Eating out costs

Hi Tomgmu,

Mauritian local cuisine is very diversified and is inspired mainly by chinese, indo-pakistani and western cuisine. We tend to have less spicy versions of chinese and indo-pakistani cuisine. Lots of grilled food as well, meat, fish etc.

If you eat at one of those beach restaurants, price will depend on the type of cuisine they specialise in.

Chinese food for instance is very affordable, you will have all types of noodles (boiled or fried) veg or non-veg at around Rs 90.00 - Rs 180.00. Same goes for rice accompanied by curries etc

Dhal puri costs around 15- 20 a pair (with curry), roti ( a type of flatbread with veg or non veg curry)  Rs 15.00 - Rs 40.00. All kinds of sandwiches for around Rs 50.00 - Rs 60.00 depending on fillings. Paninis etc.

Perhaps you could have a look at prices online : https://www.ordermanzer.mu/en/location/ … re-bornes/
The website is for delivery, however it will provide you with some good indications on prices of food. The prices are quite close to what you will be offered in restaurants.

Regards,
A

The website was ordermanzer.mu juste type Quatre-Bornes as town you will see a list of restaurants.

Hello Tomgmu.

Mauritian cuisine is very diversified and you will get food at affordable prices. Chinese cuisine Indian cuisine Mauritian cuisine Thai french etc. you should not stick to just beach food sellers. move to other regions. you could be having fresh grilled fish or octopus curry or even tangy ice cream made from local Mauritian fruits with salt n crushed chili something delectable unusual. I found that ice cream seller in plouis. and that's what I love with Mauritians. new stuffs. creative things. pizza with salted fish in it. boiled noodles with cooked octopus in a tasty tomato sauce. the price range will vary. at the beach and in restaurants small roadside snacks and food courts in other regions it's not the same. you should simply explore. you will find the usual Mauritian breakfast typical lunch or dinner n even teatime snacks.

Hi Anou86 and Happy Girl!

Thanks for the great answers, it's a lot of useful info!
Sounds really good, these prices are very reasonable.
I love Indian and Chinese food, so it's even better

Could you  also give me some advice regarding the location? Like what's the best part of Mauritius / city to live?

- I need to have access to restaurants or delivery
- Beach should be in walking distance and it should suitable for swimming / snorkeling.
- I need fast and reliable internet too

Based on what I've learned so far, Flic-en-Flac seems to be a good candidate, is that true?

Thanks again for the all the help!

Hello.

Flic en Flac is the best for yr needs.

You will get z beach z food z internet etc as per yr wishes.

I ddnt check the food at flic en Flac yet but I found through relatives that tasty seafood is sold at flic en Flac. currently you will get great tasting fish octopus crabs etc due to lockdown. u should simply enjoy yourself. I just wish that the corona ends soonest possible.

If you love cold region Curepipe town is best and Forest side is best for coldest temperature.

u can stay in vacoas or phoenix if u like cold region.

If you like balanced region rose hill beau Bassin qbornes are best towns

If you like hot region plouis and coastal region like grand Baie f.en.flac are best.

coldest for us locals but for u who is used to snow u will find that coldest region to be like British summer time.

summertime here in Mauritius means local fruits sun hot weather sunshine and lots of bright colours around with flowers and trees. wintertime is no different. u still get local citrus fruits and u still enjoy the cold temperature.

Hello.

Flic en Flac is the best for yr needs.

You will get z beach z food z internet etc as per yr wishes.

I ddnt check the food at flic en Flac yet but I found through relatives that tasty seafood is sold at flic en Flac. currently you will get great tasting fish octopus crabs etc due to lockdown. u should simply enjoy yourself. I just wish that the corona ends soonest possible.

Food delivery is available almost everywhere. Once you are here perhaps you could explore Flic-en-Flac, Grand Baie/Pereybère, Albion and Tamarin before settling for a long term accommodation.

Due to the pandemic, quite a few restaurants/shops had to close permanently due to lack of clients and rent prices for accommodation have gone down. If you look around and perhaps negociate, you will find accommodation at lower prices. With no tourist coming to the island for so long, owners had to lower prices (not all though, some preferred having their house/flat/bungalow empty rather than lowering the rent). In any case, consider long term accommodation only once you are here and have completed visits etc. You will be saved lots of trouble.

Regards,
A

Thanks again for all the great info! I'll check these places for sure.

One last question: What does it take to rent an apartment / house?
I mean, are the contracts fixed term or you can rent on monthly basis?

Is there a deposit you have to pay upfront, before moving in (like 2-3 months rent)?

Thanks in advance! Great help, your advices are really appreciated!

Here is an interesting thread on rental fees : https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 37#5059698

If you choose to go along with an agent/rental agency, there is a commission that needs to be paid. Otherwise, if you know how to deal directly with an owner, you will be exonorated from these fees. For terms and duration, you may discuss with the owner, they are flexible.

3 months worth rent with agent (1 month rent in advance, 1 month security deposit, 1 month commission)  and 2 months without agent.

The security deposit is normally refundable after the final inventory when you leave the appartment/villa, provided you keep the premises in good state.

Hello

It's best to deal directly with the owner of the villa or house for rent and negociate payment of rent etc.  that's usually what local people do. but it's risky as local people usually do not follow what the law says on rented house etc. I myself prefer to keep my extra house closed as we had to go through court case and pay a lot of money to get that local person who refused to pay the rent and get him out by court's notice.  it was a really bad experience. I spent a lot of money energy and ended up sick after that experience. 

As for paying the agent and other fees it's best to pay these then you can find a villa as per yr wishes yr choice etc and you have peace of mind. later when you have explored and found a house or villa on rent by urself and can talk in creole language then u can negociate and move in and pay and get things done yr way. do it step by step please.

Cool! Thank you all for the info.

When I move to MU, I will have to stay 2 weeks in a quarantine hotel. It would be good to contact and agency while I'm there.
Where can I find these agencies? I assume they have websites?

Could you post some links please?

Much appreciated and thank you in advance!

Regards

Tamas

Hi

You can check the website of Al idrissa estate agency.

the others have websites but I DNT have the list right away


r u a French national?

if yes can you help with finding a real nonfinancial company that gives loan easily without paying fees please though I'm a Mauritian

For recommendations (thumbs up) you might want to check the Real estate agencies in Mauritius listing of the business directory.

Also, have a look at the ads posted in the Housing in Mauritius section.

Regards,
A

Thanks guys for the great responses again! Don't have more questions /

Unfortunately I'm not a French national, I'm from eastern EU.

Guys one more question, if you don't mind.

What about dangerous animals in Mauritius?

Of course I know there are sea urchins, stingrays, venomous fish (like stonefish) etc. But what about sharks or lethal jellyfish? Is there anything special in the water I should be careful with?
What about snakes and spiders and scorpions?

Thanks in advance!

Hello, well those you already mentioned are the "dangerous" ones.

Apart from those, there is literally no dangerous animal in Mauritius. Very rarely we can spot some jellyfish in the lagoon and often the National Coast guard will inform people about it or a brief announcement will be mande on tv or radio that jellyfish have been seen in the lagoon.

Sharks not really.

Most accidents or death at sea occured due to drowning. Rip current can be sudden and dangerous.
Have a look at this youtube video : https://youtu.be/iou88j4Pslk

No snakes in Mauritius, however we do have grass snakes (couleuvres), centipedes and  scorpions (Lychas serratus) that grow to around 2 inches (all 3 are harmless and can be barely seen nowadays). As for spiders, they are harmless as well, we have 2 kinds of house spiders (the tiny jumping spider and the bigger one I don't know the name). Outside on trees and plants lots of trichonephila inaurata, another harmless spider.

However, beware of wasps nests. They don't attack till they don't feel threaten but still if you see some kind of wasps or bees nests, it is better to stay away from them.