Addresses (IMPORTANT):
We will send you the address of the house before you arrive. Please note
this carefully as you will be required to write it on a card to be given
to the Mauritian immigration authorities on your arrival in the airport .
Please also note our address.
(You can therefore call us if you have any
problems at the airport). Outside office hours please call the
hotline number (727 4902)
Ward Travel and Tours Ltd.
Flora Park Building
St. Jean Road
Quatre Bornes
Tel: (+230) 467 6218 (09.00-17.00)
The hotline number is 727 4902
Airport:
- The north of the island (Grand Bay/Grand Gaube) and Le Morne are about 1.5 Hrs from
the airport and for Pointe d'Esny it is about 30 minutes. You will be
met at the airport on arrival and returned there on departure. Please exit
the terminal building and you will see the person
meeting you holding a large sign with your name.
- We recommend that you change money in the airport immediately on
arrival. There are several banks in the hall directly after the
luggage hall. There are no banks in Grand Gaube or Pointe d'Esny
for example.
Driving in Mauritius:
Due to the high import tax on new cars and spare parts, driving on
Mauritius can be expensive. We do however have good relations with
6 car rental agencies and can offer modern cars as from
Rs 650 (Euro 22) per day. Only super grade unleaded petrol is available
on Mauritius and all cars use this. It costs slightly less than in
Europe. Mauritius uses the British driving system (driving on the left).
If you wish to park in the center of Port Louis, Rose Hill or Quatre Bornes
then there are special zones called 'Zone 1' and 'Zone 2'. To park here you
need special parking tickets which can be purchased
in advance at all filling stations. You should mark the date, day and time
on the ticket when you arrive and display the ticket clearly behind the
windscreen of the car. The fee is Rs 5 for 30 minutes with a maximum stay
of 2 hours.
Visas:
Visas are not required for people with EEC or American passports.
Vaccination:
Mauritius is fairly unique for a tropical country in that it is free
of such diseases as malaria, yellow fever and cholera. This is because
of the very effective efforts of the government to combat these
diseases. For most people therefore, vaccinations, etc. before departure
are not necessary. If in doubt please check with your local Mauritian
embassy before departure.
Health Care:
The medical standard on Mauritius is well advanced and the hospitals
are free of charge. This applies to visitors as well. There are
now additionally many private clinics in the island and they offer
a more attractive environment plus frequently some of the latest
medical equipment available. They are however not free and you would
be well advised to check that your health insurance is valid for
Mauritius before you come.
The local water is clean and 60% of the Mauritians drink it. You
need therefore have no fear if you use it for cleaning your teeth etc.
It is better however if visitors boil the water before drinking it or buy
bottled water which is freely available in the local shops.
Mosquitoes:
As in all tropical countries (even Europe in the summer) mosquitoes
do exist. We recommend using a mosquito repellant cream to keep them
away.
The houses are equipped however with electrical mosquito repellers (vapes) which you can use at night. Small impregnated tablets are
inserted into the apparatus which is then plugged into the
electricity. The effect will last for about 8 hours. You may leave
1 window open in the bedroom but you should ensure that there is no
strong wind as this blows the vapour away. If you run out of tablets
they can be purchased locally for about 45 rupees.
Sun Cream:
The sun is exceptionally strong on Mauritius and many people are
surprised (too late) by its strength and have to suffer sunburn for
several days. Even on cloudy days, please make sure that you use a
good sun cream.
Electricity:
The power supply is 230 volts and the power sockets use the British
3 pin standard. If you bring electrical appliances with you then you
will probably need an adaptor.
Language:
The official language of Mauritius is English. A large number of people
can therefore understand and speak it. The main language of the island
however is Creole which is based on French. In addition the different
ethnic groups speak such languages as Chinese and Hindi. |
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Holiday Clothing:
Men can usually spend most of the time in short trousers unless you
want to enter a hotel for the evening, in this case long trousers are
required. Additionally the maid in the house washes and returns clothes
by the next day so that you do not need to take much with you. Do not
overload your suitcase with unnecessary clothes. Leave some room for
any shopping that you do on Mauritius.
Mauritius has a well advanced textile industry so that instead of taking
all your holiday clothes with you might consider buying them locally on
the local market. The shops are full of ready to wear polo shirts,
T-shirts, shorts, shirts, trousers, pullovers, dresses and beachwear
at low prices.
Disposable nappies for babies cost about 3 times the price on
Mauritius as they do in Europe. We recommend either taking enough
with you or taking nappies which the maid can wash.
Currency:
They use the Mauritian rupee. At this time Euro 1 = 36 Rupees, 1GBP = 50 Rupees and 1 US$ = 27 Rupees. Mauritian rupees do not circulate outside Mauritius
so that you can only change money on the island. Euro/UK£ or
US$ travelers cheques and cash can be changed in the banks.
(Please NOTE that the exchange rate for traveller's cheques is
better than for cash).
There are 3 banks in the airport just after
the baggage hall and there are 3 banks in Grand Bay and in other major
towns on the island. Major credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are
accepted in restaurants and hotels and also in many shops and supermarkets.
In addition you can use credit cards to obtain cash in the banks or use
them together with the secret (PIN) number to get money from cash
dispensers. Please note that direct debit cards carrying either the
Cirrus or Maestro labels are also accepted by most cash machines.
Tipping:
In some houses, the maid can cook for you. We would recommend paying her
MUR 100 rupees each time as this is not covered in the house rent. If
she washes your personal clothes for you then the normal price would be
about MUR 75 per person and per week.
Climate:
The hottest time of the year on Mauritius is December / March when you
can expect temperatures of 30-33 degrees with humidity. There is always
a breeze from the ocean however so that most people will find it pleasant.
Cyclones (tropical storms) can also occur during this period.
For those people who do not enjoy warm weather or want a more active
holiday, we recommend going in July/August when the temperature is
24-26 degrees. On the coast the temperature can go down to 16-18
degrees during the night so that we recommend taking a pullover.
As you can see the variation of temperature on Mauritius is small such
that enjoyable holidays can be spent there at any time of the year.
Although the weather is normally sunny it does rain. The rain showers are normally short and are a pleasant change from the sun.
Things to drink:
As mentioned above you should not drink the local water unless you boil
it first. Tea is grown on the island and is plentiful in the shops.
The local people rarely drink ground coffee although an excellent
version called coffee Chamarel is grown on the island.
They mostly prefer instant coffee.
Locally bottled wine and imported South African and French wines can
be purchased from 100 - 300 Rupees per bottle. An excellent beer
called phoenix is brewed on the island and has proved to be very
popular with our guests. Locally manufactured rums are also available
and cost very little.
Telephone:
1. Your house may have a telephone with which you can make international calls. In this case we will ask you to pay us a deposit in advance as
there are no counters on the telephones and we only receive the bill 4
weeks after your departure. Any credit will be returned to you as
quickly as we can.
2. Your house may have a telephone which is restricted to calls on the
island only. There is no deposit in this case and you may use the
telephone freely and make as many calls as you want. You can give
the number to your friends at home and ask them to call you. The
country code for Mauritius is (+230).
3. Mauritius now has two mobile telephone networks which conform to the
international GSM standard. Roaming contracts exist now with most
countries. If you own one of these telephones why not bring it with you ?
Local prepaid cards can also be purchased if you would like to have a local
Mauritian number which would allow local people to call you more easily.
4. Telephone cards are now available on shops, post offices and many other
outlets across the island. These cards allow you to make international
calls with great savings from any telephone on the island to destinations all
over the world. The price for the UK, France and Germany for example is about Rs
5-6 per minute.
Have a nice holiday !
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