This post is dedicated to my twins, Aisha Marie Boyce and Robert James Boyce, who are gifts that give every day. They are precious.
The summer in Abu Dhabi is unbearably hot, sometimes remaining near 45 degrees C, even hitting 50 (over 120 F). So we were looking for a cooler place where our 15 month old twins could play outdoors. I had looked at traveling to Mauritius before, but never made it. Temperatures looked reasonable and the flight was under six hours. Never underestimate how long six hours is with children sitting on your lap. The flights are often exhausting even though the twins behave well. I also hoped to find a place where my wife wouldn’t have to prepare meals for the children.
So We planned for about 15 days in Mauritius. We found a very reasonably priced place in Mon Choisy that served breakfast and dinner buffets as part of the deal. The place was not luxurious but had a ton of outside space for the kids and served more locals than foreigners. It had a very family friendly feel and ended up being perfect. Ironically the pool was freezing cold and the sea water chilly as well. Both a surprise. Mauritius is about 1200 miles off the coast of Africa with over one million inhabitants. Over 80 percent of the population speaks creole, some French and English is spoken everywhere. It is a tremendously multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual place. Almost 50 percent practice Hinduism, about 30 percent Christianity, Some Buddhism and Islam. Mauritius provides free education through tertiary level and also provides free healthcare. Both seem of good quality. As an American I am of course envious. They were shocked that we don’t have the same. Their military is small but there is a major US base nearby on Diego Garcia. My small observation: we can send our military out in the middle of nowhere but can’t provide healthcare for our citizens. A bit of a puzzle.
We arrived in pouring down rain in the dark. Always a bit unnerving to take a taxi ride in such conditions in an unknown place, especially with babies. It turned out to be a marvellous place to play with the twins everyday and watch the sunsets every night. The resort had many forms of entertainment. Bocci balls, archery, other games. I tried paddle boarding once but it was too rough. Went snorkling to view turtles but it was cold and not so clear. The hotel had a pond with goldfish that was part of our daily itinerary as was the aquarium. The kids loved that and just walking around the grounds.
We did venture off site a few times. The capitol, Port Louis was crowded and not super attractive. The island itself has beautiful mountains, phenomenal beaches and lush vegetation. I rented a motorcycle a couple of times and explored the areas nearby. We went to the south end of the island which had some nice scenery and waterfalls…but honestly it is tiring with two young kids.
We enjoyed Mauritius a lot. It was relaxing and people were extremely pleasant and kind to our children. I would like to do more outdoor adventure activities there but this trip was not about that….although I did get to take beach walks and look at the tropical scenery daily.
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