Finalist · Indian Ocean
Mauritius
A lagoon-blue island with mountains behind it — safe, warm, English and French, with a ready-made welcome.
£36,900
all-in / year
£3,075
per month
EN / FR
languages
A lagoon-blue island with mountains behind it — safe, warm, English and French, with a ready-made welcome.
Turquoise lagoons ringed by reef, volcanic peaks rising behind the sugar cane, and one of the safest, most easy-going societies anywhere — where English and French are both everyday.
The west coast around Tamarin and Flic-en-Flac is the sweet spot: calm water, dolphins offshore, sunset kitesurfers, and a genuinely mixed international community with a strong South African contingent — familiar territory for Mandy, and an instant network. The free Premium Visa makes the paperwork the lightest of the three.
It sits between Penang and Crete on cost, but it's the furthest to fly — the one real premium you pay for lagoon living.
The lowest school fees of the three, but the biggest flight slice — the cost of being furthest from the UK.
Free and renewable yearly, citing ~£1,150/month plus ~£385/month per dependent child. The lightest paperwork of the three.
A generally favourable, remittance-based system — but confirm your own position with an adviser before committing.
Solid private healthcare, with more complex cases sometimes referred to Réunion or further afield.
Tropical warmth with a cooler, drier winter (Jun–Sep). Cyclone season runs January to March.
Excellent, and right on the west-coast doorstep. The Yemen Reserve and Rivière Noire trails above Tamarin offer everything from flowing cane-field tracks to rugged reserve climbs, with guided operators running regular rides through the interior.
Formal rowing is limited, but the water sports are world-class — Le Morne is one of the planet's best kitesurf and windsurf spots, with sailing and snorkelling everywhere. His rowing would likely become sailing or kitesurfing.