A villa with a private chef in Mauritius

There are two ways to have a chef at a villa. The first is per meal: a chef comes for the dinners you choose, cooks for the group and leaves the kitchen clean; you pay the chef's fee per dinner and the groceries at cost, either bought by you or by the chef with a small handling charge. The second is a package: half board with breakfast and dinner every day, or full board with lunch too, priced per person per night, children less. The first suits groups who also want to eat out in Grand Baie; the second suits those who want to stay in.

Examples published by villas on the island in 2026, to give an order of magnitude. Every chef sets their own price; ask for a written quote with the menu.

Half board in a hotel means a buffet or a set menu in a restaurant shared with the other guests. In a villa it means a table for your group on your own terrace, a menu agreed the day before and dinner at the time you choose. For eight people the cost per head is often comparable, and the experience is very different. Our comparison of villa or hotel in Mauritius goes further.

Ask for Mauritian cooking at least a few nights: a fish or chicken rougaille in tomato and thyme, a cari with roti, octopus curry, a vindaye of fish with mustard and turmeric, palm heart salad, gâteaux piments with the aperitif, and grilled fish of the day with a lime and chilli sauce. Chefs also cook European, Indian, Chinese and Creole food, and adapt to children and diets. Fresh fish comes from the fishermen of the north; fruit from the markets of Goodlands and Grand Baie.

Housekeeping and cooking are two different services. Housekeeping, cleaning, beds and towels, is usually included in a villa rate several days a week. A cook or a chef is almost always extra. When a listing says “staffed villa”, check what the staff does: some include a cook who prepares breakfast, others a full chef, others only cleaning. Our villa rental price guide lists what is usually included.

The villa has a fully equipped kitchen with a four-metre island, a dining table for eight inside and eight more on the covered alfresco. Housekeeping five days a week is included. A private chef is arranged on request for one dinner or the whole stay, Mauritian or European, at the chef's own price with no mark-up, and the fridge can be filled to your list before you arrive. See the living room and kitchen and the services and rates.