Maldives vs. Mauritius: Which Destination is Better?

Maldives and Mauritius are both beach destinations, but they're slightly different when it comes to their offerings. The Maldives is renowned worldwide for luxury, relaxation, and honeymoons. Mauritius is a great escape for families, hikers, and exploring diverse natural surroundings.

Both destinations are easily accessible and offer tons of resorts and hotels for you to choose from. A dual holiday between the Maldives and Mauritius can also be recommended where you enjoy adventure in Mauritius and then relax and bask in luxury in the Maldives.

Before you continue reading…

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The Maldives vs. Mauritius at a glance

Resorts in the Maldives are on their own private islands, offering more privacy and seclusion. The Maldives is also a better option for those looking for a romantic escape. The service in this country has been perfected in every corner to create the ultimate honeymoon or romantic getaway for couples. The Maldives also features more accessible diving options and the opportunity to encounter more marine life such as mantas, whale sharks, and dolphins. Spotting either of these is almost guaranteed when you're in the Maldives.
Mauritius offers a more diverse range of landscapes and places on land to explore than the Maldives. It features multiple waterfalls, mountains, and the opportunity to immerse yourself in culture. Most of the villas in Maldives resorts are standalone villas, while in Mauritius you will find inter-connected accommodation options more common (which are much better for families.) Additionally, Mauritius features colonial influences. Since the country is also mainly one big island, it's much easier to explore compared to the Maldives.

Reasons to Choose the Maldives over Mauritius

Overwater Villas: Perfect choice if overwater villas are a big part of your dream vacation.
Privacy: One-island-one-resort setup means each resort is on its own private island, making it ideal for honeymoons.
Marine Life: The Maldives is better for seeing megafauna like manta rays, and whale sharks in their natural habitat plus you can frequently find dolphins.
Surfing: Better surfing spots and conditions compared to Mauritius.
All-Inclusive: The Maldives offers refined all-inclusive packages with luxury resorts that include meals, drinks, and activities in one price.
Seaplane Rides: Maldives has scenic seaplane rides where you can see the turquoise waters from above.
Ultra-Luxury Experiences: You can enjoy ultra-luxury experiences in the Maldives such as underwater dining, underwater spas, underwater rooms, and sleeping in bubble tents.
Castaway Experience: No matter where you are in the Maldives, you can generally find excursions to desert islands where you can have an entire island to yourself and enjoy a castaway-like experience.
Better for Romance: The Maldives is the better destination for couples with its standalone accommodation options and luxury service specifically targeted at couples, honed over the years.

Reasons to Choose Mauritius over the Maldives

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Richer Culture: You can experience a vibrant blend of Indian, African, Chinese, and French cultures in Mauritius.
Mixed Scenery: Better option if you prefer a mix of scenery such as mountains, rainforests, waterfalls, and beaches rather than just ocean views.
Budget Alcohol: If you want to travel on a budget, alcohol is available everywhere. In the Maldives, alcohol is not allowed on local islands (though it's permitted at resorts).
Hiking: Perfect choice if hiking is an important part of your holiday.
Higher Ground: Unlike the Maldives (the world's lowest-lying nation), Mauritius has mountainous ranges that offer different landscapes and viewpoints.
Budget Travel: Mauritius is relatively cheaper compared to the Maldives and activities can be cheaper compared to the Maldives.
Easier Transportation: Since Mauritius is just one big island, it makes traveling much easier.
Better for Family Vacations: While most of the villas in the Maldives are standalone villas better suited for couples and privacy, Mauritius has well-connected room options that are more suitable for families. Activities in Mauritius are also more targeted at families.
Wildlife: While the Maldives is better suited for spotting marine life, Mauritius is a better option for rare endemic wildlife such as the pink pigeon, Mauritius kestrel, and the echo parakeet.

Room Options in Maldives vs. Mauritius

The Maldives is known for its ultra-luxury resort islands. These resorts occupy their own private islands, with each island being its own resort. This is a feature only the Maldives is known for, giving the Maldives the edge on privacy over any other country in the world.

Then there are the luxury villas in the Maldives. The Maldives features overwater villas in dramatic designs across over 150 resorts. The Maldives is home to the largest overwater villas in the world, overwater villas with slides, and the world's first underwater villas. These are prestigious distinctions the Maldives is particularly known for.

Beyond these villas, there are also guesthouses on the local islands of the Maldives. These guesthouses are generally modern, chic escapes you can visit.

Unlike the Maldives, there is a wider range of hotels available in Mauritius. A variety of hotels are available to explore and stay at here. You can find city hotels, beach resorts, golf resorts, and even mountain hotels. However, there are no overwater villas in Mauritius like there are in the Maldives.

Mauritius also has cheaper hotels at different price points since there is more variety here compared to the Maldives. You can find hotels as cheap as $50 a night. While you can find guesthouses on local islands in the Maldives for this price point, alcohol is not allowed on local islands in the Maldives.

However, there is a minor compromise on privacy in Mauritius. While it's not something to complain about, the Maldives just offers much more unparalleled luxury.

Maldives vs. Mauritius for a Honeymoon

The Maldives is the better destination for honeymoons with its standalone villas and privacy-focused resorts. The one-island-one-resort concept of the Maldives means you won't have to share your space. Plus, the overwater villas and romantic dining options make it perfect for couples looking for luxury, relaxation and intimacy.

You can have a honeymoon in Mauritius as well, and there are resorts secluded enough for you to feel private. Mauritius features a good range of romantic beachfront suites. The island also gives you more activities to do together, like hiking to waterfalls or cultural exploration if you want a mix of romance and adventure.

Both destinations work for honeymoons, but the Maldives extremely focuses on romance and relaxation, while Mauritius gives you romance plus more variety in what you can do together.

Maldives vs. Mauritius for Diving

The Maldives is a global leader in diving experiences. No matter where you stay in the Maldives, you can find excellent dive sites nearby.

Every resort has its own dive center with experienced guides and professional instructors, making diving highly accessible for both beginners and advanced divers.

The waters in the Maldives are full of colorful fish and other sea life. Here you can have marine life encounters, especially with large sea animals like manta rays and whale sharks. Manta ray cleaning stations guarantee sightings of these majestic creatures. You can also spot whale sharks year-round in Ari Atoll.

Mauritius also has acceptable diving, but it might take longer to reach dive sites. The Maldives has dive spots everywhere you go. What Mauritius does well is shipwreck diving - you can explore famous wrecks like the Stella Maru and Djabeda.

Pick the Maldives if diving is your main reason for the trip. Choose Mauritius if you want acceptable diving plus other activities.

Accessing the Maldives

Velana International Airport (MLE) in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives is the main airport. Flight options to MLE include:

Extensive International Connections: Well-connected with direct flights from major international hubs. Including key cities in the Middle East (e.g., Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi), prominent hubs in Asia (e.g., Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok)
Europe Connections: Connectivity from European cities particularly more during peak seasons. There are also direct flights from United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Turkey.
Charter and Seasonal Flights: During peak tourist seasons, additional charter and scheduled flights are often introduced from a wider range of international origins, including more European cities and some specialized tour operator flights.

Upon arrival at Velana International Airport, transfers to resort islands are pre-arranged by the resorts or your travel agent, offering a seamless transition to your vacation. When you book with Maldives.com resort transfers are included in your package.

Speedboat Transfers: Resorts situated closer to Velana International Airport use comfortable speedboat transfers.
Seaplane Journeys: For resorts located further, a scenic seaplane journey is the mode of transfer. These seaplane rides offer breathtaking aerial views.
Domestic Flights & Speedboats: For resorts in the most distant atolls, a combination of a domestic flight to a regional airport followed by a speedboat transfer to the resort is the transfer method.

Accessing Mauritius

All international arrivals and departures to and from Mauritius are handled by Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU). There are extensive flight connections to MRU:

European Hubs: Mauritius is exceptionally well-connected to Europe, with numerous direct flights. The national carrier, Air Mauritius, along with major European airlines like Air France, British Airways, and Condor, operates frequent services from key cities such as Paris, London, Frankfurt, and Zurich.
Middle Eastern Hubs: Major Middle Eastern airlines provide crucial direct links to Mauritius from hubs like Dubai, Doha, and Istanbul.
African and Indian Ocean Hubs: As an African nation, Mauritius serves as a key hub in the Indian Ocean. There are strong, frequent connections to major African cities like Johannesburg and Nairobi, as well as to neighboring islands such as Réunion and Madagascar.
India & Asia: Mauritius maintains strong direct links with India, with regular flights from cities like Mumbai and Delhi. Further connections to the rest of Asia are primarily facilitated through hubs in the Middle East or via Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Australia: A direct flight connection is maintained with Australia, primarily serving Perth.

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