Top 5 tips to live in Mauritius

(1) allow plenty of time for official papers such as permits , sometimes you have to make several visits to the same office or even different offices.
(2) Patience and care , often with (1) above a spelling mistake can waste a vital meeting.
(3) Do not expect a bright lights city experience , most of Mauritius does not have a lot of night clubs discos etc.
(4) Do not be frightened to ask a Mauritian person a question , most know some English and French and can help with directions.
(5) do not be frightened to drive a car despite how the Mauritian people drive there does not seem to be too many bad accidents although the way some drive it should logically be different.

1.To find out the solution to deal with the mosquitoes.
2.To adapt yourself to the sunshine.
3.To have a peaceful mind. Because Mauritius is a very quiet country.
4.To enjoy the small rain every day.
5.Can speak French or English or Creole.

1. Don't just run to the North because everyone is telling you that it is the best place to be. Most of the towns are almost the same if you are from the West or other cosmopolitan areas.
2. Plan on moving from your landing house to another after 6 months once you know your way around the island. Mauritius sells very well internationally as a tourist paradise island. It is good to visit, but when you start living there you will realise it is very quiet and very very small with very little variety.
3. Carry your international drivers license and at least reference letter from your bank.
4. South Africa is the largest trading partner to Mauritius. So when people say  'lots of expats'  they mean lots of South Africans. I'd  guess 90% of expats here are from SA.
5. Calculate your spending. Being a tourist destination, prices go up during the holiday seasons, and for sale signs or 20% off signs are always up.
6. Make time to drive around. There are lots of places to see that aren't quite known by the locals. They don't travel much even within the island. For example the Curious corner of Charamel is a good place that nobody seems to know about. Came across it through Google.
7. Do make lots friends. Mauritius has nice chatty people. There is very little night life, and most restaurants close on Sundays!
8. Wherever you live, the beach is not more than 30 minutes drive.
9. It's much much hotter near the beach, and cooler near the centre.
10. Try their street food. I love it, but maybe that's just me.
11. Take a boat to Rodriguez island. No extra documentation required but book early and book first class.
12. Watch out for the speed cameras!
13. Sign up for recreational stuff. Gets lonely after you've done the rounds.

1) Get to know a customs broker - you will be importing goods from time to time and they will do your documentation and clearing.
2) Be careful when buying second hand cars!!
3) Make lots of friends.
4) Drive carefully and defensively.
5) Leave the stress and pressures you had in your previous country behind - relax!

(1) check the house you rent or buy as to what electrical socket they have. Many houses have the three pin sockets nowadays yet the curious thing is that when you buy many electrical items they come with just two pins. Personally I buy three pin plugs and change them rather than adaptors or the Mauritian way of using a screwdriver to push the earth cover down to allow the two pins to be inserted.
(2) always ensure that you regulate the use of water , a few places in Mauritius have the water turned off on a daily basis so if your water tank gets emptied then you will not have water for some time.
(3) try to visit and use some of the smaller local shops as well as the big supermarkets as often they are open longer and once you get to know them they are friendly and give you a personal service. My local puts two baguettes of bread to one side for me each morning.
(4) Try the bus service if only for the experience especially if you need to get somewhere just for one day , taxis or car hire can be expensive .
(5) do not just look at visiting the 'tourist' places there are many parts of Mauritius that are free to see and very beautiful such as the coastal roads and the National park

Plenty of valuable tips above but I would add...

1. Like for every other place you go, do not expect it to be like where you come from.
2. Within this tiny island is a sample of many different countries. Careless driving is probably the only common aspect among all its people.

3. Don't buy or bank the tourist-attraction blah blah. Life is not that easy for all and be prepared to be disappointed by many aspects of it. It does not mean that it's a worse place either.

4. I do not believe one can really live Mauritius fully if he is not a nature lover (unless fulfilled by professional and family life). The sea is its main asset but there's a lot to discover inland too. Living outside aglomerations may be a better bet.

5. Mauritian kindness is deep; so deep that the first impressions are disappointing. People don't say hi as much as elsewhere, waiters and shopkeepers are not always welcoming. To uncover kindness, just ask for help.

1) Be prepared for dreadful wifi / 3G availability / speed.
2) Most drivers at night will be drunk
3) Most drivers in day-time will drive like they are drunk
4) Most public officials are corrupt.
5) Apart from the above, enjoy life, I still love the place :-)

(1) Beware of the sun for a few months if coming to stay for a long time it can burn you very easily despite the appearance of the sea and sky.
(2) Dont Scratch the Mosquito bites , this is hard but in the end the suffering is less.
(3) Queueing is often very polite in Mauritius except for getting on a bus maybe after working day.
(4) When you say 'No' to a street trader stick to it and do not enter into more conversation as many times before you realise it you end up buying the item you did not want and the story of his hungry children will be passed onto the next person.
(5) be careful and selective when buying goods at many if not most of the shops always enquire about their returns or refund policy as many do not offer either.

5 top tips for driving in Mauritius.

(1)  This is the most important rule of Mauritian Drivers.  the 30 second rule.  if you watch very often a car will be behind another for around 30 seconds and then has to try and overtake . this can be very alarming as you suddenly see are car approaching you overtaking with little or no space or the same from bind you and then having to try and squeeze a space just in front of you.
(2) Rule number two from Mauritian drivers , put on as many lights as you can so that you can see out of your very tinted windows , old mauritius cars have many coloured lights but only FULL BEAM and fog lights that work.
(3) Just after sunset for at least two hours sometimes longer you will see many cars and motor cycles that do not have any lights switched on (saving the light bulbs see (4) below.  This can be alarming as you turn a corner especially idf the unlit car is operating the 30 second rule.
(4) don't be fooled the vehicle coming towards you at night with only one light is more likely to be a car than a motor cycle as many cars id not seem to have repairs done to headlamps once the bulb has gone , but many repairs to the 'night rider' red led lights on the radiator grill are more important.
(5) Watch out for the Police at traffic lights and roundabouts at busy times , you will find they try the hardest to make your wait in the queue especially at Phoenix roundabout and in Port Louis even longer by making sure the road stays blocked as long as possible rather than looking at where the traffic is.