Where to live in Mauritius

A very legitimate and appropriate question for anybody who wants to relocate to Mauritius. Despite being in a very tiny place, the island offers an interesting variety of living experiences. There is not a typical feature that allows you to generalize the island's lifestyle, and that is what makes the place an ideal home.

Beachside

Well, the first thing we all know about Mauritius is the beach. Naturally anyone who wants to set foot on the island would want to be near the beach. As obvious as it can be, the nearer you go to the beach, the more expensive it gets. In any case, a beach is less than 45 minutes of drive from wherever you are on the island. It’s true that waking up to the sound of waves and opening your eyes to the sight of the horizon or having your feet on the sand are next to paradise. It is also true that if these become an everyday life thing, they would lose their value in your eyes.

Beach properties are numerous. Historically, the beachfronts are either occupied by some privileged families (or may I call dynasties), hotels and tourist enterprises. Over time, many of those private bungalows have been traded to either hotels or property developers. So, it is quite common to have villas, luxury apartments or other accommodation on the beachfront. These properties are very rarely owned on a freehold basis; such land is generally classified as Pas-Geométrique, and belongs to Government and are available to developers / owners on Leasehold basis (20 – 60 years, renewable).

Do not even hope to get a piece of such land to build your house, or even buy one, unless such unit is classified under the Property Development Scheme (PDS).

The most attractive beachside residential zones:

• North : Grand Baie, Trou aux Biches, Mont Choisy, Grand Gaube
• West : Tamarin, Black River, Le Morne, Albion
• East : Trou d’Eau Douce, Belle Mare, Poste LaFayette
• South : Blue Bay, Mahebourg

Night life

Not much is happening on the night life scene due to the prevailing Covid situation. Well, there are private parties, and some ‘closed’ events here and there, but nothing on the public scene. Nightclubs are not allowed operation for now. The usual places for nightlife and party animals are found in the north, with the west offering some alternatives. Grand Baie is reputed for its numerous pubs, nightclubs and restaurants. It is probably one of the rare places which stays awake till morning.

The central region (urban side) may well have some nightlife, but this is more confined to restaurants. Shops and other facilities close around 20h, and everyone is in front of his television set. People in that region usually travel down the north or the west for some extra chill.

Port Louis? Forget it, there’s almost no life after office hours, except, unfortunately, for some night rats and fishy businesses. After hours, it is not recommended for anybody to stroll in those dark desert streets.

Business

Again Covid has changed many habits. Gone are the days when having an office in a well-appointed business location plays in favor of your enterprise; the office-home concept is well in place and accepted. It does not really matter where you are, if your products and services are good enough, people will travel up to you. Remember it is a tiny island and travel is not really a tedious task, more so in off-peak hours. If you are in a very commercial environment (and need a front facing window display), and you need to live in the proximity, then you might consider the following regions:

• Centre of the island: Moka, Reduit, Ebene (Cybercity), Quatre Bornes, Rose Hill / Beau Bassin
• North : Petit Raffray, Vale, Grand Baie, Grand Gaube, Roche Noires, Piton
• East : Trou d’Eau Douce, Belle Mare, Poste La Fayette
• West: Black River, Tamarin, Flic en Flac, Medine, Quatre Bornes.
• South: Mahebourg, Blue Bay, Beau Vallon

Personally, I do not believe that there’s a need to stay within the radius of your business. In any case, getting back and forth is not a matter of hours, but minutes. One just need to take into account peak and off-peak hours.

The island is tiny but offers quite an impressive variety of experiences, whether it’s the climate, population density, shopping experience, living experience – you can experience different things in one single day. While it’s raining on the central plateau, you can drive 15 minutes to Port Louis or to the West to a scorching sunny temperature. This is just an example.

We like to keep our blogs to the essential. Else, to describe the best places of Mauritius, we would probably need a series of articles. We are available to elaborate on the subject or answer any of your questions.

Feel free to contact us on info@gibsonandhills