Budget — Mauritius

With a typical daily budget of around €110 per person, Mauritius sits firmly in the comfort tier of Indian Ocean destinations — neither the cheapest nor the most expensive option on the menu. Where you land on the spending scale depends entirely on travel style. A budget-savvy traveller can survive on €60 to €80 per day by choosing a guesthouse or self-catering apartment, eating at street stalls and using public buses. In the comfort bracket (4-star resort, restaurant meals lunch and dinner, one excursion or activity per day), expect €100 to €150 per person. At the luxury and honeymoon end — 5-star resorts with full board, spa treatments and private nautical activities — the daily figure climbs comfortably to €300, €400 or even €600 per person.

The main spending categories are accommodation and activities. A double room with half board in a beachfront 4-star resort runs €150 to €350 per night; in the most acclaimed 5-star properties (Constance, One&Only, Royal Palm) it ranges from €350 to €900 per night. Family-run guesthouses remain genuinely affordable: €40 to €80 per night depending on location. For food, a meal at a market food court or a roadside snack costs €3 to €6 (dholl puri, biryani, fried dumplings); lunch at a beach restaurant, €15 to €25; dinner at a gastronomic restaurant, €40 to €80 with drinks. Day-long catamaran trips with snorkelling and lunch cost €60 to €90 per person; an introductory scuba dive, €50 to €70. Car hire — almost essential to explore Mauritius freely — sits at €30 to €60 per day depending on the season.

A few budget tips that genuinely move the needle. Book flights three to four months out and avoid peak periods (July-August, Christmas-New Year) to save €200 to €400 per ticket. Choose half board over full board so you can escape the resort for a few authentic Mauritian meals. Public buses, with flat fares around €0.30 per ride, connect every town on the island and are an excellent budget tool for longer hops. Always negotiate taxi fares before getting in, and avoid hotel boutiques for souvenirs — the central market in Port Louis is far better value.

For a typical seven-night Mauritius holiday in the comfort tier (return flights from London or Paris in low season, 4-star half-board hotel, two excursions, three days of car hire, plus meals and incidentals), the all-in budget per person lands between €1,800 and €2,800 — very reasonable for a memorable, high-quality Indian Ocean escape.