How much you should bring to Mauritius

 photo IMG_6790_zpsi3itno6v.jpg

Blessed, blessed and blessed! Mauritius, a place which I have never thought I would be able to experience has come true! I participated in the AirAsia X Instagram contest late last year and I emerged the winner which granted me flight tickets and a 5 night hotel stay at Mauritius

I brought my close friend Ying Zi along to join me on this adventure, and off we headed to Mauritius! It was a 7 hour flight with Airasia, luckily we had empty seats so it was pretty spacious in the plane. Upon arriving at Mauritius, we got our visa on arrival (no cost) and headed out.

One thing you should note: Mauritian currency (Mauritan Rupees) is extremely hard to find at Malaysia so I actually brought money there (I brought SGD, because our RM was weak LOL) and changed it at the Mauritius Airport where the rates are pretty alright.

Rate I got: RM1 = 8.25 MUR

We didn't have anything planned, so we just took it as a chill vacation and did as we wanted day by day. Here is my itinerary:

Day 1

- Arrived Mauritius (3.30pm)
- Check in at Aanari Hotel, Flic En Flac
- Chill at Flic En Flac Beach

Day 2
- Vallee Des Couleurs (Extreme stuff)
- La Vanille Crocodile Park

Day 3
- Gorges National Park
- Chamarel Rum Distilerry
- 7 Colouered Earth
- West coastal drive back to Flic En Flac
- Gentleman's club at Flic En Flac

Day 4
- Grand Baie
- Port Louis

Day 5
- Chill at Flic En Flac

Day 6 (Full Day)
- Catamaran Cruise from East
- Ill aux cerf

Day 7
- 2 am flight back to KL

Flights & Hotels
I have a feeling Airasia has already cancelled the route to Mauritius, as I can't seem to find any prices online, as for hotels, it can go as low as $30 for a decent room, so its up to you :) do stay around the beach areas as it'll be much better

 photo IMG-20170311-WA0042_zpszo18owsq.jpg
The hotel

 photo IMG-20170311-WA0040_zpsrj1nib3t.jpg
The hotel's Gym

 photo flic en flac_zps5izsit4m.png
Flic En Flac beach

Next, Car Rental! 
Taxis are extremely expensive at Mauritius, so its best you rent a car. We got a Hyundai i20, for about RM800 for the week (1,100 MUR per day) Petrol for the whole week was about RM200 (1,600 MUR Full Tank)

If you can, do get it online earlier as there are more affordable cars such as the Hyundai i10 for about RM700 for a week, we just were unlucky that it was all rented out.

Cars there are the same as Malaysia, but do note that most of them are Manual, so do make sure you get an Auto option if you can't drive a stick

Also do download your offline google maps before you head there as the roads are quite complicated, or you can opt for a sim card over there for about RM60 (1 GB)

Total Cost: RM500 (RM1,000 divided by 2 pax)

Food in Mauritius is pretty expensive, as it is quite a touristic area. a normal meal in a restaurant will cost about 150-300 MUR. Some of the easy eats are normally things such as fried rice, magic bowl and fried noodles.

Mauritius cuisine is slightly more expensive from 300 MUR - 450 MUR, and their cuisine is similar to indian cuisine with loads of curries and spices. I guess one meal for it should do the trick, and bbqs are pretty good as well, but slightly more expensive

I would definitely recommend their supermarket as you can get nice Samosa's and bakery stuff for about 10-50 MUR (This is definitely good for breakfast or a bite in a car)

Another place i would recommend is Jeanno's hut located at Flic en Flac beach (west coast). His burgers and wraps are amazing, and they are affordable from 100 MUR - 300 MUR depending on what sets you take. (Hint: LAMB BURGER was the bomb!)

 photo jeanos_zpsqcpk00bf.png

(Pic credit to TripAdvisor)

One important note is to BRING YOUR OWN WATER. Buy it from the supermarket (1.5L x 6 bottles for 80 MUR)

Beers are cheap especially at the supermarket (30 MUR) or you can always buy their local Rum over there as it is pretty good.(200 MUR and above). If you buy a beer at the bar, it'll cost about 80 MUR - 120 MUR

Food expenditure: 
Breakfast: Hotel
Lunch: 800 MUR
Dinner: 900 MUR
Alcohol: 800 MUR
Total: 2,500 MUR

Places to visit:

We didn't cram out our schedule much as we did take it day by day and mostly only left our hotel in the afternoon. Based on my itinerary, you can actually cram Day 2-3 together as it is all located at the south west of the island. You can actually add in a few more volcanos or nature parks if you cram it up a bit

Vallee Des Couleurs

This is a nature park located at the south of the island, We headed here as we wanted to try out the longest zipline in Mauritius (1.5km) and also try out some other extreme activities there. Each activity had its own price and we decided to do the zipline and the bridge walk which was pretty exciting.

300 MUR Entry Fee
1750 MUR Zipline per person
850 MUR Bridgewalk

Total: 2,900 MUR

 photo 2_zpso7hod7si.png
 photo 1_zpsmygd4rck.png
 photo DSC_0118_zpsl8jwop3c.jpg

 photo 4_zpslp3gphco.png

 photo DSC_0104_zps3imwccyf.jpg

 photo 3_zpsxzf2oq8j.png

 photo DSC_0124_zpsxvmsadhi.jpg
But first lemme take a selfie

 photo DSC_0139_zpshhmrcigt.jpg

La Vanille Nature Park

This is a small park located about 30 min south from Vallee Des Couleurs. This is a pretty small park compared to Casela nature park but we chose it as Casela is pretty expensive. funny thing is that I was more interested in the giant tortoises there as you're able to walk around them and I felt that was more interactive compared to the rest of the park.

Other animals there would be such as the crocodiles, deers, lemurs, monkeys, insects and so on.

Price: 430 MUR per person

 photo IMG_6721_zpssddqshm8.jpg
Giant Tortoises

 photo IMG_6753_zpsecjq8lky.jpg

 photo IMG_6761_zps0yhwfufn.jpg

 photo IMG_6772_zpsqt9y4zil.jpg

Black River Gorges National Park

We took a drive around the Gorges National Park, where we got some tremendous views around the park. Theres also the tamarind waterfall there, which requires you to hike in, but sadly we missed that one as we missed a turning

 photo IMG_6808_zpsicasxtr7.jpg

 photo 5_zpslzuw6msa.png

 photo IMG_6816_zpsz8mefim7.jpg

 photo IMG_6805_zpsffkvuy4m.jpg

 photo IMG_6799_zpsibgguqxb.jpg

Chamarel Distillery 
We stumbled upon this by chance, when we were driving around Gorges National Park. This is a pretty nice distillery where you're able to see the process of how rum is made, and at the end of the tour, you're able to have the different rum tastings that they offer. You're also able to purchase the rum after that if you're interested in it

Price: 370 MUR per person

 photo IMG_6849_zpsrhn9ij21.jpg
Chamarel Distillery

 photo IMG_6853_zpsxtj5uj3e.jpg
Pretty serene

 photo IMG_6833_zpsahcmsv9l.jpg
Choose your poison

7 coloured Earth & Chamarel Falls

This is one of the unesco sites in Mauritius, which is worth a visit. You would take a winding road where you'll see the waterfalls first. The waterfall is from a distance, but its still pretty beautiful

As for the 7 coloured earth, you're able to see amazing landscape of how 7 different colours of sand are all mixed together. The mountainous view is pretty amazing as well

Cost: MUR 200 per person

 photo IMG_6818_zpsnt9xka2j.jpg
Quite a distance

 photo IMG_6871_zpsfk5td027.jpg Chamarel Falls

 photo IMG_6909_zpsfqi1hfpq.jpg

 photo IMG_6888_zpsaqr4prk4.jpg

 photo IMG_6894_zpsqf0fs8tu.jpg
Can't stop the dab!

West Coastal drive

This is pretty chill as you're able to see mountains and seas while driving back towards Flic En Flac. It definitely is one of the best ways to end a day. There are also a few lookout points where you can stop by during the drive

 photo IMG_6936_zpsiwunl9pt.jpg

 photo IMG_6928_zps76ofqgec.jpg

 photo IMG_6915_zpsejzym0su.jpg

Flic En Flac Gentlemen Club
This is for all the guys, unless you would want to bring your girlfriends there if they're cool with it LOL. Entrance to the club is free, and you can just purchase your drinks inside. Btw, the girls there don't disappoint as they're pretty hot :)

 photo 17498743_1835998600008278_7270521103840155465_n_zpsn8ereuij.jpg

 photo 16819444_1820599041548234_1659968431115658819_o_zpssvxyrl4b.jpg

Grand Baie
This is about a 1 hour drive up from Flic En Flac, I found this part pretty normal, but it is up to you if you would want to drive up. Their central market there mostly sells clothes, and some cultural things. The beach here is pretty small, so I would still recommend flic en flac compared to it

 photo 6_zpstxry9xnw.png
Grand Baie beach

Port Louis
The City Center of Mauritius. There are a few local markets here, but most of it wasn't selling much things which are interesting. This is a nice place to see the sunset as it is on the west coast of the island, and there are a few bars which you can check out over here

The Casino here opens at 8pm and is pretty affordable as well. Blackjack starts at 200 MUR per round, and 5 Card Poker starts at 100 MUR per round

 photo IMG_6954_zpsxrkoqz1w.jpg
Port Louis 

 photo IMG-20170311-WA0005_zpsw7c9t2nc.jpg
Stalker much

 photo IMG_7011_zpsdsvvecml.jpg
I think he was trying to give the finger

Price (Casino): lost 1,000 MUR Lol

Catamaran Cruise to Ill Aux Cerf

This is a full day tour where you would depart on a sail boat from Preskil Beach Resort to Ill Aux Cerf. I definitely loved this as you would sail with a bunch of people, and they'll bring you to some snorkeling sites on the way there. There's also the waterfall where they'll stop by for photos and you'll chill at Ill Aux Cerf for about 2 hours

The cruise includes breakfast and lunch, with a free flow of drinks throughout the way. So I guess its pretty worth it for the price you pay especially if you wanna get your holiday tan

Ill Aux Cerf was "ok ok" only as the waters weren't as clear compared to the other beaches we went to. We also went parasailing at Ill Aux Cerf to get a magnificent view of the island.

Cost: RM277

Parasailing: 1,600 MUR for 2 pax (800 MUR per person)

 photo IMG_7029_zpszh7ytxjh.jpg
Our glorious ride

 photo IMG_7061_zps1euntjf3.jpg
First time on a yacht

 photo IMG_7099_zpsxhordv8o.jpg
The view

 photo IMG-20170312-WA0021_zpst1d5zuyw.jpg
Ying Zi and I

 photo IMG-20170312-WA0026_zpsom2r157a.jpg
I can just get sun baked forever

 photo 12_zpsow8ij957.png
Snorkelling time!

 photo IMG_7047_zpsw6yczjso.jpg
Trollin around

 photo IMG-20170314-WA0001_zpsnkytdxve.jpg
With the party group

 photo 8_zpsymejchos.png

 photo IMG_7080_zpsxieogfch.jpg
Waterfall stop

 photo IMG_7077_zps9tpoqf9j.jpg

 photo IMG_7063_zpszi4e2s4r.jpg

 photo IMG-20170312-WA0015_zps9appx89y.jpg
Ils aux cerf

 photo IMG_7092_zps3esqi1l5.jpg

 photo 11_zpswmltcvl7.png
Island water not as clear LOL

 photo IMG_7083_zpskgm1jbas.jpg
Like aquaman coming out of the sea

 photo 7_zpsy6mrvev1.png
Speed boat ride to the parasailing stop

 photo 9_zpsakuly8g4.png

 photo 10_zpsgmgmay0g.png
Up in the air

All in all it was a fabulous trip, pretty pricey as I didn't budget too much for this trip. 

Total up:
Hotel/Flight: N/A
Car Rental: RM500
Food: RM303 (2,500 MUR)
Attractions: RM1,318 (7,800 MUR + RM277)

Total cost: RM2,121 (not including flights and hotel)

So now you know roughly how much to spend as a benchmark, but definitely you can go lower than this! :) if inclusive of your flights and all, i would guess 3- 3.5k in total per pax

Thanks for readin!