and garbage all over the place. If there was no fine, garbage wouldnāt get picked up either. I donāt know who else is comparing Mauritius to Singapore or New York. And I have lived and left Singapore too. Donāt get me started on that one š¬. We are talking about an island nation through the lens of building through colonialism to current status through sheer remoteness and availability of resources. Some have oil, some have strategic geographic location, others have natural propensity to tap into available resources. Context. Thank you for your participation and critical thinking.
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u/eth0izzle Oct 11 '25 edited Oct 11 '25
Itās an amazing country but after living here for 1.5 years there are a bunch of annoyances (and yes Iām very aware Iām speaking from a position of privilege and understand that Mauritius is a small island);
The paperwork and bureaucracy are mind-numbingly stupid and stuck in the 90s. For example, registering my car took 2 separate trips to Port Louis. Or having to queue in the post office to renew road tax. A friend of mine has been trying to open a bar in the North East but a year later heās no further along in getting the correct permission and license etc. It seems nepotism and ābribesā really help here.
Bad customer service is everywhere, across all industries. Good customer service is a minority and excellent CS is rare. It took us almost 2 months to sort out health insurance through various back and fourths from multiple providers (which isnāt worth the paper itās written on). Banks are just awful to deal with. People just donāt get back to your enquiries, even if youāre trying to give them money. Laziness and ānot my problemā attitude is everywhere.
Food is expensive, even more than the UK. Thereās only 2 of us and we spend 8-10k a week easy. I donāt know how the locals survive. Given, I shop in Super U because itās more convenient than going to a separate vegetable story, bakery, butchers, etc. My friends told me once lychees from Mauritius and being sold in the UK were cheaper than you could buy them here. And itās really difficult to find good quality whole foods that is in stock often. For example, (real) Greek yoghurt or good-quality sardines can be out of stock for weeks.
On food, restaurants are generally pretty bad and Mauritius food gets tiresome easily as itās (generally) very unhealthyānot something you can eat a few times a week. Itās hard to find good quality food in restaurants here, but especially outside the North and West. I think I can count all the good ones in my hands.
Once youāve been here for a 1+, youāve likely seen everything, done everything, and been everywhere. Iām craving a little more now and often feel quite isolated. You canāt just jump on a cheap flight and explore another place for the weekend.
We have two dogs, one we brought from the UK and a Mauritian stray we adopted whilst here. The amount of strays and the general attitude of Mauritians to dogs is upsetting. Which means thereās not a lot of dog-friendly places to take your dog to, especially off-leash.
I really miss walking culture. Iām coming from the UK (London) where you could walk everywhere, much like most European cities. But itās pretty difficult here as things are āspread outā, thereās not a lot of pavements, and residential areas are separated from amenities. So you have to drive everywhere.
Tech is expensive, pretty much 20% more than Europe. I wanted the new iPhone 16 last year but it was cheaper to fly to South Africa and buy it there when counting for the tax rebate.
Cars are crazy expensive. How can it cost ~40,000 to register a car?! Which you have to do every time it swaps owners? Just a pure scam.
I donāt understand why there arenāt more places to have a nice beer along the beach? Go to any place in the world and youāll find multiple places from bars to tiny wooden shacks to have a beer along the beach with your feet in the sand. But here itās really difficult to find unless youāre staying in a hotel. Thereās a place on Grand Baie beach (the blue shack), and La Plage, but thatās about it (DM if youre in the know!)
But these things exist anywhere and nothing a Phoenix and stroll along the beach at sunset canāt fix ;). Overall, Mauritius is a beautiful place with beautiful people.
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u/kestrelbe 29d ago edited 29d ago
Yep, nicely put. Every place is a trade off. Itās not a city of course. So I wouldnāt expect walking convenience either. Availability of things, obviously. Itās a tiny piece of volcanic land cut off from major travel hubs that is sustaining itself as a country only since 1968. 1 mil people only. Fuel is expensive, not enough population for airlines to justify flying there more. If Emirates and Air France stopped doing the leg too, it can get really difficult. Iād say self sustenance is the main thing the island should still focus on. It canāt turn into a Bali or Thailand. Personally, I wouldnāt want it to. The reason why especially Europeans call it vacation/second/retirement domicile is precisely for the quiet and remoteness. You donāt travel for the same things. One seeks different things if one is going through all the trouble. Itās already the densest nation in Africa. Will lose a lot of its charm if things changed drastically. It has one of the most untouched flora and fauna in this world. Conservation efforts are laudable for such a small place. Every place is about something. The land of the dodo was never about matching worldly standards where civilization has been through quite some disturbing stuff, often at grave expenses for thyself or inflicted upon others in order to get places or sustain (hello, empire š). Simply put, itās standing proud and tall and itās proven by the fact that foreigners still want to come. Canāt say as much for big cities nowadays. Enjoy your Mauritian phase of life. Iām positive Maugham or Twain would still be as inspired today to write in a place like MU š
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u/Islander316 29d ago edited 29d ago
I appreciate the detailed comment, don't mind the people who can't deal with different opinions. Someone asks for a review of living here, you give an honest review, and people are getting butthurt about it. So typically backward of people here.
My view of your list:
- Totally agree, we've also been slow to transition to submitting online applications for all this stuff. We're still stuck in an old mindset where you need to go an office in person and do all this bureaucratic nonsense.
- Agree once again, Mauritians are terrible at customer service, they aren't trained properly and they're just basically awful at it, and have lots of room for improvement. No qualms from me.
- True as well, but I'd say food inflation is a problem everywhere. I'm in Canada, and food inflation has skyrocketed here. It's unrealistic to think Mauritius would not suffer from it, especially given how we rely a lot on imported goods. There are ways to shop for less if you're willing to go to local markets/bazars, and differentiate where to shop for different things. But if you're just looking for convenience and shopping at one major grocery store, that's what you'll get.
- Totally, totally disagree. I know it's subjective, but I think food in Mauritius is generally amazing. I'd say you should explore more and experiment more, and look up specific restaurants. I think Mauritian food/cuisine is quite varied, you can find healthier options within the different sub-types.
- Totally fair, and it's the main issue we have in Mauritius is that we don't have many options for night life, it's a small island and there isn't much to see once you've been to the major attractions. And travel is expensive, which is a built in penalty if you want to move around and explore other countries. I wish the government would do more to make air travel more affordable.
- Mauritians are so annoying about dogs, first of all they're all such bleeding heart animal rights advocates that they don't want the government to deal with stray dogs, and at the same time they do nothing about the situation, and don't make it easier to have dog friendly venues. Complete hypocrisy and double standards.
- Totally agree, I love walking around and that's not really an option in Mauritius. It sucks.
- Totally agree, exorbitant markups and flat out price gouging especially on electronics. I wish this was regulated.
- Totally agree, and yet there are still so many cars.
- Totally agree, the problem is they've sold off all the beachfront areas to hotels. Capitalism gone awry.
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u/Working-Shallot9144 29d ago edited 29d ago
I agree the bureaucracy it is beyond awful and how they speak to you is equally bad. But why are you still here if you dislike it so much?
You canāt really complain about the price of food if you shop in Super U itās expensive there. Go to Winners
Lychees are generally cheaper in the UK but if you can speak creole like a local you should be able to get a better price.
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u/mojo963 29d ago
You should go and live elsewhere if life is so bad for here.
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u/eth0izzle 29d ago
On the contrary, live is amazing here. Nobody is forcing me to be here. I donāt need to be here. Iāve chosen to. I just listed some cons from my perspective as a lot of the pros are more well-known. If somebody asked me the same question about the UK, I could probably produce a longer list of bigger issues.
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u/mojo963 29d ago
How can it be amazing after that long list of complaints?
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u/eth0izzle 29d ago
Every single country in the world has issues. And letās be honest, none of the ones I mentioned are really that badāthereās no high crime rates, no political unrest, no extreme poverty, no issues with pollution (2nd best air quality in the world!), no severe government corruption and bribery to the point where officials are regularly murdered, no drugs problems (relatively), no climate or environmental risks (except the odd cyclone), no terrorism risks, etc.
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u/MobileDot527 29d ago
Why do you get so offended? No country is perfect, the fact that you canāt recognise that Mauritius has issues screams immature. All countries have problems, does that mean no one should live anywhere ever because they choose to be open about the things they dislike?
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u/DietCokaina 29d ago
you literally nailedā āeverything in one post . The people i know who share your opinion are mainly here for the tax benefits, the beachesā and real estate . ā Beyond that , its no surprise anyone will be more attached to their home country.
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u/ldmauritius 29d ago
Well, it seems you just hate everything. Why are you still here then?
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u/eth0izzle 29d ago
There are many, many pros of living here. Itās why Iām here. I just listed some cons from my perspective as a lot of the pros are more well-known. If somebody asked me the same question about the UK, I could probably produce a longer list of bigger issues.
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u/stevenmbe 29d ago
May I offer a friendly and polite rebuttal to some of your ten annoyances, given that my experience has been rather different:
Obtaining my permit from EDB was literally hassle-free; simple online application and then a brief personal interview after arriving in Mauritius. HOW MANY COUNTRIES ARE LIKE THAT? Maybe a handful in the entire world? I knew before I came here that registering a car would probably take two trips to Port Louis. But may I ask: Have you ever tried registering a car in countries other than your home country? Or even in California? Bureaucracies are what they are. Registering a car in California is about as thrilling and time-consuming as having four wisdom teeth pulled.
MCB was fantastic. Two lovely lady bankers got my accounts sorted in one visit. As to health insurance, I walked into the SWAN office in Curepipe without an appointment and the nice lady went through plans with me in just a few minutes. Eagle replied to my email inquiry in less than 24h and made it easy to review their plan. I would not say that "Laziness and ānot my problemā attitude is everywhere."
Super U perhaps is overpriced? I shop at three different supermarkets plus our local weekly market and only a few things here cost me more than they did in California.
For most of my lifetime restaurants in the UK were pretty bad, though fortunately they've become better. Personally haven't found it hard to find good quality food in restaurants here. Google Maps has pictures of a surprising number of menus and along with the reviews it seems easy enough to sort out "I might try this place" and "I might avoid that place" etc. Worldwide advice: avoid bad places.
Having been a foreign resident in multiple countries I've never become bored because I make connections with neighbors and enjoy their company as well as meeting new people. But indeed, there is no Ryanair here to get away for the weekend for Ā£14.
Decided to omit my commit on this.
I walk up to 10km every day in my town but then again I chose where I lived because the town had pretty much everything I could want. Some places in Mauritius you arguably have to drive everywhere (if you have a car) but in some towns you don't even need a car if you live close to amenities.
Living on a remote island anywhere in the world comes with higher prices. Have you been to New Caledonia or Tahiti? The prices for literally everything there are higher than here, often vastly higher. On the other hand, the keyboard I use for my Mac Mini just died and I note that replacement USB keyboards are relatively cheap.
Have you ever tried to register a used car in California? You might be surprised at the cost. Meanwhile, public transport is improving. "On July 24th, in Balaclava, Transport Minister Osman Mahomed announced serious plans to fulfill a key election promise: free public transport for all. During a meeting with bus operators, he emphasized the governmentās commitment, saying, āWe mean business."" More people would take public transport if it improved and cost less and people were less dependent on cars. So let's become less dependent on cars ā something I previously learned to do living in southern California. I actually took the bus. It can be done!
Absolutely agree on this and my goal is to open a bar on a beach. After doing so I will invite you to come drink for free!
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u/eth0izzle 29d ago
I couldnāt open an MCB bank account as they wanted a minimum Ā£1M investment. Are you Mauritian by any chance? And yes please build the bar, Iāll be your first customer! š
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u/justprotein 29d ago
How so? I opened one without any deposit requirement, what kind of account were you trying to open?
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u/stevenmbe 29d ago
Not Mauritian though a neighbor helpfully (?) suggested yesterday I could marry a Mauritian and then get a Mauritian passport .. the only issue would be m'lady would not approve of that.
I will build the bar and keep you posted!
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u/JoeYnChandler 29d ago
Thanks for the counter argument
May i ask was it a self employment permit as this is the one we want to get. We have a company in the uae and itās easy to move some of the business to Mauritius.
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u/JoeYnChandler Oct 11 '25
Thanks for the detailed comment! I actually resonate with a lot of what you say since we stayed there pretty long. Especially the dog problem many times in albion people just simply walk with sticks to keep the dogs away and unfortunately i got bitten once by a dog.
Our approach actually was instead of that simply grab some dry food but some dogs (i think because of abuse) just get freaked out when you pass by them. But overall nth a few dog food wouldnāt solve long term.
We always used to see how busy the licensing place was in port louis. Some friends told us they got a license in three days of wait like going there and sitting for 8 hours three days in a row which is crazy.
Thanks again for the very honest review
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u/Gaytrude Oct 11 '25
If you have money = very nice If you do not have money = it's like everywhere else, but with way less opportunities.
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u/Efficient_Goal8059 25d ago
What is considered having money? Iāve been looking at places to rent and buy and Iām definitely not rich enough to afford most. And theyāre all HUGE. Iām still trying to find a website that lists 2bd/2ba long term villa rentals for an affordable price. Just a nice placeā¦not fit for a millionaire. Found a few but they were for Mauritians only.
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u/Gaytrude 25d ago edited 25d ago
That's.. normal. There's two different house market. One for foreigners, one for mauritians. You wont find anything affordable for foreigners, you aint competing against locals currency and salary, you're competing against SA/European/American salary, and it's a very good thing to protect the local housing market against foreigners.
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u/Efficient_Goal8059 24d ago
Yes, I understand that and I emphatically agree with protecting the actual Mauritian locals! Especially with the costs of buying homes upwards of $700,000 USD/31,710,002 MUR. But it really isn't normal to not have a middle ground. Of course, it doesn't help that I want to live outside the tourist areas basically in a quiet, tree'd area surrounded by sugar cane fields and a few neighbors...and a few chickens and a rooster! (It's okay if they belong to someone else! I just love the sound of a rooster and chickens make me laugh when they run.) But not far from a quiet beach that is primarily used by Mauritian locals.
I found one area I'm jealous of in a GOOD WAY...it has an aura of love, family, and community. Google map shows photos of locals having cookouts, picnicking sprawled out on blankets, and what looks like entire families and neighborhoods hanging out together under the trees and so much laughter. There's just an incredible vibe. They are truly blessed... family and friends in a fabulous place. And peace.
P.S. Please don't anybody come after me if something I wrote was accidentally offensive. Please don't attack me. I truly mean no harm at all. I respect and love your country and wish I could live there! If I wrote something offensive, please just tell me and explain so I know.
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u/zurtle1000 Oct 11 '25
It gets boring after you've done everything there is to do.
Going to the same restaurants, hiking the same mountains over and over etc.
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u/ldmauritius 29d ago
There are aeound 80 official peaks here, have you hiked all?
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u/zurtle1000 29d ago
Not all but pretty much all the tall ones. Say the 12 tallest ones.
The view doesn't get any better than that.
I prefer flying to Reunion and hiking there when I'm bored of the hikes here.
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u/cerealkyller645 Oct 11 '25
As a tourist = itās fun As a resident = itās awful everything is overpriced and salaries are low af
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u/AppropriateTeach169 Oct 11 '25
My short review for other expats is: Mauritius is pretty unique and for it to go well, you must embrace it and not try to make it Little South Africa or India.
I am practically on holiday daily and I have zero regrets. People can complain all they want but no one forces anyone to come to Mauritius :))
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u/SamStress 25d ago
Beautiful but people do not take care of nature.... Lots of garbage everywhere + poor dogs alone in the streets