Customer Reviews

Mauritius Reunion & Seychelles (Lonely Planet)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I booked a tour to Mauritius in May-June 2004. Although I went with a travel agency, this book proved to be indispensable. I am rating it a five star based on my Mauritius experience only.

First and foremost, this guide provides a detailed map, essential for locating yourself on the island.
The book also provides true and accurate description of the various attractions and things to do.
The traveling tips concerning transportation, food and local culture were extremely helpful and saved me precious vacation time.
On top of all this, it provides a wealth of information on hotels and restaurants.

My advice:
- The prices in the book might be a little off now. It seems that the local currency, the Rupee, is pegged to the Euro which makes this island more expensive for US travelers (advice based on the currency conversion as we speak)
- Beware of tourist shops, their prices are 5 times the price you can get for the same item on the popular market.
- Go visit the popular markets, you will find nice exotic hand crafted items and some world renowned vanilla beans.
- Take hiking trips, there is some breath taking scenery out there
- And of course, take advantage of the magnificent beaches and water activities

This book is well organized and written. Of the three nations covered, I was most interested in the part of the book on the Seychelles. Unfourtunately, that was the least covered place. I found the other book I ordered: The Bradt Travel Guide to the Seychelles, more to my liking.

This applies to Mauritius & Reunion ONLY. We have not been to the Seychelles, so I can't say whether this is useful for there.

Excellent little guide for a family traveling in these volcanic islands. We used the guide for both Mauritius and Reunion and found it to be very good, accurate, reliable, and insightful. Many of the favorite activities and special features (often fully described in text boxes) became our favorites as well.

A single flaw was that in keeping with Lonely Planet's origins as a backpacker and youth hostel market focus, much is made of public transportation in these locations. In Reunion in particular public transportation exists, is adequate, inexpensive, but is a time consuming method of getting around. Considering that we spent ten days in a rental economy car and barely consumed 20 liters of gasoline, all but the most pure of the ecotourists would find that an acceptable trade off on carbon footprint for four people getting around. LP should say so up front: rent a car if you want to reasonably explore the island's joys.

Restaurants, maps, activities, sites, hikes, transportation and hotels were all as described. The off-the-beaten path suggestions were often the best in Reunion (Gite de Theophane will always be remebered).

LP consistently puts out an excellent product, and I highly recommend this guide.

I have been reading stories that refer to Reunion Island, and I knew nothing about it. Thanks to this book, I'm not exactly walking the streets of Saint-Denis, but I'm pretty close, and it's helped a lot. I don't think my fractured French would be much help if I was really there, but it's nice to read about. It's certainly better than any other source I've found for learning about Mauritius, Reunion, or the Seychelles, guidebook or not!