This year I was lucky enough to go to two paradise on earth : Mauritius and Maldives.
Many people asked me which destination I liked better. Mauritius or Maldives
Mauritius VS Maldives in terms of beaches
In terms of waters both Maldives and Mauritius have those amazing turquoise water and lagoons. In Maldives you will mostly stay on a resort island and you will therefore use the beach of your resort. Depending on the size of the hotel the beach will be more or less long as well as more or less crowded.
Iy you decide to stay on a local island in the Maldives, there will be a tourist beach where you can be in your bikini otherwise, women will need to bath in clothes as Maldives are a muslim country.
In Mauritius you will have the choice between public beaches and your resort beach if you stay in an hotel by the beach. There are many public beaches in Mauritius and some of them like Le Morne beach or Flic en Flac are long white sand beaches with turquoise waters . Read more about the best beaches in Mauritius here.
Mauritius VS Maldives in term of activities
A lot of people who want to go to Maldives are also scared that they might be bored after a few days. Indeed on the Maldives you will mostly stay on your resort island. Also here it all depends on your resort. Some resorts have many options in terms of activities, restaurants, nightlife etc while some other have only one restaurant and a few activities available. Also if you stay on a resort island, you might have less choices. But it all depends on what you want. If you are more the sportive type, Mauritius might be a better option. The island is big and diverse and you can do many activities from hiking to kite surfing, etc. For more informations, you can read my article about the top 10 activities in Mauritius.
Mauritius VS Maldives in terms of sea life
Unfortunately I did not go diving in Mauritius but dived in Maldives and this was by far the most amazing experience I had : diving with sharks on Fulidhoo Island.
For snorkeling both Maldives and Mauritius are great. In Maldives you have literally sea life all around. You will see tons of colourful fishes and little reef sharks everywhere while in Mauritius you will need to go to certain places to really have some sea life as many corals are damaged. The south of the island is great for snorkeling. A great spot is Blue Bay marine park, a protected marine park with a lot of sea life. Also in the South it is possible to swim with wild dolphins.
Mauritius VS Maldives in terms of budget
A lot of people think that both destinations are really expensive. Actually you can enjoy both Mauritius and Maldives on a budget.The most expensive will be the flight but you can always find good options with Qatar Airways. To me it’s the best airline it terms of price and quality!
In Maldives you can stay on a resort island or if your budget option is limited you can stay in a bed and breakfast on a local island. You can access the local islands via ferry or speed boat and you will find affordable accommodation. Not much luxury though. Also I think a few days on a local island is very interesting as you can see how Maldivians live and immerge into their culture. I really enjoyed Fulidhoo island.
For resort islands, you can read my review of stay at :
- Kuramathi, an island accessible via speedboat or seaplane – perfect for families or people who are scared to be bored
- Maafushivaru, an intimist island accessible via seaplane and perfect to see Whale Shark
- Faafushivaru, a new resort opened in 2019, intimist and with incredible design
- Shangri La, a resort in the very south of the Maldives. Situated on the equator it is the perfect destination if you travel off season – there are also plenty of activities to do
In Mauritius you will have more options in terms of accommodation. You can find bed and breakfasts, campings and affordable hotels but you will need to plan a budget for a rent a car or taxi as public transportation is not optimal.
Mauritius or Maldives? Fazit
It is really difficult to pick a destination over another as both have different things to offer and it all depends on what you want. I would definitely go back to both Mauritius and Maldives are both are really paradise on earth!