Mauritius & Dubai

butters_86

Hi all,
Hoping that you can help me. My wife and I are due to travel to Mauritius and Dubai for our honeymoon. We go at the start of November.

Neither of us have been to either location and are unsure about a lot of things!!!! We have done plenty of google searches and looked for hours at trip adviser but would appreciate any help that anybody can provide.

Mauritius.
We are staying at the Long Beach Golf & Spa Hotel All inclusive – Has anybody stayed here previously or know anybody who has?
What trips are worthwhile undertaking whilst there?
What’s the cost of things?
How much money should we take? We plan on taking credit cards with us as recommended by Martin but want to take some cash with us as well if we see anything outside the hotel or at a local market etc.

Dubai.
We are staying at the Atlantis half board and have upgraded to the imperial club but the questions are exactly the same as above.

All in all we have 10 days in Mauritius and 3 days in Dubai.
Any help is greatly appreciated, we have worked and saved our backsides off for this so are wanting to enjoy it
Thanks in advance for any replies.

silvercar

We went to Mauritius in June. Beautiful place with friendly people. Didn't stay at your resort and didn't do much travelling. We pre-booked a taxi to take us between airport and hotel that was cheaper than the hotel's own taxi service. We used the one recommended on tripadvisor a lot and emailed beforehand.

sandsy

Mauritius: the botanical gardens were always highly recommended many years ago when we went

Dubai: a good quality desert safari - late afternoon into evening.
The waterpark at Atlantis is good and included in your package.
Dubai is very expensive.

Smudge's_Lot

Hi Butters!
I have stayed at the Long Beach and it's a very nice Hotel, about 45 minutes journey from the airport, and its a very good 'boutique' coupley hotel, with good rooms and good restaurants/entertainment. The beach is lovely, can get quite a breeze, do you windsurf? Great adult only bean bags as loungers on the upper level infinity pool which overlooks the beach too! You can get quite a few familys with kids from France/S Africa/Italians and there is occasionally a local school who use the main pool for swimming lessons!
Are you on the All Inclusive option? Otherwise it can be quite pricey- the evening buffet is about £40 each without drinks!!
You have to book the restaurants on the morning of the day you want to go, the chinese is very popular,as is the Italian! There is a fish restaurant that overlooks the beach, and a Japanese restaurant too! Lots of choice, however if you do not book, then all that's left is the buffet which changes its theme nightly.
There are water sports including sailing/scuba/kayaking etc. There is also a sports centre with a lane pool, tennis courts and a climbing wall. You can also hire bicycles!
However, the Hotel is very much on its own, there are other hotels around but there is nowhere close by within walking distance. There are 2 restaurants just outside the hotel, (5 min walk along the beach)chinese and indian. The chinese is a bit ropey but the indian is very good, just not the cheapest, curry,rice, naan and a beer is about £16 each! The nearest town is 20-25 min walk away and not exactly the best place to explore!
Car hire is ok, book ahead as always, but trips are also arranged by the Hotel, but will be more. Hiring a car is easy, they drive on the left! Go up north to Grand Bay, very nice!
I have found the Island as a whole to be quite expensive, food and drink is good, but expensive. If you are on AI and stay at the hotel, it will be ok, but hire a car and try to eat local if you want to explore.
I am sure you will have a great time, any other questions, please ask!

DUKE

Have a look on TripAdvisor here https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g293816-Activities-Mauritius.html for stuff that you fancy doing, make a list then get a driver to take you around. We did this in Mauritius, I think it was about £45 for a day back in 2013. Casella World of Adventures is well worth a visit, we went twice, & walked with the lions :eek: La Vanille Nature Park, Chamarel Waterfall, SSR Botanic Gardens, Port Louis ... we visited & enjoyed them all. Our hotel Le Tropical put on a free daily trip to lle aux Cerfs, which was a beautiful but very hot little island, worth a visit. You'll have a great time!

Unfortunately, I've only ever waited at Dubai airport for a connecting flight.

butters_86

Thanks for the replies it's much appreciated.

Smudge's Lot - Yes we are AI at Long Beach. We plan on hiring a car whilst out there, mainly to visit the capital and local area's but obviously want to make the most of the hotel. We're both active and enjoy water-sports so will look to make the most of these.

Duke - We have seen the walking with lions trip and are hoping to book this whilst out there. Have looked at plenty of reviews which have all recommended going on the trip. My only question/concern is how the animals are treated, are they on drug's similar to those in Thailand.

Regards

DUKE

butters_86 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies it's much appreciated.

Smudge's Lot - Yes we are AI at Long Beach. We plan on hiring a car whilst out there, mainly to visit the capital and local area's but obviously want to make the most of the hotel. We're both active and enjoy water-sports so will look to make the most of these.

Duke - We have seen the walking with lions trip and are hoping to book this whilst out there. Have looked at plenty of reviews which have all recommended going on the trip. My only question/concern is how the animals are treated, are they on drug's similar to those in Thailand.

Regards

butters_86, I did the tigers too in Thailand, & they looked fine, but it's a subject that's much debated. I'd like to think that the animals had been bought up surrounded by people & were used to them, but it's something that we'll never really know.

Smudge's_Lot

Great news that you are AI, that will make it a great stay!
Forgot to say there is a gym too next to the sports centre, the restaurants are all good, they have items on the menu that are still "extra" even if you are AI, but these are laid out on the menus. When you come to settle your bill, the very friendly reception staff(they truly are!) will always present your bill in pounds sterling. If you have the right Credit Card, insist that it's done in Mauritian rupees. There are cash machimes in the airport just as you exit the terminal, as well as multiple money exchanges, again depends on the credit card you have to see what will be the better rate, the exchanges are a few under the official rate (as always)
The Hotel is really nice and I am sure you will be impressed, make sure you try all the restaurants and remember to book them on the morning that you want them (done at the desk at the entrance to breakfast!)
Beach towels are by the main pool and you can change them every day!
On my car hire, we went to the south of the island, to the National park and the Black river falls, also the huge Hindu temple!

Have a great time!

butters_86

Again thanks for the detailed reply Smudge's Lot. We have just applied for the Halifax Credit Card that Martin recommends which doesn't charge for using abroad. I believe he always recommends to pay in the currency of the country as this works out cheaper.

We are hoping to hire a car whilst out there, at present I don't have my driving licence as it's been sent with a mortgage application, i'm hoping it comes back prior to us departing!

When booking days out can you do this via the hotel or did you arrange it by yourself? The virgin concierge team was supposed to ring us but as of yet they haven't bothered - I'm going to give them a call in the next day or so when I have some free time!

Leanne1812

I'd urge you to research walking with lions. Have a look on the Mauritius forum over at TA. There is a long running thread discussing this. This sort of tourist attraction never has the animals best interests at heart......I've just had another look at this thread and it really is very sad what they go through. Let's face it, it's pretty unnatural to be up close and personal with a wild animal, you've got to question why they are so placid.

I was in Mauritius earlier this year and had a lovely time. If your hotel is located in Belle Mare it is a lovely spot. I'd recommend a trip to Grand Baie and a boat trip to Ille aux Cerfs. We had a fabulous trip with a gorgeous buffet lunch with Samuel. He has a Facebook page called Samuel & Monica. £40 per head though there were 8 of us on his small speedboat, all friends on holiday together but perhaps you may meet others at your hotel willing to do this trip. He will take you wherever you want to go to. A couple at our hotel suggested using him and we were very happy. The botanic gardens is quite interesting and worth an hour of your day. Hope this helps.