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Albion, a good place to live?

Last activity 18 September 2017 by gawesh

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Lorainechapman

Hello everyone!

Myself and my family are moving to Maurituis in 2 - 3 years and we are looking at buying a place. Could anyone tell me what Albion, Tamarin are like? We don't want to live in Flic en flac, as it's too busy and built up for us and wondered if the other places are? We will be visiting this year for a holiday but with such a short time spent there, we want to narrow down out viewings to just a few areas.

Any help, advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

collisheen

Hi there Loraine

Coincidentally, I currently live in Albion and am soon to be moving to Tamarin. I've lived in Albion for 18 months and it's a lovely place, quite residential, with a good mix of locals and expats, but not overly touristy or commercialised like Flic en Flac and Grand Baie. It has a nice community feel to it and the beach is well frequented by locals, expats and tourists who mainly holiday at the Club Med resort.

If you prefer things a little quiet rather than the hustle and bustle of urban life, then this is the place for you as Albion is still classed as a village rather than a town or city. To be honest, there's not too much on offer by way of restaurants, bars and clubs, so if that's your thing, then you'd have to go to places like Flic en Flac (15 minutes by car) and Tamarin (30 minutes by car). It has about four grocery stores, one of which is very well stocked and popular, and generally provides all your staples.

Albion, although still enjoying relative quietness is rapidly changing, with a considerable amount of residential development in progress at the moment, so most probably by the time you arrive there will be a lot more choice of places to live. It's generally very safe - I've never been aware of any notable crime here, although I guess common sense rules apply regarding personal safety and security wherever you choose to live.

Tamarin is a bit more lively, has a better choice of restaurants, bars and night life, but is also more expensive, both in terms of real estate and even groceries. There's a significant expat population there, notably South Africans and it feels more cosmopolitan than Albion. However, like Albion, it has nice beaches and a good mix of locals, expats and tourists. If you have children, there are some good schools in the vicinity and the Black River Gorge about a kilometre southwards out of Tamarin provides great trekking, mountain biking or even just ambling at weekends.

Whichever you choose, both are equally lovely places to live, with their own charms and you're never far away from other equally charming places if you want to be tourists for the day, immerse yourselves in the varied and colourful local culture, or even just lie on a different beach. Mauritius is small, relatively easy to get around and has something for everyone.

I hope this helps, but feel free to ask more questions if you need to.

Regards.

Collisheen

Lorainechapman

Hi there!

Thank you so much for your response. It is a great help and we have now narrowed our viewing down to Albion and Tamarin.

Good luck with your move!

Loraine

SnipsExpat

I'd like to point out that there was a high profile murder in Albion this year. "Scottish woman killed in front of autistic son"
http://www.lemauricien.com/article/meur … ls-autiste
(Use Google translate on the article if needed.)

SnipsExpat

Go to local newspaper Le Mauricien and search for "Albion" -> select the article from 07.07.2017 or 09.07.2017

gawesh

Hi,
When I first arrived in London in 2001, i rented a flat in Bounds Green. On the second day, I saw a Police Notice appealing for witnesses; somebody got murdered near the station!
Mauritius is generally considered to be relatively safe compared to most European or African destinations. Obviously, you need to be vigilant wherever you are.

Regards
Gawesh

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