If you’re thinking of a tropical island holiday then you may be wondering whether you should visit Mauritius or Bali?
Many people consider these islands to be the perfect honeymoon destination but if you have to choose one or the other, which makes the most sense?
Well, we’ve broken down the differences between the two islands into clear categories that should help you make an informed decision between Bali and Mauritius.
Bali In Brief: What’s It Like?
Bali is the Hindu enclave of Indonesia and it has a unique culture that is famous throughout the world.
There are beaches, coral reefs and some of the best surfing in the world. The island has a reputation for wild parties but there are plenty of family-friendly spots too.
It’s a big place and you can enjoy packed beach towns or areas of outstanding natural beauty with barely a soul in sight too.
There are a large number of cultural and tourist attractions on the island and it’s become one of the most popular places to visit in Southeast Asia in recent years.
Mauritius In Brief: What’s It Like?
Mauritius is a cosmopolitan but conservative island in the Indian Ocean near Africa. It’s famous for its beaches, reefs and lagoons.
It has an attractive interior with mountains, hiking trails, interesting wildlife and three national parks.
It’s best known for the luxury resorts and high-end tourists that visit the island but there are definitely options for lower budget travellers too.
The biggest downside of Mauritius is that due to its location, it can be very pricey when compared to other destinations.
Mauritius Vs Bali: A Head-To-Head Comparison
We’ve weighed up a series of categories that we think are relevant to making a decision on which island to visit.
We would like to stress before we begin that these are both wonderful tropical destinations and we don’t think you will have a bad time in either place.
However, we think it’s easier to make a travel decision when you have a list of useful factors to compare in your decision-making process.
Beaches In Bali Vs Beaches In Mauritius
It’s fair to say that most people consider Mauritius to have some of the best beaches in the world.
The island is in a part of the ocean a long way from everywhere else and its white sand beaches see much less rubbish wash up onshore than Bali does.
Most visitors to Mauritius are there for the island’s beaches and they don’t disappoint. Powder soft sand that goes on forever is a standard feature of the beaches there.
Bali has some varied beaches with both white and black sand beaches available to visitors.
However, there are pollution issues that require regular maintenance from local communities to ensure the beaches are as clean as necessary.
Overall, this is close but we think if you just want a beach holiday, you will prefer the beaches in Mauritius over those in Bali.
However, Bali definitely has the world’s best beach club in FINNS and if you want to party on the beach, you might be happiest in Bali.
Water Sports (Including Scuba Diving) In Bali Vs Mauritius
Mauritius is one of the world’s top destinations for diving. In fact, the marine life around this tropical island is incredible and spending time under the ocean waves is an absolute must for the majority of visitors.
There are no water sports that they don’t cater for in the country and there’s no doubt that you can access world-class equipment and instruction for them in Mauritius too.
Bali is also a popular water sports destination and you can certainly find plenty of amazing dive sites or surfing spots.
However, the marine environment is not as pristine as it is in Mauritius and in the wet season, you may find that the water gets a bit too cloudy for scuba diving.
It is cheaper to learn water sports in Bali than in Mauritius though and that may make the difference when booking a family holiday.
Overall, Mauritius edges this category but it’s not a big gap and you can certainly enjoy the underwater environment in both places.
Safety In Mauritius Vs Bali
Mauritius has three national parks and Bali has only one national park though West Bali National Park covers more land area than the three parks in Mauritius combined.
However, once you put these to one side, you will find that there is a lot more to do in Bali than there is in Mauritius. As you will find from our list of 101 things to do in Bali.
That list is not a definitive list of everything to do on the island, it’s a starting point. Bali is the kind of place where you could spend a life time and not exhaust everything there is to do.
This is, of course, as much because of the relative size of the two islands as anything else. Bali is all about tourist attractions and has been a staple of the Australian holiday-making scene for a long time, now.
Mauritius, on the other hand, is far less accessible than Bali and, for most people, just getting there is extremely expensive. It has to focus fewer resources on a different holiday market and most people go to Mauritius to spend their time in the water.
This is a fairly easy win for Bali, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do in Mauritius, just that Bali is better set up for activities.
Mauritius Vs Bali For Nightlife
Mauritius isn’t famous for its nightlife but there is still plenty of fun to be had in the cities during the twilight hours.
The island hosts plenty of bars, clubs, etc. and there’s no doubt that you can party hard there. However, as with many places with a mix of religions, the taxes on alcohol are high and the costs of importing booze here is expensive in the first place.
Thus, while it has a great nightlife culture, you are going to pay quite a lot of money to party every night in Mauritius.
Bali is famous for its nightlife and deservedly so. The island has an amazing variety of places to go from FINNS Beach Club, the world’s best beach club, to night clubs, bars, beach parties and much more.
It’s not the cheapest part of Southeast Asia to drink in, mind you, as Indonesia also has a religious mix that frowns on drinking, but it is cheaper than Mauritius.
Overall, this is a win for Bali and there’s no doubt that one of Bali’s big draws is its accessible and vibrant nightlife.
Mauritius Vs Bali For Culture
Mauritius has a unique culture. The small island is a blend of various ethnic and religious groups and this has given rise to a friendly and open nature among the islanders.
Dancing and music are the most common expressions of culture and the “sega” is a very well-known folk dance that is highly suggestive and incorporates hip and arm thrusting movements.
As with Bali, the majority of Mauritians are Hindu, but only just over half of the island is Hindu with the rest of the population identifying as Christian or Muslim.
Bali’s culture, on the other hand, is world-famous. The Hindu enclave in the world’s fourth-largest nation and the world’s largest Muslim nation is easy to contrast with its neighbours.
Its history runs back over 1,000 years and the island is full of temples, art, museums and, yes, dancing and other crafts are a big part of Balinese life too.
This is very close to call and there’s no doubt both these places have fascinating cultures, but we think that Bali just edges it.
Mauritius Vs Bali For Dining And Food
Mauritian Cuisine as you might expect incorporates a lot of sea food but the island has an intriguing cooking culture that has been influenced by African, Indian, European and Chinese food cultures.
There are plenty of excellent restaurants on the island too and Le Château de Bel Ombre is often considered to be one of the best eateries on Earth.
However, Balinese cuisine is more varied and it draws on Indonesian and Southeast Asian, Chinese and Indian cooking cultures.
As a Hindu enclave, there’s a lot of pork in the Balinese diet (and plenty of fish) with a lot of plant-based options too.
Bali is also home to some of the finest restaurants on the planet (it’s an essential part of making the island the right place to hold the title of “the most \$1,000 or above hotel rooms on Earth”).
It’s also got excellent street food, local warungs and mid-tier restaurants to suit the budgets of all holidaymakers.
There’s no doubt you can enjoy an amazing meal on either island but we think Bali takes this title as it simply has more choice and variety and is better value for money.
Do You Visit Bali Or Mauritius For Aesthetics?
Mauritius is often considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and there’s no doubt that nobody is going to be visually offended by the island.
Yes, its cities are still developing and aren’t always the prettiest places but most visitors to Mauritius are going to be staying in resorts near the island’s beaches and won’t care about this.
Bali, on the other hand, is often referred to as a paradise island and it certainly has a bigger variety of beautiful environments than Mauritius.
Some of the more developed parts of Bali are not the prettiest, however, and there’s no doubt that areas like Kuta and Seminyak could use a bit of a facelift now.
Overall, this category is a tie but it could go either way, both islands are beautiful and you could certainly spend time in both places without ever wanting to be elsewhere.
Bang For Buck: Mauritius Vs Bali
Mauritius is not your typical holiday destination and just getting there is going to be very expensive for most people (its location near Africa doesn’t explain the cost of flights, mind you – some of that is down to taxes and the “niche” nature of the island as a destination).
The resorts on the island including the on-water villas are also much more expensive than in Bali and Port Louis is far more expensive than Denpasar as a capital city.
Bali, on the other hand, has been on the backpacker trail for decades and that’s because it’s well-known for its value for money.
Whether you intend to go dolphin watching or spend your time partying at the night clubs on the island, it’s going to be cheaper than it is in most of the West.
You can spend more in Bali, of course, the island’s premier 5-star resorts are not cheap, but you can also enjoy a backpacker lifestyle without struggling on the island.
Thus, this is a category with an easy win for Bali. The only thing that lets Bali down is that you don’t get a free visa in Bali as you do in Mauritius but the overall cost of a stay will more than compensate for the cost of a visa.
Shopping In Mauritius Vs Bali
Mauritius is a nice place to pick up some souvenirs and if you visit malls and stores aimed at the local populace, you can certainly sniff out some clothing bargains.
However, there’s no doubt that overall, the majority of imported products are expensive because of the distance they have to travel to reach Mauritius and most people don’t visit Mauritius with empty suitcases intending to fill them on the island.
Bali is a very popular shopping destination and people often travel from Australia with the intention of buying designer wear in Bali where it’s substantially cheaper than it is at home.
There are things in Bali that aren’t cheap, mind you, and products imported from overseas, such as electronic items are often poor value for money when compared to other parts of Southeast Asia.
However, there’s no doubt that if you’re into shopping that Bali has more shops, better prices and a wider selection of goods to choose from than you will find in Mauritius and that means Bali wins this category.
Which Island Is Best For Digital Nomads? Bali or Mauritius?
Mauritius is a good spot for digital nomads and the island has a decent one-year visa scheme for those seeking to stay for a while (this visa is also renewable for a second year without leaving the island).
The internet and electricity are reasonably reliable, though the internet speeds aren’t the greatest on the island. You will also find that there are coworking and coliving options in Mauritius.
However, Bali is a “digital nomad Mecca” and that means if you come to Bali you will be overwhelmed with coliving and coworking options.
Canggu and Ubud are the island’s digital nomad hotspots but there are few places that don’t have, at least, one coworking space now.
The big advantage of this is that it’s easy to network with other digital nomads in Bali, whereas you may find this much more challenging in Mauritius.
The downside of Bali for nomads is that it’s digital nomad visa program still hasn’t started issuing visas and thus, visa runs every 6 months are mandatory for most. However, given that a flight to KL is cheap -this isn’t the end of the world.
Overall, Bali takes this category but it’s tighter than it might first seem and Mauritius is very digital nomad-friendly.
Which Is The Best Place For Expats? Bali Or Mauritius?
Mauritius has not been an expat hotspot but there’s no doubt that it’s a good place for expats especially for those that speak French and English.
However, expat salaries on the island are very low (with an average of $10,000 USD – $15,000 AUD annually) compared to most other locations and the majority of expats arrive from India or Africa.
Bali is very popular with expats. The thriving hospitality industry provides plenty of work for senior professionals and Indonesia’s retirement visa program sees many more moving to the island.
Expat salaries are not generous compared to the Middle East or Europe but they are much higher, on average, than in Mauritius and are compensated for by the low overall cost of living and high-quality facilities in Bali.
Overall, it’s easy to see that there are far more Western expats in Bali than Mauritius and Bali wins this category and, for now, by a reasonable distance too.
Overall Mauritius Vs Bali
So, Mauritius took the title for the best beaches and the best water sports.
The islands are tied for aesthetics.
And Bali won the best nightlife, best cultural experience, best food culture, value for money, best shopping, the safest place to be and was best for digital nomads and expats alike.
Thus, by the measure of our head-to-head analysis, Bali is going to be the preferred island destination for most tourists.
As we said at the start of this article, they’re both great places to visit, but there’s no doubt that a trip to Mauritius is going to cost substantially more than one to Bali for most people and there is less to do in Mauritius than in Bali.
FAQs
Is Bali Or Mauritius Cheaper?
Overall, Bali is going to be easier on the wallet than Mauritius. Both the places have luxury resorts and you can spend as much as you want in either location.
However, on a like-for-like basis, you will find that a luxury resort in Bali is better value for money than it is in Mauritius and the overall costs of day-to-day items are going to be cheaper.
That’s why many people prefer Bali for a family holiday. It’s great for nature lovers, has beautiful beaches, and adventure activities, and has plenty of tourist attractions at reasonable prices.
Which Is Nicer Bali Or Maldives?
Both these places are home to some extraordinary scenic beauty but Bali offers the best value for money and if you intend to spend most of your time on land, it’s a no-brainer to recommend Bali.
There’s much more to do and see and the beautiful island by the Indian Ocean is amazing to explore.
However, Mauritius offers the better experience if you want to spend all of your time scuba diving and exploring the underwater environment. You can find some awesome on-water villas there too. This part of the Arabian Sea is very nice, indeed.
We should also note that Mauritius has a free visa where you have to pay for a visa to Bali which can offset some of the additional expenses on accomodation and sophisticated cocktails.
If you’re into city living, however, neither country is the best place for a holiday and both Port Louis and Denpasar aren’t great holiday destinations.
Is It Worth Going From Bali To Mauritius?
You’re going to find that if you visit Mauritius from Bali that it’s a long way and it’s expensive to get there. There are no direct flights between the two islands and the cheapest indirect flights are about $1,500 (USD) or $2,250 (AUD) round trip but take over 30 hours to get you to Port Louis.
If you want a faster trip, it can be done in just 22 hours and it will cost over $3,000 USD or $4,000 AUD!
So, you will need to factor that into your decision regarding whether it’s worth visiting both Mauritius and Bali in one trip.
In our opinion, these distances make this journey quite impractical and there are other nice island destinations that are closer to Bali. You’re probably only going to travel that far and at that cost if your heart is absolutely set on Mauritius.
What Is Special About Bali?
There are a lot of good reasons to spend time in Bali the stunning natural beauty of the island, its amazing heritage (places like Tanah Lot Temple and Besakih Temple), its wildlife and monkey forests, the beautiful beaches, the jungles and rainforests, crystal clear inland lakes and mighty volcanoes.
But what makes Bali special is its people. There is nowhere on Earth that will give you such a warm welcome and treat you with such compassion and kindness as the people of Bali will.
Final Thoughts On Both Mauritius And Bali
As you can see from our breakdown, we think that Bali is the best place to make beautiful memories with the special folk in your life.
Even in the rainy season, this beautiful island has plenty to offer visitors and whether you’re looking for a honeymoon destination or a family-oriented holiday, you can enjoy yourself in Bali.
Having said that, if you have the money to visit Mauritius and you want to spend most of your time diving to the sea bed and enjoying water sports, you will have a great time there too.
But if you have to pick one of these places, Bali is a no-brainer, and it’s why FINNS, the world’s best beach club, is in Bali.
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