Africa

Many years ago we published an article about the Top 10 Things to Do in Mauritius when researching our dream destinations around the world. It ended up being one of the most popular articles on this site.

Naturally, when we realized we were actually getting to visit this beautiful island nation, we used that post as one of our resources in planning our itinerary during our stay.

With a rental in hand from Maki Car Rentals to make driving in Mauritius a breeze, we developed a new must-see list during our stay on the island.  This time, however, all of the attractions are oriented by those you can visit, and in some cases only visit, via car.

The best part about this list is that they are all Living the Dream approved as they are attractions we personally explored during our stay in Mauritius!

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Meet the “banana mobile.”

This tricked out convertible Mini Cooper Works from our friends at Maki Rental Cars was our mode of transport for an incredible five-day journey checking out the things to see in Mauritius.

With a GPS in hand, reservations at two Mauritius hotels (Bon Azur and the Hilton Mauritius) and a long list of attractions to visit, we made it our goal to see the side of Mauritius you don’t get when sitting idly by at a fancy resort.

But what is it like to drive in this island nation located in the middle of the Indian ocean?  As it turns out, it is not that bad at all!

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In our third travel rewards credit card point redemption we ended up in a destination quite unexpected for this itinerary.

The tiny island of Mauritius was never on our hit list for this trip, primarily because we never saw a way to incorporate a flight to this coveted paradise without busting our budget.

But as it turned out, when flying from Mumbai to Cape Town, the carrier Air Mauritius was the cheapest for our dates (~$650 per ticket- still the most cost-effective in the long run).

The best part? Stopovers on this tropical island nation are allowed at no extra charge!

When we saw a Hilton room was available on a beautiful beach for 40,000 points per night, well within our remaining points balance, we decided to book three nights and increase our overall stay on the island to five.

A free hotel stay, no extra charge on our plane tickets, and a beautiful island paradise?  I challenge anyone to say no to that, even if it does mean a bit of a splurge on the remaining days.

But how does the Hilton Mauritius stack up to our other rewards at the Hilton Dubrovnik and Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Residences? 

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