Africa - Seychelles or Mauritius

Has anyone been to both the Seychelles and Mauritius? How do they compare?

I am considering both as possible honeymoon destinations, and was wondering about the pros/cons of each. From my research, it seems like they are rather similar from a traveler's POV. Anyone have strong preferences one way or the other? Why?

Have been to both as well as Maldives and would rank them:
1. Maldives
2. Seychelles
3. Mauritius

Mauritius is much larger island and we found parts rather dirty. Maldives & Seychelles small islands (Maldives as small as one resort per island). If you are looking for beautiful water and complete relaxation I would say Maldives or Seychelles.

Have been to both as well as Maldives and would rank them:
1. Maldives
2. Seychelles
3. Mauritius

Mauritius is much larger island and we found parts rather dirty. Maldives & Seychelles small islands (Maldives as small as one resort per island). If you are looking for beautiful water and complete relaxation I would say Maldives or Seychelles.


Thank you, this is actually very helpful. I will take Mauritius off the list. Am I correct in assuming there is nothing to do but R&R on both the Seychelles and Maldives? Have you paired either of those destinations with other nearby locales (Madagascar,Mozambique, India, Sri Lanka, etc.)?

I recently had to make the same decision. Ultimately, I booked Seychelles based on 2 factors: it is more convenient to get to from the US with the EY connection in AUH (only 1 stop). And 2nd I felt more comfortable avoiding the Muslim influence of the Maldives after hearing about the confiscation of duty free liquor on arrival and the spa closing fiasco. Perhaps the latter is no longer an issue, or over exaggerated to begin with, but that was my rationale for Mahe over Male. We are booked for the fall.

I recently had to make the same decision. Ultimately, I booked Seychelles based on 2 factors: it is more convenient to get to from the US with the EY connection in AUH (only 1 stop). And 2nd I felt more comfortable avoiding the Muslim influence of the Maldives after hearing about the confiscation of duty free liquor on arrival and the spa closing fiasco. Perhaps the latter is no longer an issue, or over exaggerated to begin with, but that was my rationale for Mahe over Male. We are booked for the fall.

I'd be curious to hear how you like it after you get back. Are you tacking anything onto the trip besides the Seychelles?

I'd be curious to hear how you like it after you get back. Are you tacking anything onto the trip besides the Seychelles?

If I have the time I'll try and post my first FT trip report when I return. We have to be in the UK the latter half of the week and have some time to travel before so we're departing ORD-AUH-SEZ and returning SEZ-AUH-LHR.

Am I correct in assuming there is nothing to do but R&R on both the Seychelles and Maldives? Have you paired either of those destinations with other nearby locales (Madagascar,Mozambique, India, Sri Lanka, etc.)?
R&R is pretty much the order of the day. Diving and snorkelling are the main activities and some resorts offer boat fishing. From Seychelles you can cruise the Aldabra Islands which are uninhabited and have some fascinating critters... tree climbing crabs, for instance!

I combined Maldives, Seychelles and Zanzibar quite a few years ago flying MLE/SEZ/NBO/ZNZ. But the MLE/SEZ route didn't last long. You could go via DXB though. It is also possible to hop between most of the Indian Ocean Islands including Madagascar and Reunion if you want to add a more active destination.

R&R is pretty much the order of the day. Diving and snorkelling are the main activities and some resorts offer boat fishing. From Seychelles you can cruise the Aldabra Islands which are uninhabited and have some fascinating critters... tree climbing crabs, for instance!

I combined Maldives, Seychelles and Zanzibar quite a few years ago flying MLE/SEZ/NBO/ZNZ. But the MLE/SEZ route didn't last long. You could go via DXB though. It is also possible to hop between most of the Indian Ocean Islands including Madagascar and Reunion if you want to add a more active destination.

We are thinking about doing Madagascar along with one of the R&R destinations. I'm heavy on oneworld miles, but I don't think they fly there, unfortunately. Is Reunion a worthy destination? That is, if we are already going to the Seychelles, let's say, is it worth it to go to Reunion as well?

We are thinking about doing Madagascar along with one of the R&R destinations. I'm heavy on oneworld miles, but I don't think they fly there, unfortunately. Is Reunion a worthy destination? That is, if we are already going to the Seychelles, let's say, is it worth it to go to Reunion as well?

Reunion very much caters toward the French market and is likely to be more linguistically tricky than the other islands if you don't speak French. However, it does offer more opportunity to venture beyond the confines of your hotel than the Seychelles or Maldives due to the drama of the natural landscape. As far as I know you can't get to Reunion on Oneworld miles either.

I'm not sure I'd be ruling out Mauritius to be honest. It is a developing country whereas Seychelles/Maldives are more or less just a collection of resorts so perhaps it's less polished outside the hotels but it offers a good compromise between the pure R&R destinations and somewhere with more local interest.

Thank you, this is actually very helpful. I will take Mauritius off the list. Am I correct in assuming there is nothing to do but R&R on both the Seychelles and Maldives? Have you paired either of those destinations with other nearby locales (Madagascar,Mozambique, India, Sri Lanka, etc.)?

I have done Mauritius, Mozambique, Madagascar and Seychelles twice, Maldives and Zanzibar a half dozen times, Sri Lanka a dozen.

The Maldives are a grouping of islands where the resort is the island itself (or as another mentioned, two islands). It's if you want complete solitude and have a lot of $$ to burn (the transfer from the airport to the hotel can go from $150-$300 ONE WAY). To go between the islands you can take a boat to neighboring islands, but you hit more resorts. The only place worth seeing, if seeing at all is Male the capital. The Four Seasons is simply incredible (both of them).

Seychelles is similar to Maldives except there's island hopping and you can leave your hotel and walk around the small capital, Victoria. It reminds me a little bit of French Polynesia. I stay at the Le Meridien Mahe and Victoria is close by.

Mauritius is one entire island, Port Louis is a bustling little city and I always stayed at The Grand Mauritian (and scheduled to stay at The St. Regis Mauritius this winter). The hotel is on the other side of the island and is quite a drive. The people are beautiful and I have never ever ever had any issues with the locals. On one trip I did a week-end in Madagascar, which I completely recommend. Mauritius is more like Bali, where you can leave the hotel and go to town.

SEY and MRU are nothing like Mozambique. Mozambique is almost identical to Sri Lanka. Zanzibar reminds me of Mykonos without all the tourists, the Kempinski there is absolutely beautiful!

Safe travels and have fun!

UG

SIDENOTE: The people of the Indian Ocean to not regard themselves as African - I learned this the hard way. Calling a Sri Lankan "Indian" is a no-no. Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and surrounding islands are more connected to the people of Indonesia interesting enough. Even in Madagascar, when I made reference to being in Africa, my guide said, "Oh no no, we separated from Africa billions of years ago." Madagascar has a certain flavour, like the "Southern Belles" of Louisiana/Georgia here in the States.

Hello UrbaneGent:
My husband and I are planning our Seychelles-Mauritius vacation in August-Sept 2013 with a side trip to Madagascar.

Can you share more details about your weekend trip to Madagascar... did you fly direct from Mauritius (MRU) to Madagascar (TNR)? Which airline? Did you hire a tour company/guide/car there? Which hotel did you stay at or would recommend?
Thanks in advance!

It's not so easy to go for a weekend from Mauritius to Madagascar:
Air Mauritius and Air Madagascar fly only to the capital Tana (TNR), while the main touristic island is Nosy-Be (NOS) in the North. To go there, it's either a connection through Tana on Air Madagascar (which is for most planes on the EU blacklist (http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm) of banned airlines) or a direct flight to NOS on Air Austral from Reunion Island (RUN).

The MRU -> RUN -> NRO routing can be done in 3 hours 25 minutes.

I spent a few hours at the Hilton Northolme in the Seychelles last month. I wish I had scheduled a few days (I was trying to get as much in on my trip over there as I could and this was my "beach" time). The place is beautiful and reminded me of French Polynesia as well. The people were very friendly and the drive from the airport didn't take long. It was actually a much classier airport than some of the other ones I had been through in Africa (Yes, I'm calling you out DAR and ADD). I had used UA miles to book in from DOH on QR and out to ADD on ET.

The "classiness" of an airport in Africa hardly matters. What's important is if it functions efficiently. There's nothing wrong with the ADD airport. DAR periodically has problems, including the flakiness of its air traffic control radar and the fraudulent yellow fever shakedowns that some airport employees give to departing passengers. Don't fall for it.

I've never been there but I have considered.
But all are rather expensive (Madagascar I don't know).

Alternatives are Bali (a lot cheaper) where you can stay in the hustle-bustle Kuta (which I don't like) or in quiet places like CandiDasa. The 'touristy' regions with 'Dolce&Gabbana' and other large Western brands or touts trying to sell you crap 'look at my shop ... good price...' are limited to a few square km around Kuta and Sanur. Even flight (from Europe) to Bali are cheaper than to MRU/SEZ/TNR despite the longer flying time / distance.

Outside these areas it is really nice and you see the 'real' Bali.
Another (cheaper) alternative is Fiji.

The Bahamas is an alternative, too. But this forum is about Africa....

I've never been there but I have considered.
But all are rather expensive (Madagascar I don't know).

Alternatives are Bali (a lot cheaper) where you can stay in the hustle-bustle Kuta (which I don't like) or in quiet places like CandiDasa. The 'touristy' regions with 'Dolce&Gabbana' and other large Western brands or touts trying to sell you crap 'look at my shop ... good price...' are limited to a few square km around Kuta and Sanur. Even flight (from Europe) to Bali are cheaper than to MRU/SEZ/TNR despite the longer flying time / distance.

Outside these areas it is really nice and you see the 'real' Bali.
Another (cheaper) alternative is Fiji.

Yes, when you arrive at DPS airport and see jumbo jets coming and going every 10 minutes, you realize that you are definitely NOT "getting away from it all". I was there in June for the first time and was extremely disappointed.
I was expecting Ubud to live up to its reputation as a center of peace and tranquility. Instead it was as crowded and touristy as could be. Also stayed at Sanur. Although pleasant and inexpensive, the beach and water were just so-so.

I have been to The Seychelles, Mauritius (multiple times) and Madagascar
and loved them all. If you want to get away from it all, The Seychelles would
be the place to go. Some of the finest beaches in the world are there and when I visited they were not crowded at all. Another great place is the island
of Sainte Marie off the northeastern coast of Madagascar. It's expensive to get there, but once you're there it's very inexpensive, uncrowded, laid back,
and enjoyable and the beaches are very nice and unspoiled. Mauritius is also very nice and there are inexpensive guest houses and hotels there, but doesn't have that "getting away from it all" feeling so much. Another option might be the island of Reunion. It's between Mauritius and Madagascar, very scenic (a volcano, mountain hiking and OK beaches) and in my opnion not that expensive. I believe that you can get reasonably priced charter flights there from Paris.

Thanks all. We wound up booking the Maldives instead. :)

This was extremely helpful to read - I am looking at the same comparison, between the Seychelles and Mauritius. I am planning a trip for September 2013, which looks to be the heart of the rainy season in the Maldives, so I've started looking at Seychelles and Mauritius. I am leaning towards Seychelles, because SEZ seems to be easier to get to using *A miles (via ADD, as opposed to via JNB to MRU). Even though this wasn't my thread, thanks to all who contributed to the info!

Been to most of the popular tropical destinations (Bora Bora x 3, Maldives x 5, Seychelles, Fiji, some Caribbean islands, ....... etc), I always want to go back to Seychelles. You won't be disappointed with Seychelles! Beside the beaches in the main island called Mahe, La Digue is another island you must spend at least 2 nights there. Don't miss Anse Source d'Argent in La Digue, it's the most beautiful and picturesque beach on earth! I felt very regret that I only spent couple of hours in La Digue during a day trip for visiting the outer islands as most of the tourist did.

For Maldives, you need to choose the right island to stay, and you pretty much get restained in the resort/island and you can only dine in the resort restaurants.

Definitely Seychelles. More beautiful and friendly than Mauritius.

No, no, please stay away from the Seychelles!! :mad:
(so I can have this place for myself)

Going back for the 3rd time in a few days now :D

In order to go to the Seychelles, one needs confirmed hotel reservations, no?

On Mahe at least, can you simply walk into a hotel and book a room? That's howi generally travel.

Also, I've never heard that Mauritius was fair competition for other tropical islands. Isn't it more built up with decent infrastructure?

In order to go to the Seychelles, one needs confirmed hotel reservations, no?

On Mahe at least, can you simply walk into a hotel and book a room? That's howi generally travel.

Also, I've never heard that Mauritius was fair competition for other tropical islands. Isn't it more built up with decent infrastructure?

I've been to the Seychelles a couple of times and all of the hotels we looked at had minimum stay requirements. I would definitely not feel comfortable showing up without a room, although you would probably find something. The first time I went it was over Christmas and a passing navy ship decided to spring sailors on the island for good will over the holidays. We paid a fortune to see lots of people puking, fighting, and partying all night.

Next trip was to Praslin Island, which was better.

Haven't been to Mauritius or the Maldives, but would go to both before going back to the Seychelles.

How many days would you guys recommend for a first visit to Seychelles? We also want to do a day trip to Praslin & La Digue.