The Maldives, Seychelles or Mauritius: Our honest comparison

Are you planning a tropical vacation but need help deciding whether to pick Maldives, Seychelles, or Mauritius? In this article, I’ll share our experience visiting Mauritius, Seychelles and Maldives and advise which is the best for a honeymoon, a holiday with kids, working remotely, a budget-friendly holiday or a luxury vacation. I will also share the best month/time of the year to travel to each of these places and tell you where the best beaches are, in the Maldives vs Seychelles vs Mauritius!

Why Seychelles, Mauritius or the Maldives?

When it comes to choosing a tropical beach getaway, the Indian Ocean islands of Maldives, Seychelles, and Mauritius are often at the top of the list. First of all, they are not too far away from each other geographically (well, technically, they are pretty far from each other, but not as far as Mexico and Fiji, for example). Many people would fly there with an interchange in the same airports – e.g. Istanbul or Dubai.

Seychelles, Mauritius and the Maldives are famous for their beaches and for their luxury as well; however, a holiday there doesn’t have to be expensive.

Our experience in the Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles

The first destination of these three that we had visited was the Maldives. We spent 4 nights in the Maldives at the stunning Anantara Veli and described our experience in this article. The trip wasn’t too expensive – we spent just under £2.5K for 2 flights, food and the hotel.

Our Maldives articles:

How much is a holiday in the Maldives

Best time to go to the Maldives

How to choose a resort in the Maldives

The next destination we travelled to was Seychelles, where we spent a week exploring 3 islands: Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. We visited Seychelles also on a budget and spent less than £3K for both of us over the Christmas period.

Our Seychelles articles:

Are Seychelles worth it? How to not be disappointed

Affordable hotels in the Seychelles

Mahe vs Praslin vs La Digue: what’s the best island to go to in the Seychelles

15+ amazing things to do in Seychelles on a budget

The only guide to Seychelles you ever need

Mauritius was our most recent destination. We travelled there with our friends and spent 8 days on different parts of the island, staying at 5 hotels. It wasn’t as budget-friendly as the Maldives and Seychelles, mainly because we mostly stayed at 4* and 5* resorts, but still, we spent less than £4K for both of us.

Our Mauritius articles:

What’s the best beach in Mauritius: 7 best beaches and 3 worst ones

7 days in Mauritius: the perfect itinerary for Mauritius by car

All these destinations are excellent in their own way, however, there are things you need to know before choosing your destination.

The Maldives vs Seychelles or Mauritius: where to go depending on the season

If your travel days are fixed, this might determine your travel destination. Mauritius is the southernmost location of these three paradise destinations and has proper seasons. It’s pretty chilly there from May to September, and chances are, you won’t be able to swim for long. If you don’t like heat and prefer swimming in a heated pool anyway, this might be a perfect destination for you. We went to Mauritius in October, and it was still pretty chilly! The warmest months to travel to Mauritius are November to April.

November to April are also the best months to go to the Maldives because this is the driest season, and the risk of monsoons is the lowest. However, until Mauritius, the Maldives were still super hot all year long. We travelled there in May, and it was super hot, and we only had one rainy day.

Finally, Seychelles are best enjoyed in April, May, October and November. Just like the Maldives, Seychelles are hot all year long. We travelled there in December and only had a few rainy days during the entire week.

That said if you don’t like heat, head to Mauritius between May and September. If you can only travel in summer and like hot weather, the Maldives and Seychelles would be a better option!

The most budget-friendly one

Contrary to popular belief, Mauritius, Seychelles and the Maldives can all be enjoyed on a budget. In the Maldives, there are larger islands where there are affordable hotels and guesthouses where you can stay for $1000 for two weeks. However, the island would be pretty small, and your dining options, as well as activities, would be pretty limited.

Seychelles and Mauritius are much better options for budget-conscious travellers; both destinations have plenty of guesthouses and affordable hotels. You can rent a car and drive around the island (you will need to pick the island in Seychelles, though, or you can do island hopping as we did). Mauritius will have more dining options, more affordable food, and more things to do than Seychelles. Hence, my recommendation for the best budget-friendly holiday would be Mauritius!

The best for honeymoon

If you’re picking your honeymoon destination and need help choosing between Seychelles, the Maldives vs Mauritius, I think any of these three can be a fantastic option. The Maldives is amazing for luxury, and if you want privacy of your own stunning overwater villa. Some of the best honeymoon hotels in the Maldives are Constance Moofushi, Anantara Kihavah and Hurawalhi.

Mauritius is a great option for adventurous couples – there is a lot of luxury as well, but there are also plenty of things to do, like hikes, museums, and stunning chateaus. Some of the best honeymoon hotels in Mauritius are The Oberoi, Lux* Le Morne and Dinarobin Beachcomber.

Seychelles is a mix of both – you can spend a few days in an ultra-luxury resort and then come back to one of the main islands and do a bit of exploration. The best honeymoon hotels in Seychelles are Six Senses, Four Seasons and Constance Lemuria.

The Maldives vs Seychelles vs Mauritius: the best beaches

When it comes to stunning beaches, Seychelles is unmatchable. Anse Source D’Argent is hands down the most beautiful beach of the world. However, lots of beaches in Seychelles are less swimmable than beaches in Mauritius. Mauritius also has a stunning beach – all the Le Morne peninsula beaches are spectacular.

The Maldives are a superior one for snorkelling – I have never seen that many fish in my entire life. Also, since you’ll probably be staying at an overwater villa, you won’t need to use the beach – you will be able to enter the sea directly from your villa!

Food in the Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles

When it comes to food, luxurious resorts in the Maldives would have amazing food delivered there every day by plane, but the variety will be pretty limited. Mid-range resorts will have basic and expensive food, especially if they are not on the all-inclusive package.

Seychelles could have a better variety of food too, but lack of food options is understandable, of course, as it’s a tiny country. However, the situation is much better than in the Maldives.

Finally, Mauritius is a large island with plenty of connections, so there are great supermarkets where you can buy anything you wish. I found the supermarket selection to be super similar to France, and lots of products were imported from there. There are lots of different restaurants for any taste – from cheap eats to fine dining places.

Which one is the best for families with kids?

If you’re planning to travel with kids, the logistics of travelling to the Maldives (you will need to take a ferry or a seaplane after you land) make it harder. Unless your kids are grown-ups and can manage that (or are very well-behaved and don’t mind long travels), it might be not easy to endure such a long trip to the hotel.

Mauritius would probably be the best destination to go with kids – there are kid-friendly resorts, and overall, it just seems like a much more kid-friendly destination than Seychelles and the Maldives.

Summary of The Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius: our honest comparison

I hope you found this article about the honest comparison of the Maldives vs Seychelles vs Mauritius useful and have now made up your mind about where you would like to go next!

Of course, as I mentioned, all these countries are amazing, and it really depends on the time of the year when you’re planning to travel, your budget and whether you have kids or not (and thinking of driving around or not)!

However, all these places can be enjoyed even on a small budget!