Mauritius provides a vast range of accommodation, from budget guesthouses to some of the world’s most luxurious hotels; camping, however, is not encouraged and there are no official campsites.
Service throughout Mauritius is superb, a fact which owes much to the Hotel School of Mauritius. The school offers courses for all hospitality and tourism personnel, from chefs to airline cabin staff.
Until recently there was no official rating or classification system for hotels in Mauritius, rather hotels which used a star rating would award it themselves. In April 2012, the MTPA launched an official hotel classification system based on international standards. For the purposes of this guide, we have divided accommodation into five categories, determined principally by the hotel’s public rates. The categories, which are defined below, are luxury, upmarket, mid range, budget and shoestring.
Almost all hotels in Mauritius publish their rates in euros only as most of their guests are Europeans and the euro is considered more stable than the Mauritian rupee. Therefore, we have provided rates in euros below.
ACCOMMODATION PRICE CODES
Double room per night on HB:
Luxury $$$$$ £450+; US$711+; €549+; Rs2,957+
Upmarket $$$$ £200–450; US$316–711; €244–549; Rs1,314–2,957
Mid range $$$ £100–200; US$158–316; €122–244; Rs657–1,314
Budget $$ £50–100; US$80–158; €62–122; Rs333–657
Shoestring $ up to £50; US$80; €62; Rs333
AI means all-inclusive: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks are included in the room rate. Usually available only as part of a package at a resort hotel.
FB means full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (meals are often buffets or table d’hôte menus) are included in the room rate.
HB means half board: breakfast and dinner are included in the room rate. Few hotels allow you to change to breakfast and lunch.
BB means bed and breakfast is included in the room rate.
RO means room only: no meals are included in the room rate.
LUXURY These hotels and resorts regard themselves as six-star properties. Rooms will be spacious and superbly finished with all the facilities that you would expect – a large en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, satellite television, DVD, international direct-dial (IDD) telephone, minibar and safe. Many will include 24-hour private butler service. Luxury villas and presidential suites with rooms for staff are often a feature of these resorts. There will be a choice of restaurants and bars offering world-class cuisine and at least one of the restaurants is likely to be endorsed by a renowned chef. Facilities will be extensive, usually including numerous free watersports, a dive centre, several pools, tennis, a gym and a kids’ club. Many of these resorts will have their own golf course or offer access to one nearby. No luxury hotel would be complete without a spa, offering a variety of massages and treatments, as well as saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis and relaxation areas.
UPMARKET Equates roughly to four- and five-star international standards. Rooms will be en suite and equipped with air conditioning, television (including some satellite channels), IDD telephone, minibar and safe. There will be excellent resort-style facilities, usually including free, non-motorised watersports, such as snorkelling, glass-bottom boat trips, pedaloes and kayaks. Many hotels also offer free water skiing but this is sometimes limited to a certain number of hours. These hotels typically feature a spa, several pools, a dive centre, a gym, tennis courts and a kids’ club. Some of these resorts will have their own golf course or offer access to one nearby. There will be regular evening entertainment and activities are often organised during the day. At such hotels there is typically a choice of restaurants and bars, and the standard of cuisine is high.
MID RANGE A wide selection of acceptable hotels offering comfortable accommodation. Many of the large hotels in this category, particularly those owned by the main hotel groups, such as Beachcomber and Naiade, have extensive facilities. Rooms will be en suite and typically have air conditioning, television, IDD telephone and safe. Hotels by the coast will usually offer some free non-motorised watersports, such as pedaloes, kayaks and snorkelling. Other watersports may be payable.
BUDGET No frills but usually fun, ranging from boarding houses to self-catering accommodation to medium-sized hotels offering basic facilities.
SHOESTRING Basic accommodation aimed at those on a very limited budget, likely to be self-catering.
PRICES AND TERMS Price brackets have been supplied as a guide only – rates do change regularly, according to season and demand. It is therefore better to judge a hotel by its description than by the price. In any case, if the hotel is booked as part of a package holiday including flights, the public rate is never what you, the guest, actually pay. Even for those who make their own hotel bookings direct, there could be significant discounts on the public rates at luxury, upmarket and mid-range properties. The vast majority of hotels offer considerable discounts for children and infants are often accommodated free of charge. It is worth visiting the websites of hotels as many, particularly the larger ones, publish special offers on the internet.
The price brackets are based on the hotels’ public rates for a standard double room, per room per night during high season on half board (dinner, bed and breakfast), two people sharing. However, budget and shoestring properties are likely to be sold on a bed and breakfast or self-catering (room only) basis, rather than half board.
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