How to Rent Villas in Mauritius
In Mauritius, an island 500 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, a villa rental can mean many things. Numerous hotels, like the Casuarina Hotel, Oberoi Hotel Mauritius, and the Constance Belle Mare Plage Villas, have individual buildings or bungalows and brand these as villa rentals. Other villa rentals are single apartments in a larger complex.
Villas offer the independence and relative isolation of renting your own vacation house.
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Instructions
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Identify a villa you are interested in. Elegant Destinations and MauriClick websites feature properties in Mauritius and have U.S. phone numbers for reservations. Other sites, such as Villa Mauritius, Owners Direct and Villa Rentals, have online contact forms and will get back to you within 24 hours.
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Determine the actual number of bedrooms and beds, to see if a property is appropriate for your needs. Listings will often say a villa sleeps a certain number of people, but that may include fold out couches or bunk beds. Check on the number of king, queen, and double beds to see if the villa can accommodate everyone in your group.
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Make a list of your requirements and call the rental company. Know your priorities, such as beach proximity, cook service, inclusive car rental or airport transfers, before you call. The booking agents typically have more information on available properties than what you see on the website, and they can recommend other properties that aren't listed on the site or better meet your needs.
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Choose which extra excursions, if any, to include in your booking. Villa rental sites have a dazzling array of activities you can tack on to your reservations, like private, pre-arranged boat trips for dolphin watching, deep sea fishing, sunset cruises, undersea walks and more.
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Book the villa with the rental agent and review the rental contract. Before you sign the contract, clarify any confusing fees and ask the rental agent if there are any additional fees, such as electricity for air conditioning or extra cleaning at the end of your stay.
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Pay your deposit and the balance of your rental fee, according to the payment schedule listed in your contract.
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Once your stay is complete, return the villa to the condition required by your contract. This may include some nominal cleaning, taking out the trash, or setting the air conditioning to a certain setting.
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Tips & Warnings
Book in advance. Mauritius has many villas, but the best properties -- both in terms of location and price -- can book up to a year in advance during peak season.
Avoid booking in peak season, for substantial savings. December and early January are the busiest tourist times on the island, and the French school holidays in July and August are also fairly packed. Rental rates can be more than twice the normal rate during holidays.
Full payment for your stay will be due 30 to 90 days in advance. If travel issues, personal conflicts, or a natural disaster keeps you from getting to your villa, you usually won't be able to get your payment back. Check the fine print of the payment terms, before signing your contract, and consider signing up for travel insurance.
References
- Photo Credit Am Strand von Mauritius image by Asiul from Fotolia.com
