On the 12th of May 2017 we start our third journey. In the morning at 8 a.m. we take the train to the airport in Cologne. Why we are taking off from Cologne? Twice a week Eurowings flies for 200 Euro directly from Cologne to Mauritius! 33 Euro you have to pay for the train that takes you to your flight. Our aircraft is a little bit late, because two passengers didn’t board. For security reasons, the luggage of the two are unloaded. Finally we take off and after 11.5 hours flighttime we reach Mauritius on 13th of May at 5:30 am.
Security checks at the airport are quick and easy, we get Mauritius Rupees (1€ = 38MUR) at the ATMs and then we have to fight our way through all the taxis to the bus stop. Blue Bay is not far from the airport and this is our first destination in Mauritius. In a rattly bus with loud booming music we are the only tourists. The stops are a bit difficult to see, but the bus driver knows where we want to go and shows us our stop. In Mahebourg we have to change buses. Fortunately, the ticket vendor for the bus to Blue Bay is also travelling in our bus and so he takes us to the next one. That was uncomplicated 😀
A bus trip costs us 24MUR and we are be dropped off right in front of our accomodation: Chantauvent Guesthouse.
There we get a warm welcome and are invited to enjoy breakfast at the buffet.
Unfortunately we have to wait until our room is ready, but the waiting was worth it. We had booked the cheapest category, but the room is very nice and newly renovated.
Since we’re a little sleepy because of the long flight, there is not much on the schedule for today. We meet another German in our resort with whom we have a delicious dinner in the evening at a small Indian snack bar.
René tells us about his travel plans and his new YouTube-Blog, which we recommend to all our readers! Just have a look!
We are watching the sunset before we fall into our very comfy bed.
The next day the weather is kind of unpredictable, so we decide to go snorkeling in front of our resort. Since the island is almost completely protected by a reef, the water is always very calm and offers many snorkeling possibilities. Nevertheless, one should always pay attention to currents, which can be very strong from time to time. In our case we drift along and float over the coral islands with lots of colourful fish.
Not a top spot, but worthwhile to pass the time! When we want to leave the water again we discover a stonefish, less than two meters away from the beach! There are many stonefish on Mauritius, but this one stays directly at the beach entrance! We can only advise caution. Either put on fins or bathing shoes or do not walk in too far, but swim straight away. Stonefish are among the most poisonous animals in the world, and an injury to the spines can be fatal!
In the evening we go to the beach together wir René to have dinner there. Many Mauritians meet here to have a picnic. Live music and drums are present on sunday evenings and the atmosphere is very relaxed.
Today the weather is very good again, so we stroll along the beach, with black rocks and white beach alternating. The sea is turquoise blue and crystal clear and in wintertime there are hardly any tourists here!
Summary and Recommendations
Our Accommodation (Blue Bay)
Chantauvent GuesthouseRoom including breakfast for less than 50€ per night
- rating at booking.com: 8,2 (Very Good)
- direct beach access
- beautiful rooms
- central location (bus, supermarket, restaurant)
- snorkeling in front of resort
- free rental of kayaks
- things to do: Snorkeling at Blue Bay Marine Park, Explore Nature at Ile aux Aigrettes, Local Market in Mahébourg
Transportation
Taxi: Airport – Blue Bay (400 – 600 MUR)
Bus: Airport – Mahébourg (24 MUR)
Mahébourg – Blue Bay (24 MUR)
The bus stop at the airport is located on the right-hand side of the building. Just turn right after leaving the airport, go through the road underpass and there you are! Take bus #9 to Mahébourg and walk to the bus station. From there take the bus #46 to Blue Bay.
Advice
- Cheap flights to Mauritius you find at Skyscanner
- ATMs from SBM and MBC can be used free of charge
- Mobile Internet: Orange SIM Card 1GB for 30 days (400 MUR)
- Youtube-Channel of René