Air Mauritius - Discounts?
Discussion
Not that I'm aware of. Emirates - yes, if you know someone that works for the airline. But not Air Mauritius.
As an aside - why are you looking to fly with them? In my experience they're the second worst airline to choose when flying to Mauritius, Air France being the worst (in no small part due to having to go anywhere near CDG).
If you're looking for value + relatively enjoyable economy travel, go with Emirates. If you'd prefer no changes - choose BA. Air Mauritius have seats that are barely suitable for 3h flights, let alone the 12h from London. BA are tolerable, Emirates my preference. Especially when you add in the duty free in Dubai which is super cheap.
As an aside - why are you looking to fly with them? In my experience they're the second worst airline to choose when flying to Mauritius, Air France being the worst (in no small part due to having to go anywhere near CDG).
If you're looking for value + relatively enjoyable economy travel, go with Emirates. If you'd prefer no changes - choose BA. Air Mauritius have seats that are barely suitable for 3h flights, let alone the 12h from London. BA are tolerable, Emirates my preference. Especially when you add in the duty free in Dubai which is super cheap.
No problem.
We were on flight MK0053 which is an overnight flight on the way out and had seats 27G and 27H. These are the emergency exit ones, I think G is the aisle one and that has better leg room but the window one isn't great. Flight back was MK0046, a daytime flight, and had seats 29A and 29B and these are really cramped unfortunately. Both our flights were fully booked as well so no chance to upgrade unfortunately.
Not sure if you have hired a car but if you have hopefully it's not Ola Mauritius, our car was rubbish and the sat nav completely useless that we ended up lost in cane fields for a few hours. I would definitely get a taxi to your hotel and hire a car from there.
Reading that back it makes it sound like we had an aweful time but honestly we loved Mauritius, we would just avoid those in the future. If you want to know anything else just let me know.
We were on flight MK0053 which is an overnight flight on the way out and had seats 27G and 27H. These are the emergency exit ones, I think G is the aisle one and that has better leg room but the window one isn't great. Flight back was MK0046, a daytime flight, and had seats 29A and 29B and these are really cramped unfortunately. Both our flights were fully booked as well so no chance to upgrade unfortunately.
Not sure if you have hired a car but if you have hopefully it's not Ola Mauritius, our car was rubbish and the sat nav completely useless that we ended up lost in cane fields for a few hours. I would definitely get a taxi to your hotel and hire a car from there.
Reading that back it makes it sound like we had an aweful time but honestly we loved Mauritius, we would just avoid those in the future. If you want to know anything else just let me know.
I live over here. If you want to hire a car I'd heartily recommend Maki car rental. I used them three times when I was on the island contracting. I've used them again since living here when friends & family have visited. Good prices, great service and as Jayou5 has commented on - they have a solid satnav.
They even include second driver & satnav for free!
If you need help with anything related to Mauritius feel free to PM me.
They even include second driver & satnav for free!
If you need help with anything related to Mauritius feel free to PM me.
Hi all,
That's brilliant info, thank you.
We have booked Air Mauritius flying to Mauritius, same flight MK53- over night and Emirates for our return journey.
We are right at the back of the plane, wasn't much choice so we have 40d/e, this is where the seat row runs 2/3/2, any thoughts?
We booked a hire car through Ebriham cars, recommended on Trip Advisor, not the cheapest but really good reviews so hopefully will be okay. We paid extra for a sat nav but I have been told they are not worth it as you will end up in a sugar field, lol.
Any sight seeing or excursions you recommend doing?
Again thank you for all you help, I really appreciate it.
That's brilliant info, thank you.
We have booked Air Mauritius flying to Mauritius, same flight MK53- over night and Emirates for our return journey.
We are right at the back of the plane, wasn't much choice so we have 40d/e, this is where the seat row runs 2/3/2, any thoughts?
We booked a hire car through Ebriham cars, recommended on Trip Advisor, not the cheapest but really good reviews so hopefully will be okay. We paid extra for a sat nav but I have been told they are not worth it as you will end up in a sugar field, lol.
Any sight seeing or excursions you recommend doing?
Again thank you for all you help, I really appreciate it.
Not sure on those seats to be honest as we didn't go that far back. We bought J pillows to help sleep, can't say I was blown away by them but they were better than nothing.
Hopefully you'll find the following helpful though I have a tendency to waffle.
If you are collecting your car at the airport you'll probably need 30 rupees to leave and they don't like breaking large notes, plus go in the centre lane to do this and not the one on the left. There is a petrol station just outside if you only have fumes, it's manned and you just stay in your car and pay. There is a little supermarket near the exit which has cold drinks and snacks if needed. I could never get a straight answer to speed limits, so maybe menguin can help, but in towns I did between 40kmph and 60kmph, rural roads 60/80kmph and motorways can go up to 110kmph but only did that once as the car did not feel great. Driving style is like in France, close to the bumper, overtake wherever, good use of the horn, we were told to drive near the left as this meant you weren't in a rush so others would overtake when they could. Roads are bumpy and where the edge of the roads ends so does the tarmac and often then a drop so don't carry too much speed in the corners, I know not very PH but I almost got caught out.
We stayed in Poste Lafayette and there is a market in Flac on Wednesday and Sundays if I remember correctly, not huge but a good split of food and clothes/trinkets and good for a wander. Worth going to Port Louis for that market as well, but we were warned that traffic is bad so went after rush hour and although not great it wasn't too bad. We were not impressed with the SSR Botanical gardens, looking run down and overgrown and most of the giant lilies looked dead, might have been just bad timing on our part though. We didn't do much else apart from those as we only had a week and the holiday was purely to relax. We stayed at La Maison D'ete after a recommendation on here and would recommend their restaurant even if you are not staying there.
Hope that helps and enjoy the break!
Hopefully you'll find the following helpful though I have a tendency to waffle.
If you are collecting your car at the airport you'll probably need 30 rupees to leave and they don't like breaking large notes, plus go in the centre lane to do this and not the one on the left. There is a petrol station just outside if you only have fumes, it's manned and you just stay in your car and pay. There is a little supermarket near the exit which has cold drinks and snacks if needed. I could never get a straight answer to speed limits, so maybe menguin can help, but in towns I did between 40kmph and 60kmph, rural roads 60/80kmph and motorways can go up to 110kmph but only did that once as the car did not feel great. Driving style is like in France, close to the bumper, overtake wherever, good use of the horn, we were told to drive near the left as this meant you weren't in a rush so others would overtake when they could. Roads are bumpy and where the edge of the roads ends so does the tarmac and often then a drop so don't carry too much speed in the corners, I know not very PH but I almost got caught out.
We stayed in Poste Lafayette and there is a market in Flac on Wednesday and Sundays if I remember correctly, not huge but a good split of food and clothes/trinkets and good for a wander. Worth going to Port Louis for that market as well, but we were warned that traffic is bad so went after rush hour and although not great it wasn't too bad. We were not impressed with the SSR Botanical gardens, looking run down and overgrown and most of the giant lilies looked dead, might have been just bad timing on our part though. We didn't do much else apart from those as we only had a week and the holiday was purely to relax. We stayed at La Maison D'ete after a recommendation on here and would recommend their restaurant even if you are not staying there.
Hope that helps and enjoy the break!
Speed limits are:
110 motorway
80 main road
60 town
These do vary - and there will (normally) be signs telling you. For example, on the motorway from the airport to Port Louis most of it is 110 but there are sections that are 80. Most main roads are 80, going down to 60 in built up areas or crash sites.
We do have speed cameras but the new government that came into power recently switched them off (I know, right?). They're updating them all - painting them yellow and improving signage. If you see a grey speed camera, it is off! If it is yellow it is likely on (providing they've finished marking the roads & adding signs). The penalty for speeding is 2,000MUR. About £40. The police do have speed guns but if you're a tourist and not taking the piss they let you off.
As Jayou5 says the fee to leave the airport is around 30 rupees depending on how long the driver was waiting for you. Not more than 100 rupees. If you need change go upstairs in the airport - there is a cafe.
All petrol stations are manned - you stay in your car, tell them how much fuel you want and they do the rest. Often they will clean your windscreen & offer to check your oil & top-up your tyres with air. Slightly different to paying £1 for 2 minutes of air back in the UK!
Jayou5 explained driving pretty well. Stay out of people's way and they'll drive around you. Mostly without incident. Watch out for bikes specifically in towns - they'll pass on any side, u-turn at any point without warning, come out of side roads without looking and generally endanger their lives in as many interesting ways as possible.
Try the street food. Roti, dal puri, gatak, If you like it hot, take the chili. I've never had any issues with street food but I don't generally go for anything with meat on the side of the road!
Flac market is good, Goodlands market is even bigger and has everything you can think of. Barter - you'll get ripped off otherwise! I wanted to buy a beach towel. It started at 1500 rupees and I ended up paying 200!
The botanical gardens are very seasonal. If you get there at the right time it's beautiful, but as Jayou5 found out it is rubbish for half the year. At the moment I wouldn't recommend it. The Adventure of Sugar is a good day out if you enjoy learning about the history of the island. It's basically a huge museum in an old sugarcane factory. Prepare for lots of reading. Possibly the only museum which allows you to operate a hairdryer as part of one of the exhibits
Definitely book a catamaran trip. Best one is from Grand Baie to Gabriel Island. Should cost you 1500 - 2500 MUR for the whole day which includes BBQ lunch, unlimited local rhum and beer/wine etc. We saw a school of dolphins on our way back - and it isn't unknown to spot a whale.
Grand Baie itself is the party town on the island - clubs, bars, loads of good restaurants, but can be expensive (for Mauritius). £3 a beer! Outrageous
Blue Bay is worth a visit if you enjoy snorkelling or diving.
If you're an outdoorsy type you can take a trip to the Black River Gorges national park. Lots of trails which bring you right on top of the mountains with spectacular views. You will get bitten by around 10,000 mosquitos though - but there is no malaria in Mauritius so they are only an annoyance.
You can book a trip from Blue Bay or Ille aux cerfs that takes you to lighthouse island & ile de la passe which served as guides for the Dutch, French & British sailors visiting the islands when Mahebourg was the main port on the island. Mahebourg itself is relatively unremarkable - apart from the small museum & the point where the Dutch first landed.
Casela park is a very small wildlife park which has a few lions & other animals. If you've ever been to a safari park in Africa you'll be sorely disappointed, however it is good for kids and worth going for either ziplining or canyoneering which are both great fun.
Port Louis is a dive, in my opinion. Smells bad, oppressively hot. The market is about the only thing worth seeing and that isn't fantastic. Caudan waterfront hosts some tourist traps & Champ de Mars is the island's horse racing track - if that floats your boat!
Where abouts are you staying on the island?
110 motorway
80 main road
60 town
These do vary - and there will (normally) be signs telling you. For example, on the motorway from the airport to Port Louis most of it is 110 but there are sections that are 80. Most main roads are 80, going down to 60 in built up areas or crash sites.
We do have speed cameras but the new government that came into power recently switched them off (I know, right?). They're updating them all - painting them yellow and improving signage. If you see a grey speed camera, it is off! If it is yellow it is likely on (providing they've finished marking the roads & adding signs). The penalty for speeding is 2,000MUR. About £40. The police do have speed guns but if you're a tourist and not taking the piss they let you off.
As Jayou5 says the fee to leave the airport is around 30 rupees depending on how long the driver was waiting for you. Not more than 100 rupees. If you need change go upstairs in the airport - there is a cafe.
All petrol stations are manned - you stay in your car, tell them how much fuel you want and they do the rest. Often they will clean your windscreen & offer to check your oil & top-up your tyres with air. Slightly different to paying £1 for 2 minutes of air back in the UK!
Jayou5 explained driving pretty well. Stay out of people's way and they'll drive around you. Mostly without incident. Watch out for bikes specifically in towns - they'll pass on any side, u-turn at any point without warning, come out of side roads without looking and generally endanger their lives in as many interesting ways as possible.
Try the street food. Roti, dal puri, gatak, If you like it hot, take the chili. I've never had any issues with street food but I don't generally go for anything with meat on the side of the road!
Flac market is good, Goodlands market is even bigger and has everything you can think of. Barter - you'll get ripped off otherwise! I wanted to buy a beach towel. It started at 1500 rupees and I ended up paying 200!
The botanical gardens are very seasonal. If you get there at the right time it's beautiful, but as Jayou5 found out it is rubbish for half the year. At the moment I wouldn't recommend it. The Adventure of Sugar is a good day out if you enjoy learning about the history of the island. It's basically a huge museum in an old sugarcane factory. Prepare for lots of reading. Possibly the only museum which allows you to operate a hairdryer as part of one of the exhibits
Definitely book a catamaran trip. Best one is from Grand Baie to Gabriel Island. Should cost you 1500 - 2500 MUR for the whole day which includes BBQ lunch, unlimited local rhum and beer/wine etc. We saw a school of dolphins on our way back - and it isn't unknown to spot a whale.
Grand Baie itself is the party town on the island - clubs, bars, loads of good restaurants, but can be expensive (for Mauritius). £3 a beer! Outrageous
Blue Bay is worth a visit if you enjoy snorkelling or diving.
If you're an outdoorsy type you can take a trip to the Black River Gorges national park. Lots of trails which bring you right on top of the mountains with spectacular views. You will get bitten by around 10,000 mosquitos though - but there is no malaria in Mauritius so they are only an annoyance.
You can book a trip from Blue Bay or Ille aux cerfs that takes you to lighthouse island & ile de la passe which served as guides for the Dutch, French & British sailors visiting the islands when Mahebourg was the main port on the island. Mahebourg itself is relatively unremarkable - apart from the small museum & the point where the Dutch first landed.
Casela park is a very small wildlife park which has a few lions & other animals. If you've ever been to a safari park in Africa you'll be sorely disappointed, however it is good for kids and worth going for either ziplining or canyoneering which are both great fun.
Port Louis is a dive, in my opinion. Smells bad, oppressively hot. The market is about the only thing worth seeing and that isn't fantastic. Caudan waterfront hosts some tourist traps & Champ de Mars is the island's horse racing track - if that floats your boat!
Where abouts are you staying on the island?
Wow, great replys, thank you both very much.
Lots of good information here, just what I needed.
A quick one in regards Air Mauritius flight, do I have to check in online or can this be done at the airport (Heathrow). I was going to ask what price they could do business class for, if seats available to try and get a good deal, but if I check in online can I still do this?
A couple of friends recommend the Catamaran trip as well, or it might of been on a speed boat, they went to Ille aux cerfs, saw the light house had BBQ food (lobster & fish) lots of drinks and said this was an amazing trip, the highlight for them.
Just bought 2x J pillows, didn't know about them before, brilliant thanks.
The plan is to get a taxi to the villa and have the hire car dropped off the next day, as I might be to tired to drive after the long flight.
We are staying in the North East, near Roches Noires, that's why we have a car to get around and see the sights, plus I believe we will have to travel 10 mins to buy food and drink - Self catering.
We wants to do;
Underwater sea walk
Blue bay
Was going to Casela park - Quad safari but not sure how - My wife has done Africa safaris
Rum factory
A day out - Catamaran/ speed boat - see the sights and good food
Botanical gardens - probably not now
See big Ninja turtles somewhere
Any things else you both recommend?
Thanks again to you both!
Lots of good information here, just what I needed.
A quick one in regards Air Mauritius flight, do I have to check in online or can this be done at the airport (Heathrow). I was going to ask what price they could do business class for, if seats available to try and get a good deal, but if I check in online can I still do this?
A couple of friends recommend the Catamaran trip as well, or it might of been on a speed boat, they went to Ille aux cerfs, saw the light house had BBQ food (lobster & fish) lots of drinks and said this was an amazing trip, the highlight for them.
Just bought 2x J pillows, didn't know about them before, brilliant thanks.
The plan is to get a taxi to the villa and have the hire car dropped off the next day, as I might be to tired to drive after the long flight.
We are staying in the North East, near Roches Noires, that's why we have a car to get around and see the sights, plus I believe we will have to travel 10 mins to buy food and drink - Self catering.
We wants to do;
Underwater sea walk
Blue bay
Was going to Casela park - Quad safari but not sure how - My wife has done Africa safaris
Rum factory
A day out - Catamaran/ speed boat - see the sights and good food
Botanical gardens - probably not now
See big Ninja turtles somewhere
Any things else you both recommend?
Thanks again to you both!
We checked in online both times and as we booked the extra legroom on the way out didn't ask about the price of the upgrade as we felt the seats would be okay. On the return leg we asked but it was full but I guess if there was space we could have upgraded but not sure how much it would have cost.
Think you are fairly near where we were and therefore Flac which has a new Super U, there is a shell garage near there as well. If the sat nav is crap we loaded the route on google maps on my phone using wifi and it would still follow the route, I'm waiting to see my data roaming charges for the first journey.
Think menguin has covered pretty much everything else, just wish I had created a thread before I went so had his tips but at least I know for next time.
Oh one final thing, do not go to the Blu Radisson for a meal, we wanted a change from our place one night so popped there and it was crap.
Think you are fairly near where we were and therefore Flac which has a new Super U, there is a shell garage near there as well. If the sat nav is crap we loaded the route on google maps on my phone using wifi and it would still follow the route, I'm waiting to see my data roaming charges for the first journey.
Think menguin has covered pretty much everything else, just wish I had created a thread before I went so had his tips but at least I know for next time.
Oh one final thing, do not go to the Blu Radisson for a meal, we wanted a change from our place one night so popped there and it was crap.
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