Mauritius vs Thailand vs other?

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Toitjie

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Hi,

The SO and I are finally financially stable enough to go overseas and have fun and experience the world.

This will be our first time going overseas (lesotho doesnt count).

My question is, where to go to? That will provide us with the ultimate experience, to want to travel again.

Which continent/country/who knows what, will provide us with the best memories/experiences.

For now, lets say budget isn't a problem (although in reality it always is :P)

edit: Also forgot to mention, we both have our passports (as we needed it for lesotho), what other docs are required to go into another country? a visa? and roughly the prices?
 
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Also forgot to mention, we both have our passports (as we needed it for lesotho), what other docs are required to go into another country? a visa? and roughly the prices?
 
Mauritius is more of a relaxing holiday, but there's still lots to do.

Thailand is more vibey, much more to do. Some lovely sights as well.

My order of preference would be as follows:
- Going with the SO -> Mauritius
- Going with the mates -> Thailand
 
Thailand - got to be one of the best holidays I've ever had. 1st time was all-inclusive, fully catered, 10-night-for-the-price-of-7 type thing ... last time we went for 4 weeks, just bought return airfares and hotel accommodation in Bankok first 2 nights and last 2 nights we were there. Rest of the time we traveled and organised places to stay depending on our mood for the day . Just me and the wench and we never went without a meal or a roof over our heads
 
Toitjie said:
Also forgot to mention, we both have our passports (as we needed it for lesotho), what other docs are required to go into another country? a visa? and roughly the prices?
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Depends,you don't need a visa for Mauritius if you both are South African.
 
For one, if you want to travel, you already have the bug, you don't need a destination that will make you want to travel ;)

OK, so the flights to MU are horrendously expensive when compared to other destinations. I'm pricing flights for Dec and it's working out to 23K pp return from CPT. I paid R6k 3 years when I went there 3 yrs ago. That being said, MU is a lot closer than Thailand, so you're not in a plane(s) for up to 24 hours.

MU is also becoming very expensive, so Thailand may work out cheaper overall, especially if you do the self-catering thing. However, MU does not do backpacking, whereas Thailand does.

MU is a small island, and you can easily visit the entire island in about a week. A week in Thailand means you will be seeing very little of it, so you are bound to go back.

MU is mostly a beach destination, whereas Thailand has beaches and other attractions.

I would suggest you get the Lonely Planet book on Thailand and then compare to MU.
 
A very nice find about visa's on wikipedia... clickky

Hmm, Another question, is it better to book places then booking flights or looking at a deal ie flight centre has to offer?
 
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Out of season Zanzibar is also something worth looking at if you are after an island type trip
 
We enjoyed Thailand on our honeymoon a lot. We were inly in phuket though. We were busy the whole time (on excursions, I should add). Quite enjoyed it. Could afford most eveything
 
is it better to book places then booking flights or looking at a deal ie flight centre has to offer?
 
Toitjie said:
is it better to book places then booking flights or looking at a deal ie flight centre has to offer?
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Deals generally work out cheaper if you do the all-inclusive hotel deals. I mean, at the moment you can get a 7-night all-inc. stay in a 4-star hotel in MU for 16Kpp, which is not much more than the flight alone.

As McSack mentioned, Zanzibar is also a great destination. A bit more expensive than MU, since everything is priced in US$ and there isn't public transport to get around. Also a bit harder to do your own thing since no one really speaks English except the guides and hotel staff.

Have you considered just packing the car and heading to Namibia? I see you're in JHB, so Botswana is closer for you. You could rent a camper and go touring for a couple of weeks.
 
I see a lot of amazing packages to places like Thailand and have had some family that went and really loved it. All inclusive packages etc are awesome.
 
Naks said:
Have you considered just packing the car and heading to Namibia? I see you're in JHB, so Botswana is closer for you. You could rent a camper and go touring for a couple of weeks.
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I definitely think I will go there one day, but for now we want to go over the sea :P Will however keep that in mind!
 
Toitjie said:
I definitely think I will go there one day, but for now we want to go over the sea :P Will however keep that in mind!
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Seeing as this will be your first beach holiday, I would recommend MU. It's friendly, people understand English and there is public transport to do things on your own.

You can do the hotel thing, or you can find self-catering flats online and do your own thing.
 
I'm surprised nobody mentioned the best island destination on the planet "maldives".

Sure its more pricey but its also THE best destination for an island get away and if all the global warming tree huggers are to be believed then it might not exist in a few years since its on average 2 meters above sea level.

Trust me Thailand and Mauritius have nothing on "the maldives".And you said money is no object lol be sure to take lotsa pics to share with us when you get back!
 
Mauritius is very nice - some things can get a bit pricey but obviously everyone tries to take the tourists for a ride. it's cheap for flights during low season. I went in August last year and got a return ticket for R4900. Knew people there so was lucky I didn't pay for accommodation and most food. Haggle with the people and don't let them take advantage.

Zanzibar is a nice place too - very cheap for everything! Also just haggle with the locals (told them I'm from SA and they drop their prices by half). Got a plate of 5 king prawns (biggest I've ever seen in my life) and a plate full of rice for R60.00. Also cokes for $1 rather than $4-$5 at the hotel. The whole island is basically poor people who live in run down houses so going around most areas by yourself I wouldn't advise, especially at night!

Mozambique - Great place, cheapish prices and the weather is fantastic! Went to do my open water dive course at Ponta do Oura about 3 months ago and was just fantastic! Did it at DevOcean Diving. If you can get a month off work they currently running a special for a month which gets you accommodation for the month, food, open water course and advanced course for R9999 which is dirt dirt cheap!
 
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