Moving to Mauritius - Tamarin/Flic en Flac?

I can answer a couple of your questions-

Supermarkets - there are a couple in Tamarin - Kaddy PLus and London Way (They have basically all that you can find in South Africa) Fresh milk is not always available but you do get it here.  Rent can be anything from 20 000 rupees to 70 000 rupees, it all depends on what you looking for.  We went through an agent and it was great - we did not feel like we were ripped off or anything - if anything the agency we went through really helped us settle in and find our way around the place. 

I am currently pregnant and am seeing a great doctor here.  There are family doctors, paeditricians and dentisit all in Tamarin.  There is a sports club (Riverland) in Tamarin and they have many tennis courts and you wont find it difficult to get a game.  Tamarin has a babies and toddler group that meet once a week so it would be a great place for your wife to start when it comes to meeting people.  Hospitals are good here, depends on where you go. 

You can buy and rent a scooter here - no problem
As far as furniture goes you will be able to buy anything here.  There is a Mr Price Home here where you can get anything for the home as well as large furniture shops and appliances. 

Baby products are as you would find in South Africa.  I lived in Dubai and I can get everything I found in DUbai here.  Nappies, formula, and most toiletry products for babies.

Le Morne is not far from Tamarin or FLic en flac - I live in Tamarin so I can only speak for Tamarin!   

I hope that helps, feel free to ask away about anything - I will try and help where I can! Good luck - I hope it all comes together for you.

Thanks Bron - V helpful

Ship and bring as much stuff as you can. It's been said that is costs South Africans about 30% more per month to live in Mauritius. I'm from the USA and had a baby delivered in Mauritius. It went great. We shipped all our baby stuff from the states. Our child is now 1 year old maybe there some stuff you might like. Regarding housing..network,network. Ask around, ask friends, post in this blog. I was able to land a three bedroom, big garage, big covered patio, three bathrooms for only 15000rs a month. How? I walked to almost every house I liked and dropped a note, "Please call me".  Good luck. Send me  a private message if I can help you more.

I don't agree so much with pbrough that everything is so much more expensive. Some things are but other not. For babies, I think you can find everything here, although you will have to search or ask here where to find this and this. Maybe you'll have to travel a little around the island in the various towns. But shipping things cost also a lot and you might have to wait a long time for your shipping.
I had to wait 9 long weeks for my trunks from Saudi Arabia when I first came here. That's also why I will resell most of my stuff before leaving next July...
All the best to you
Arlette

ohhhHHH another Irish person coming to Mauritius, delighted! there are not many of us..In fact myself and Irish husband have met only one other Irish person. Hope your move goes well.

I would advise maybe getting a temporary place or guest house even for a week or two, so you can look around the area and decide where you want to live. As far as I can see,  Tamarim is more residential and flic en flac is more touristy, in my opinion! They are very close to each other anyway.

I can answer two of your questions.

We both have full Irish driving licenses. The Police informed us that it is fine to drive with just this, as long as it is (obviously) up-to-date. You can get if converted for a small fee and no test is you would like. (it makes a good souvenir)

Regarding baby furniture
I am due in April and I have been able to find everything I need. I got lots of advice from expat mum's I have met and if you shop around you can get anything you need. It may not be the exact stuff as Ireland/Europe but in my opinion it is a little cheaper. There are all the usual trusted baby brands. Graco, Advent, Nuk etc. I would be happy to send you/your wife the list of shops I was given.

The cost of health care for you,wife and baby is without a doubt half the cost of Ireland and that is going private.

Take care, hopefully meet you some day.

(moderated: no free ads)

HI there,

My husband & I also just arrived. We are hoping to settle in the Tamarin area and have a 6 month old baby with us. I have found most of what I need in the local shops for our baby.

Regards,

Hi,

I was living - as a tourist -for one month  in Tamarin. I play tennis since I'm 7. And I can tell: I haven't seen a tennis club as beautiful as the one in Tamarin.
And to answer most of your questions: you can find any product you might need in the supermarket there. It's just a walking distance from the tennis club, but a car will do fine too.

You shouldn't even bother with the matter Tamarin or Flic en Flac. Tamarin rules! We're planning to come over for 4 months (feb-may) and we wouldn't go for less...

Gr,
K.

ps - just thinking again - if you are working in Le Morne, tamarin/black river is better for you. The extra 15 mins to flic en flac will be a pain for you driving to work.

Hi Keno,

Thanks - yes since i posted this we have found something in Tamarin... Will be arriving in Janaury and looking forward to it!

Ronan

hi,
i'll rent a beach house type near mid next year, in the east coast though,
with all amenities-1 master bedroom, en suite(bathroom), 1 medium bedroom+1 child, small living and kitchen. big garage, pool will be built later.


any persons wishing to rent on long term, do let me know, fine tuning(aircondition, furniture,paint etc) welcomed.

cheers,
islander.

walking distance to beach: some 50 metres or so.

Hi islander77

You should have posted your message in the Classifieds Page of Mauritius

Warm Regards to all the dear members of Mauritius

We also had a our first child born in Mauritius. It was a positive experience.  Regarding baby stuff, "SHIP IT". Let me give you an example of pricing. We bought a baby carrier/sling at Walmart in the USA for $20. That same sling in a store in Pt Aux Canonnier was $100. A baby toy phone we bought for $7 was $45 in the store. Next, do not buy a second hand scooter - just don't do it. Brand new scooters cost around 45,000 to 60,000 new and they come with warranty. I had several friends who bought second hand scooter and had so much trouble with them. The area you are living is a well known ex-pat community. I recommend getting to a good church like the Black River Church. About 100 South Africans attend every Sunday.  We had lots of baby stuff for sale. We deiced it would be better if we gave it away, so last week we donated to our Church. If you are in a bind for baby stuff we have lots of friends who lend baby stuff.

Thanks