Money, cards and ATMs in Mauritius

The currency

• The Mauritian rupee (MUR). It is not the Indian rupee and the two are not interchangeable.
• Rates on the island are generally better than at home, and there is a bank and ATMs in the arrivals terminal.

Cards and cash

• Hotels, resorts, restaurants and larger shops take cards.
• Cash runs the rest: buses, markets, small shops, street food and most taxis.
• Carry small notes for buses, because conductors on a rural route will not break a large one.

ATMs

• ATMs are common in the towns and along the developed coast, and thinner in the south and the interior.
• Withdraw in the town rather than at the resort desk. Hotel exchange counters exist for convenience and price accordingly.

Petty theft is the risk, not fraud

• Most crime is non-violent: burglary from tourist villas and theft of unattended bags.
• Port Louis, Grand Baie and Flic en Flac are where petty theft is most reported.
• Do not leave a bag on a beach lounger. That is the single most common way money goes missing here.