From the airport to Mont Choisy: transfer or car hire

The airport sits at Plaine Magnien, near Mahébourg. The motorway runs from the terminal north through the centre of the island, skirts Port Louis by the Terre Rouge link road and continues to Grand Baie. The whole way is dual carriageway apart from the last few kilometres. Outside rush hour it takes about an hour; between seven and nine in the morning and four and six in the evening, the Port Louis section adds fifteen to twenty minutes. Flights from Europe land in the late morning or early afternoon, which is the easy window.

The simplest option. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall with your name, loads the luggage and drives you to the villa, where our housekeeper hands over the keys. For a family with children and bags after a twelve-hour flight it is worth every rupee. Count on roughly 50 to 70 euros each way for a car up to four passengers and 70 to 100 euros for a minibus up to eight; the price is agreed in advance and paid to the driver. Tell us your flight number when you book and we take care of the rest, including delays.

Licensed taxis wait outside arrivals with a counter inside the hall that quotes fixed prices by destination. To Grand Baie or Mont Choisy, expect around 2,000 to 2,800 rupees, roughly 40 to 55 euros, for a standard car. Agree the price before loading the bags. Payment is in rupees or sometimes euros; cards are not the rule. It works, but with a big group the private minibus is easier.

All the international brands and a dozen local firms have desks at the terminal or deliver to the car park. A small automatic costs from about 30 to 45 euros a day in 2026, an SUV from 50 to 70, less for a week or more. Local firms are often cheaper and just as reliable; book online before you leave and check that the price includes insurance with a reasonable excess. A standard European, British or South African licence is accepted; an international permit is not required for stays under four weeks. The villa has a covered carport for two cars and room for two more on the drive.

Driving is on the left, as in the UK. Speed limits are 110 km/h on the motorway, 80 on open roads and 40 in villages, with fixed cameras on the motorway. Roads in the north are good; in the villages they are narrow, with pedestrians, dogs and buses that stop without warning. Mauritian drivers are relaxed rather than aggressive. Fuel is sold by the litre at fixed national prices, around 60 to 70 rupees. Google Maps works well across the island. Avoid driving in heavy rain if you can, since some roads flood briefly.

For a week on the beaches, with a catamaran day and evenings in Grand Baie, not really: the beach is a twenty-minute walk and everything else is a ten-minute taxi. Taxis are plentiful, and a driver can be booked for a full day of touring at around 80 to 100 euros. For visiting the west, the south or Port Louis on your own schedule, a car is more comfortable. Many guests take one for part of the stay only, delivered to the villa and collected there, which the local firms do at no extra charge.