QuestionsGeneral-MiscThe „ugly“ Mauritius from a foreigners perspective
Mariusmann asked 7 months ago

Why? Just why?Hello my friends, first of all, I love the people of Mauritius, really everybody is friendly and open minded. Be it at the beach or in Beau-Bassin, even at night, i almost had no problems so far. But I have some questions, it seems like, people just live with these facts and circumstances, even with the high level of education.1) Why is nobody doing anything against the street dogs? They just bark and provoke guard dogs, that afterwards bark the whole day, so how do people know if a burglar really is approaching? The owned dogs are treated like shit, some have fleas. I have witnessed multiple instances where people seem like they don’t know how to handle dogs correctly? Beat them up.2) Why are there nearly no docks for the fishing boats so that they don’t pollute beaches, that easily could have features such as clean water, no waste etc. - the water on Mauritius is no where close to the sea in Greece for example. People could have beautiful places to chill and even the accommodations could be priced differently with clean beaches. Places like Le Morne for example, the water isn’t clear, plastic, boats randomly in the lagune. Pictures of Mauritius feel like a scam.3) The service in some places is honestly below average anything I have ever witnessed. For a country that is dependent on tourism and continues to expand the branch, it’s simply incomprehensible. Yesterday we been to a beach, ordered food, family owned business, first of all the process was really inefficient, than the vender ate our order in front of us instead of serving the food to us, rolling eyes why we were so impatient, this happened to me a few times now. Places we rented from foreigners, high priced even, were filthy (70% of them at least)These are just some examples, the traffic is crazy, Coca Cola and nestle seem to own the place.In the future, I will consider deeply if I will return. The friendliness and the culture are not enough to keep tourists from coming back, i have been talking to many people on these matters, some really felt scammed about their vacation. Not everybody who is visiting the country is rich in western standards. I think Mauritius really has the chance to become something big. A diamond in the Indian Ocean. Also from a German person, if you see trash and objects in the streets just pick it up. I have seen multiple local people doing that and creating natural reserves. Consider these tips so not only the super rich spend their money in international owned hotel companies. It’s also not that cheap, a lot of stuff is high priced, so not even Budget tourism is an option.I know it’s easy to speak as a privileged person from Germany, but a lot could be changed with relatively easy duties.Thanks

ajaxsirius answered 7 months ago

> I have witnessed multiple instances where people seem like they don’t know how to handle dogs correctly? Beat them up.

Are you saying you saw people beat dogs up, or are you suggesting we beat up people who don’t know how to handle dogs correctly?

SkibidiBalls answered 7 months ago

During COVID lockdown, the government allowed dogs to eat each other at Vallee des Pretres. Others died of starvation. MSAW is absolutely spineless and an embarrassment. Fond du Sac is littered with stray dogs and nothing is being done. I have lost hope for them.

I don’t know much about our oceans, sea conservation etc. Which is sad considering we’re an island nation.

I agree with No. 3. Gastronomy in Mauritius is subpar for the price you pay. Service is poor and a major revamp is needed in the food industry. There is better value for money in supposedly high cost of living cities like Sydney, Perth, London, New York etc. and the food there is better as well. Asia even way better value.

A Kebab is Rs 175 at Pereybere now and it’s even thinner than a strand of hair and barely a foot in length. Plus the chicken tasted like Rotisserie instead of Kebab.

Coca-Cola and Nestle own the world mate. Our beaches are littered with products bearing their logo everywhere. Imagine being in Paradise Island and the first thing you see is a Fanta cap floating in the clear water. To think Nazis are the reason you see this in our beaches today. Tourists and locals alike keep smoking on public beaches, despite it being illegal. Even worse, yesterday I nearly had a firework come straight at my face at Mont Choisy. This is illegal as well.

Hotels, Villas, Resorts and Penthouses own most of our best beaches and with it they allow drugs through their jetties. Go figure. The drug barons are in cahoots with them.

I do think we have a lot of potential as well as a country and I’m happy people recognise that.

edit: lol looks like smoking is legal again in public beaches as from 2023, again it’s the Hotel-Drug-Governmental complex of Mauritius. This country I swear.

Ezekielshawn answered 7 months ago

lol not sure if sarcastic post or genuine. Nepotism and corruption reroute a lot of funds for 1. and 2. into personal gain. As for 1. MSAW is a joke of a service. At this point nobody bothers with this problem as the government doesn’t see any immediate issue with this problem.

As for 3, I have had my share of bad service in mru but I am surprised as to what has happened to you. And it’s definitely not a general vibe. Most people in f&b have been nice. There are always a few bad experiences but I reckon they would be extra nice to tourists in particular.

sirus6666 answered 7 months ago

Mauritius is an overrated tourism destination no doubt about it. But a heaven for expats like me.

naks26 answered 7 months ago

Mauritians open-minded? 😂 😅 😂 😅 😂

Goblinator answered 7 months ago

Mauritius is a poor African country pretending to be developed. Foreigners expect world class standards for the price they pay and I totally agree they should be getting it but we’re simply too poor. People cannot afford to buy expensive food for dogs. And my own dogs tend to prefer human food over actual dog food.

We also have a poor non unified culture due to politics. The Mauritian dream that existed in the 90s is pretty much dead. Many people wanted to settle here before and did, but that’s no longer the case. We are very behind the developing world, even other African countries are leading us in key areas.

If you have the money, spend it in Asia. You get much better deals for what you pay for.

nazworld92 answered 7 months ago

The whole island is a joke…. The government has never made any significant changes to improve the lives of people in Mauritius. They just follow India at all costs

MonkeyNewss answered 7 months ago

A German complaining about customer service LOL

torsama answered 7 months ago

1. Agreed, there should be more sterilisation campaigns

2. Idk about that one, most beaches I go to are clear (Albion, la cuvette, pointe d’esny etc)

3. That’s very uncommon. I’m not saying it didn’t happen but people in Mauritius are generally super nice especially to foreigners in restaurants

Traffic is horrible cause we have not a great transport system (still better than DB) and also I see a lot of people starting to boycott Coca Cola and nestle here.

Mauritius could definitely do better but I still think it’s an amazing holiday destination and yes it’s expensive, inflation.

rynchenzo answered 7 months ago

We went to Mauritius in 2015 (from UK) and it was good value for money, we had good accommodation and good service.

This year we paid much more and got less. It’s really going downhill and we won’t return until prices get more realistic.

PopularTraffic6134 answered 7 months ago

Damn, this one hit hard. I had the exact same experience ! I really wanted to enjoy my trip to Mauritius, but no matter if expensive resort or cheap air bnb, there was always something really annoying. Either barking dogs at night , dogs ho are forced to stay on their leash in a small garden without any food or Mauritian people being unfriendly towards me (especially service staff). I don’t know if I will recommend this country to any of my friends

Fun_Consideration155 answered 7 months ago

The issue is a political one and has always been the case. The education system does not promote civism and ecology. The system doesn’t reprehend anything except political dissent. The system does not reward anything but political praise. Mauritians are still infants and are politically controlled as such.

neoz99 answered 7 months ago

Goodbye and don’t return..

AdmirSas answered 7 months ago

Point 1…yeah it’s a sad reality. Point 2…the one with le Morne, it is a known fact that the village does not have a proper drainage for waste water and it is being dump directly in the sea. The local gov and the national gov doesn’t care, they don’t give a crap and will do nothing despite the fact that several claims has been filed and sent. They close their eyes on there situation. Also the beach there used to be absolutely magnificent and the water clear blue. But there are still beautiful beaches in Mauritius. As for Point 3….be careful who you are going with…don’t mistake a smile or friendliness as Mauritian being open-minded that can put you in a very dangerous situation. Plus, this country is drowned under nepotism, favoritism, corruption and brides. Magazines and internet are just for eye glitter.

alltheapex answered 7 months ago

Welcome to hollow-smile island. I’ve seen less fake in a plastic factory.

There are some genuinely friendly people. But they are far and few in between.

If you are foreign the locals won’t think twice about exploiting you.

I’ve also never seen a place where people are so paranoid about others robbing them. It’s uncanny.

haniazeo answered 7 months ago

You expected paradise and didn’t get it? You should have done your research well. If you were expecting something that wouldn’t have felt like a scam, you should have had deep pockets.

Mauritius is not a budget tourism option. I repeat not a budget tourism option.

I’ve heard some tourists complaining about the high costs, but we’re the one paying taxes! We all here been paying taxes since we were born. How do you expect to pay the same price as we do?

the sea is clear in most places idk what you talking about.

Seeing complains from a first world world country citizen visiting a third world country is uh hum. Let it be.

Aizendickens answered 7 months ago

The best option for change to occur in this country would be a stick and carrot approach via NGOs and by the UN for environmental issues and discussions with the entities responsible for tourism, business, social development, education and the environment, in Mauritius so as to encourage more sustainable tourism instead of being accommodating for luxury tourism ( which is the reason why there’s a pricing issue for tourists and also why the sellers don’t realize they’re mistreating people who are trying to get a break from stressful lives)

I’m not talking about idealistic solutions, I’m talking about what could work….

Yeah, Mauritians can be friendly, but we can also be kinda shitty and not as open-minded as you may think.

Zealousideal_Put_163 answered 7 months ago

I work at the airport & I am frigging tired with the number of tourists coming lately!!

pa_mann answered 7 months ago

My girlfriend is Mauritian and we live together in Switzerland. I entered the country yesterday for the 14th or 15th time, we always stay with her family, a spotless place, also thanks to her. No water yesterday, which is a recurring problem which we know how to deal with. The dogs are a plague, and as money is scarce, pets are not a priority either, so dealing with them is accordingly (witnessed today again ). The traffic is horror, and as more and more people can afford a car (or get into debt) every year, it’s not getting any better. At least there is now a train line, which is being extended. Money was the biggest problem in the past and it shows in the character of the locals. If the Mauritian is open and welcoming when you know him, he is usually a terrible egoist who puts himself above everything else (see inconsiderateness in traffic, queuing, etc.). The same applies to environmental protection, waste is simply thrown out of the car or over the wall and set on fire when the pile is big enough, personal problems are more important. I still remember the old airport with the mosaic that read: Welcome to Paradise … LOL. Hate that many beaches only have restricted access, according to my gf that was different in the past. Also that our neighbor thinks everybody wants to listen to his music; pretty sure he just wants to avoid talking to his wife. All aside, I still dig coming here. I love my 650ml bottles of Phoenix, Chicken Kebab at Pereybere, Roti wherever, beaches that are not overcrowded when there is no public holidays, usually clean sea. It’s just different, get used to it or stay home.

maddoggo33 answered 7 months ago

Mauritius is a country with its own issues like any other country. Waste disposal is a major issue and can also be seen in a lot of western cities too. London and New York are 2 prime examples.

Dogs – no law or the law isn’t enforced. It’s a mess. Even i can’t get used to that.

I have been to Greece and fair enough the beach was nice but it wasn’t the postcard photo and *some people/vendors* were rude af. We almost had our shit stolen if I wasn’t vigilant. We nearly got scammed in Santorini – lucky i did a google search.

You had a bad experience and the questions are fair enough but that’s all part of travelling. If you ever travel back, look to have a good time, do some research and enjoy what it has to offer. Not everyone’s open minded but most of us are.

cyrilthefool answered 7 months ago

Easy solution for stray dogs. We all no less is the solution. Just do it

yikaprio answered 7 months ago

Foreigners are the only ones to benefit from tourism. Like most if not all of the money from tourism goes right to the pockets of foreigners and Mauritians do not actually benefit from tourism

HNIC2 answered 7 months ago

Its certainly not Zanzibar for sure.

joeyl5 answered 7 months ago

My parents live in Mauritius. I go there every once in a while to visit. dogs are everywhere and barking all night I can’t hardly sleep, many people treat their pets pretty poorly.

Centrally located malls cause horrendous traffic and mauritians seen stuck in the mentality of “you have made it if you own a car” which does not help. The shopping mall proliferation reminds me of the 1990s US. It’ll be sad when they get abandoned for online shopping.

TeenyFang answered 7 months ago

I stayed in a 5 star hotel and was incredible. Don’t go somewhere cheap and expect 5 star service then complain.

aSimpleFella answered 7 months ago

As a Mauritian, it’s a shitty country and all your points are valid. This is why as a Mauritian I can’t wait to go immigrate somewhere else. Tourism is only gonna last so long. Give or take 20 years and we will be in the gutters.

RikiArmstrong answered 7 months ago

There are organizations trying to sterilize the dogs. They need more support and funding. Perhaps they should put a sign up where there are dogs with a bank account that tourists can donate to help solve the problem.

Commercial-Curve-411 answered 7 months ago

Even when you Stay in your house you’ll still complain. Be in your country and be happy.

False_Realityz answered 7 months ago

What exactly do you want to be done with the street dogs?

Aragorn1788 answered 7 months ago

If that’s your feeling of MRU then good riddance. Maybe you’ve been to other better places, but if you are trying to compare to MRU, you are doing this completely wrong. Wonder where you have been to see so many stray dogs.. Agree, we do have a problem on this, but your dramatisation of it is very surprising..

SupermarketEnough222 answered 7 months ago

Oh Op.it’s not anything new.my advice to you is to book in a 5 star hotel next time but forget about visiting the island.or go to another country.mautitians are not open minded we are barely tolerant). plus we are VERY friendly to white people.only to foreigners.amongst ourselves we are NOT friendly, we are hypocrites.and that’s the truth.most still retain that attitude that they must be nicer to white people.because they know that 1)white people tip and 2) just because you’re white.i don’t adhere to these ideas.im just gonna treat you with the same friendliness you showed me.no more.no less. Some will overcharge you if they think you are clueless and can get away with it. And yes ,mauritius depends on the tourist industry but they are very bad at delivering service let alone a good one. It’s your money and yet some if not most will still take your money and deliver service as or when they wish to.dont hold your breath for change.as for all your other issues,they are not pressing ones for the country,so nothing is gonna change there either. But I do admire your country,your people has the right mentality ingrained in them.no polluting,clean if you can, etc…Mauritius was a paradise long ago with truly warm hearted people.no more. Sorry

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