Moving to Mauritius with tons of questions

Jeppo-baci · by **Jeppo-baci** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:08

Hello from Southern California,

I am an Asian who is currently live in USA with My husband and 2 years old son. My husband is going to re-locate to Mauritius soon. :cool:

I, like other Expats who has so many questions prior to the movingand wish someone could help to answer :) I read all the furum all the way back to page 23 but still could not find the answer for some of my questions :

1. Do people use Dryer for thrie laundry? (I only saw washer in the house)
2. If i want to bring dryer from USA to the Island, will it work?
3. Is there dish-washer in the furnished house for rent?
4. Will TV and Computer from USA work there?
5. Is there any Asian market that I can get Asian food/ grocery?
6. How much is the live-in maid cost monthly?
7. Is there any website for the newer house for rent?
8. I saw all the houses feature with Alam, is it that "not safe" ? (I mean had lived in Japan and CA, we need not to lock the house in daytime. There is no pick pocket, no begger, no robbery , etc
9. How is the hospital ?
10. How is the dentist?
11. Stuffs at the Grocery store are local brands or internation brands?
12. Is it a kids friendly country? i.e., walk path for stroller, kids menu, kids stores, etc
13. Is internet connection got better?

Thank you so much for your help and share a wonderful info, thought, idea.... :-)

thermo · by **thermo** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 15:31

Jeppo-baci wrote:1. Do people use Dryer for thrie laundry? (I only saw washer in the house)
2. If i want to bring dryer from USA to the Island, will it work?
3. Is there dish-washer in the furnished house for rent?
4. Will TV and Computer from USA work there?
5. Is there any Asian market that I can get Asian food/ grocery?
6. How much is the live-in maid cost monthly?
7. Is there any website for the newer house for rent?
8. I saw all the houses feature with Alam, is it that "not safe" ? (I mean had lived in Japan and CA, we need not to lock the house in daytime. There is no pick pocket, no begger, no robbery , etc
9. How is the hospital ?
10. How is the dentist?
11. Stuffs at the Grocery store are local brands or internation brands?
12. Is it a kids friendly country? i.e., walk path for stroller, kids menu, kids stores, etc
13. Is internet connection got better?

1. No, it is hung outside to dry, but you must be aware of rainfall.
2. Voltage is 220/240V. If the drier can use that voltage, then yes. But see 1. - a drier is un-necessary.
4. No idea if the signal is the same for a TV. Probably not. Computer will work if the power supply can accept 220/240V.
5. Asia is a big place. You can pretty much find all sorts of 'asian' food.
7. See servihoo.com, but the adverts cater mainly for tourists, though there are some long term rentals now and again.
8. Touristy/coastal areas tend to be more prone to burglaries, but any house where foreigners are known to be living tends to become a more attractive target.
11. Lots of goods are imported, some are made locally. I think mauritius is a net importer though.
12. yes and no - mauritius is not as advanced as USA/Europe etc..

ud · by ud » Sun Mar 09, 2008 16:23

Hi Jeppo-baci,

Just wanted to add some comments on top of good old thermo's top tips.

1- As said, the sunny condition in Mauritius should be great to just hang the clothes in the garden and they should dry in a couple of hours.

2- Mauritius is based on European Electrical Appliance standards and uses 220/250V @ 50hz unlike in the United States, most standard home electrical circuits are on a 120-volt line/60Hz, so unless it comes with an variable adapter plug, it won't work.

3- A Dishwasher is not a common commodity in most households (perhaps considered a higher class item) but sold anyway in most electrical appliance retailers.

4- Same goes for powering EU/USA norms as mentioned for Dryer plug.

5- Mauritius inherits most of its cultural background from Asia, so you will be surprised to see that all the food/grocery shops have everything that you need.

6- A maid doing like 20hrs weekly will cost you around Rs5000 monthly - It would definetely cost you less than 250USD

7 - Some websites with properties for rents are:

http://www.seeff.com

http://www.pamgolding.co.za/mauritius

www.soprogesltee.com

www.parklane-mu.com

or if you understand French, the local newspaper advert section:

http://www.lexpress.mu/petites_annonces.php

8- Just for your knowledge, It is regulation in the UK for your house to be alarmed. That does not mean it is unsafe! See what I mean? The world is not the place it used to be anymore. Over these last years, there has been a rise in robberies; even tourists have not been spared. It is therefore always good practice to have an alarm system installed, lock all your doors and padlock them when you're not at home and even check on your maid!!! There are beggars...like anywhere else in the world.

9- There are hospitals and private clinics. Most people who have just moved to mauritius complain about the service from Hospitals and tend to get their treatment privately. That is up to you. The waiting list is not that long as compared to Europe.

10- You would be surprised that dental treatment in mauritius is to a very high standar with people coming from all over the world for thei holidays taking the opportunity to have dental treatment. It is apparently cheaper.

11- Both local and international brands from mainly India, Australia and South Africa

12- Yes it is - some playgrounds here and there, a waterpark, shopping centres e.t.c but always keep an eye on them

13 - Don't even ask, we've got one of the worst internet connection ever which is supposingly equivalent to 1Mbps ADSL but it's enough for checking mails, reading the newspapers and general internet surfing but really crap at downloading movies and music. It just take ages!!!

Hope this helps

udester

kantor · by **kantor** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:23

With the dryer being replaced by the sun, I think the dish-washer is replaced by the maid :wink)

Just curious: Are you really relocating to a country where you've never been before? That's tough! I wish you luck with this "Culture Shock Mauritius". By the way there is book with this title, maybe worth reading for you.

Jeppo-baci · by **Jeppo-baci** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:53

Thank you so much for all reply...

ud... Thank you for all the Real Estate Link, I guess I will have more idea when we are physically there. Plus I have no idea about the location of the house. Seem like Port Louis is a happening area. We have quite a high budget for housing, do you know it those appliances are include in the upmarket houses?

Thermo.. Thank you for taking your time to answer all my quetions. I am glad to know that Asia is a big community their.

kantor...Thank you about the recomendation about the book. Will definitely get that book before we move. I am excited to move to Mauritius. Saw from the pictures, it is like heaven on earth. Fresh produces from the market look great. But I am prepare myself for the culture shock too....

kantor · by **kantor** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 0:03

Expats don't live in Port Louis, some say it's even dangerous to be there in the night. Most expats live either in the north (Grand Bay/Trou aux Biches/Perybere/Cap Malheureux) or in the west (Flic-en-Flac/Tamarin). For a quick generalization: The north is more lively (main tourist hotspot), the west is quieter. Of course, consider where your husband will work, crossing congested Port Louis during rushhour is nothing he wants to do every day...

caroldye · by **caroldye** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 15:02

Well done for moving to Mauritius, it is TRULY heaven on earth! I am in my early 50s and have travelled the world extensively, visiting Mauritius for the 1st time last November and return very soon for conference and 3 week holiday. The people/atmosphere and variety of cultures and religions are immediately apparent and how happy/content everyone is... I cannot wait to relocate to the island from UK, and am working towards that end. I too would suggest the north of island OR west/east coast as less rainfall occurs. Grand Baie and the North Pereybere beach are fantastic and the atmosphere on weekends with Mauritian/Indian/Chinese families on beaches is just great! I am sure you and your family will be very happy.

han_jakarta · by **han_jakarta** » Fri May 02, 2008 17:12

Dear Jeppo-baci & all who replied..

Thank you so much for asking and thank you for answering them in details.. Wow! I am so glad to have found this forum. These tons of questions were also in my mind. Except for the dryer.. because hanging the laundry to dry is exactly what we do here in Indonesia :D

I feel more and more optimistic and excited to move to Mauritius. At first I thought it would be very hot there, but hey.. it's 30 degree C almost every day here in Jakarta (other days even more than that!) :mrgreen:

so twenty something would be cool for us, I believe :wink)

What about water and electricity.. how much do we have to pay for the usage (monthly, is it) ? If we live in an apartment, what is the average - maximum usage of electricity? (please pardon my English grammar, I hope you understand what I mean :O)

For example, here in Jakarta I lived in a house with maximum usage of 2200 watt, so we can't have the air conditioner, washing machine and oven running at the same time :lol:

Jeppo-baci, I really hope that one day we can meet in Mauritius.

to all, again, thank you so much for sharing.. all infos really mean a lot