Hi Guys,
How are you all finding Mauritius during this global recession?
I was working and living in Mauritius for 3 years and coming from the UK I found it difficult to adjust to the island at first.
Everything is cheap on the island compared to Europe, and when you know how to control your money then you can really have a good lifestyle in Mauritius.
A car is essential if you really want to be mobile along with a mobile phone. Buying a car in Mauritius you will find that the Asian manufacturers are the best ones to go for in terms of parts and value for money along with re-sale value. The most popular manufacturers are Nissan and Toyota. You will see the most popular car is the Nissan March aka Micra yes the VW beetle style. In terms of price you wil find that buying a re-conditioned car can cost anything from 拢4000 - 8000 for something that is on a 04/05 plate but would cost half that amount in the UK.
I found that Mauritius is trying to move forward but being an island you have to get used to the aspect that in many sectors there is a lack of customer service and professionalism, which can become irritating but you do get used to this.
You will find that people are friendly and will chat to you and also welcome you into their groups in general. There is still aspect of groups and being part of the "group" as you will notice expats tend to stick together and socialise, the Franco-Mauritians tend to stick to their own circle of friends but the younger generation are now much more open compared to the past generations!
Going out in Mauritius is well, an experience! Entertainment in general in Mauritius is pretty much non-existent apart from the bars, restaurants and nightclubs. There are no sports facilities apart from the private members clubs and you tend to be judged on skin colour and bank balance for the membership of such clubs and organisations. Bars are pretty much open to everyone as long as you are spending your money on drinks thats really all that counts. The nightclubs are mainly situated in the North and are tiny. They operate on Friday and Saturday which is the main party time for the young and also the young professionals. You tend to see the clubs busy around 11.30 and they go into the early hours of the morning sometimes till 6am. clubs are classed as Private Clubs and you dont pay entry fees! You do sometimes get caught out because the doormen tend to charge you but that is anything from Rs 100 per person which is around 拢2. The locals dont pay as they prefer to spend that Rs 100 on a drink inside the club! You will find that clubs can be populated mainly by kids, yes the 15+ tend to hit the clubs as its a safe environment in general and you dont have much trouble like you do in the UK clubs etc.
Leaving the clubs and bar scene now you move on to general lifestyle, if you are used to the 24 hour supermarkets then forget that in Mauritius, they are open at best until 8pm during the week but are full with many familiar brands. Petrol stations are another thing you should really get to know as they close early also and there is only now 1 24/7 petrol station open which is Indian Oil in Grande Riveiere. With a few new shopping malls open you tend to think why bother as they close again early and most people are stuck in traffic and have at most 45mins to shop in the malls during the week. With so much emphasis on a 24/7 economy for the island they really are not implementing it right.
For those of you that like your water sports, there are diving centres around and many kite surfing shops also. For the average Mauritian this is not cheap but for anyone earning anything from Rs 25+k per month then you can induldge.
In short there is a lack of entertainment and leisure activities in Mauritius so if you are someone that tends to enjoy an active social life going out 3 or 4 times a week and your weekend then be prepared for a change when you hit Mauritius.
When it comes to radio and TV, there is another hurdle as most of the radio stations speak the native Creole, French or some hindi on radio and you get the odd radio show which is spoken only in English by an entertaining chap on radioplus on Friday and Saturday night from 10pm. TV again is restricted to local languages and French so for those of you thinking you can watch SKy TV etc forget about it. Its French cable or if you are lucky some South African satellite also. If you are a savvy person then you can always watch Sky via the internet and have every channel you were used to in the UK broadcast via the internet to your TV's etc. It costs you about 拢15 a month but is worth it. You need to get yourself a good ADSL connection though and that at present in MAuritius is being worked on. Dont expect the super fast broadband speeds of the UK or Europe, at best you will get a 1 meg connection and you will be paying approx 拢30 for this! Yes 拢30 for a 1 meg broadband connection is ridiculous when you have an island claiming to be the Cyber Island! Too many monopolies in Mauritius tend to charge what they want for bad service when they can open up to the private sector more and really offer the public a better service etc.
Same goes with your mobile phone networks you will find the main two are Orange which is formerly Cellplus owned by Mauritius Telecom and Emtel. Again not like the European market where you pay a line rental and get a phone free or you pay a fee for the handset etc and get free calls or texts. For these companies nothing is free and all is paid for no matter what, at the end of the day they are the main competitors and there isn't anyone else allowed to set up show and offer a better service for the customer!
At the end of the day, lets just say not many people can have the opportunity to live and work on a paradise island and Mauritius surely for its looks, beaches and coast is a paradise, and you do get enjoy the climate which basically beats the UK and Europe in general!
Sorry for the waffle but I hope it gives you a little insight on the island of Mauritius and what you can expect and you should be aware of.
Mr A