Mauritius

I’ve visited 12 new countries this year, and even though each one has its own charm, I’d say there’s one that didn’t quite cut it

This year has been a rollercoaster of adventures for me. I’ve had the good fortune to discover new cities, sample local cuisines, and meet individuals whose tales have lingered with me long after my journey’s end. From savouring Italian dishes in Sardinia to exploring Poland, I’ve ticked off 12 new countries on my travel list in 2025.

Each nation has offered something unique, but not every destination leaves you yearning for more. Among all the places I’ve visited, there’s one country I wouldn’t be in a hurry to return to.

That’s not because it wasn’t stunning, but because sometimes travelling teaches you what you do and don’t want from a trip.

One of my stops this year was Mauritius, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean that many people describe as a true paradise, reports the Express.

It was exactly that, turquoise waters, palm tree-fringed beaches and sunsets that look like they’re straight out of a film. It’s the kind of place that many people dream of visiting, but for me, it just didn’t live up to the hype.

For starters, it’s a very, very long way from the UK. It’s around 12 hours of flying, not including the connections and airport hours that make the journey feel even longer.

By the time I finally landed, I was expecting something truly unforgettable, but I found myself wondering whether the distance was really worth it.

The island itself is undeniably beautiful, but after a few days, I felt like I had seen most of what there was to see. Aside from the beaches and a few nature spots, there isn’t a lot to do.

Now, I understand that Mauritius isn’t typically a destination for exploration, but more of a tranquil retreat. However, during my visit, I realised that I’m more of an adventurer when it comes to holidays.

Mauritius is undoubtedly appealing to newlyweds or those seeking a serene getaway. It’s calm, and the locals are friendly and hospitable.

Yet, for me, it lacked the magic that makes me fall head over heels for a location. It’s one of those places I’m pleased to have visited once, but I don’t feel compelled to return.

On the other hand, out of the other 11 countries I’ve travelled to this year, some have left me eager to go back. From the late-night street food in South Korea to the relaxed allure of Belgium, each place has made a lasting impression.

Even closer to home, Jersey took me by surprise with its blend of British familiarity and tranquil island life, while Croatia won me over with its historic towns.

Mauritius might not have been the ideal holiday spot for me, but even that experience played a part in my year of globetrotting.

Adam and Tara Short, originally from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, moved to a new home thousands of miles away from their ‘rat race’ lifestyle

A family have left the UK behind, moving 6,000 miles to Mauritius in a bid to “escape the rat race” and now they say it’s like being on “a permanent holiday”.

Adam Short, 44, and his wife, Tara, 38, took their two children – Spencer, nine, and Xander, four – to Mauritius for a holiday in November 2024. After returning to their Sheffield home and resuming their 8am-6pm workdays, they yearned for a “slower pace of life”.

The Short family are happy with their move, despite living costs being very similar in the two countries. They feel their new life is worth it because of Mauritius’ beautiful beaches, hot summers, friendly neighbours and increased family time.

They say they dpon’t miss the UK’s gloomy weather, long working hours and never-ending traffic jams.

Have you swapped the UK for a home abroad? We’d love to hear from you, whether you love it there or regret the move. Email [email protected]

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Tara, a CEO, and Adam, a car sales business owner, decided to rent out their four-bedroom UK home and booked one-way tickets to Grand Baie in July. With nothing more than five suitcases, the parents and their sons embarked on their new adventure.

They made a pact that if they weren’t happy after two years, they’d return to the UK. However, after settling into a rented four-bedroom house with a pool, just a stone’s throw from the beach, it doesn’t look like the family will be heading back anytime soon.

The two lads are attending an international private school costing £5,000-a-year, while both the parents say they can continue running their UK businesses flexibly from Mauritius.

Adam said: “Back in the UK, we weren’t being a proper family – we were just existing together. We were desperate to get away from the rat race. We thought there had to be a better standard of life out in Mauritius – and there is.

“We work less hours because we can be more productive. The kids finish school at 2.30pm so we can go to the beach or in the pool together. We enjoy as much family time as we can. I get asked every day on social media how we managed to do this – but it’s achievable if you just commit to it.”

The parents began mulling over relocating to a different culture after realising they were barely spending time with their own children.

Adam said: “I used to say to my friends, ‘I feel like I don’t know my kids.’ I would see them every day, but it was all rushing around, getting them ready for school, tea, bed.”

Being ahead of UK time means the parents can complete several hours of work before any of the UK teams begin their day – leaving them feeling more efficient without interruptions. They’re also able to work flexible hours throughout the day, allowing them to take afternoons off to spend quality time with their sons after school.

Despite being outsiders, the Short family say they’ve been welcomed. Adam said: “Everyone is so lovely – we’ve been invited to a meal at a Mauritian family’s home this weekend. Mauritian life is very family-focused which is what we want.

“On the weekends, you go down to the beach and hundreds of families are out all having barbecues with little gazebos. When you walk past, every family will invite you to join them and share their food. All the kids play together. It’s lovely.”

Regarding expenses, Adam explained that whilst some items cost more in Mauritius – others work out cheaper.

He believes that overall, the relocation hasn’t resulted in financial savings – but they enjoy a superior quality of life for their outgoings.

Adam said that a weekly grocery shop costs £200, plus an additional £20 spent on fresh fruit and vegetables at the market. Since the majority of food and beverages are brought in from abroad, alcohol prices in tourist-orientated eateries mirror those found across the UK.

Dining at local Creole venues can prove far more budget-friendly. Adam explained: “At a local Creole place, you can get a nice meal with a bottle of South African wine for £40. Touristy spots near the beachfront, you’d pay £100-£120 for that.

“The supermarkets are expensive because things are imported, but the fresh fruit and veg at the market is so much fresher and cheaper. We have rotis for breakfast now instead of cereal – a type of flatbread-like street food – and you buy them from the street sellers for about 20p each. So when you first get here, you assume everything is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.”

On the whole, the family are besotted with their fresh start – with Adam confessing they’re currently too engrossed in the local culture to dwell on what’s going on in Britain.

BRITAIN’S Chagos Islands handover will cost taxpayers ten times more than Sir Keir Starmer let on, newly unearthed figures claim.

Official estimates reveal the bill for giving the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius is not £3.4billion as promised, but actually close to £35billion.

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The figure, which was released to the Conservative Party under Freedom of Information laws, is far higher than the £3.4 billion figure the Prime Minister had previously stated in public, according to The Telegraph.

Ministers are now facing allegations that they misled Parliament with a controversial “accountancy trick” to hide the size of the bill from taxpayers.

Britain is to hand over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory while paying billions of pounds to continue using the Diego Garcia base, a key military facility used by Britain and the United States.

Negotiations for a deal to hand over sovereignty of the island began under the Conservatives and was concluded by the new Labour government.

Back in February, Sir Keir Starmer dismissed Tory warnings of a £30billion cost and branded a £9bn to £18bn estimate “absolutely wide of the mark”.

But an official document produced by the Government Actuary’s Department shows the cost of the deal was first estimated at ten times the stated figure, at £34.7 billion, in nominal terms.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Add that to their £50bn black hole, and it’s clear – when Labour negotiates, Britain loses.”

A government spokesman said: “The deal is supported by our closest allies, including the US, Canada, Australia and Nato.

“The costs compare favourably with other international base agreements, and the UK-US base on Diego Garcia is larger, in a more strategic location.”

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May 22 (UPI) — A signing ceremony ceding the British Indian Ocean Territory of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on Thursday was called off at the last moment after Britain’s High Court granted an injunction in the middle of the night to islanders opposing the deal.

“On-call” judge, Justice Goose, granted the temporary stay at 2:25 a.m. local time to two Chagos petitioners, ruling that the defendant, the Home Office, must “maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order,” pending a further hearing during working hours Thursday.

The 11th-hour legal action forced the ceremony with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian government representatives to be put on hold.

Stuart Lake, legal counsel for Beatrice Pompe, one of the claimants, told the Financial Times that his client was “deeply concerned that the government has chosen to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands without any consultation or protections for those that are indigenous to the islands.”

A British government spokesman declined to comment but insisted the deal with its former colony was “the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.”

Under the agreement, Britain will transfer sovereignty to Mauritius of the archipelago, home to a giant U.K.-U.S. military base on the island of Diego Garcia, but retain control of Diego Garcia by leasing it back on a 99-year, multi-billion dollar deal.

The United States pays Britain for use of the base, but the figure has never been made public.

Diego Garcia inhabitants have been engaged in a decades-long legal battle against their forcible displacement during the construction of the base throughout the late 1960s, mainly to Mauritius, the Seychelles and Britain, with the Chagos Islands split off from Mauritius when it became independent in 1968.

Joining a protest by Chagos people outside Parliament, the opposition Conservative Party’s shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel called Thursday’s legal intervention “a humiliation” for Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

“Their rights, views and voices over the future of Chagos have been ignored by Labour which continues to cause distress and uncertainty for this wonderful community,” she wrote in a post on X.

“Labour’s Chagos Surrender Deal is bad for our defence and security interests, bad for British taxpayers and bad for British Chagossians,” said Patel.

The deal has also been condemned by Human Rights Watch, which has demanded Britain and the United States pay reparations after a 2023 report alleged the “forced displacement of the Chagossians and ongoing abuses amount to crimes against humanity committed by a colonial power against an Indigenous people.”

The United States initially welcomed the deal when it was struck in October and will see the other 57 currently uninhabited islands in the archipelago opened up for settlement. Diego Garcia, however, will remain out of bounds to its former residents and their descendants on “security grounds.”

U.S. President Joe Biden called the deal “a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes.”

But the deal was delayed after Donald Trump won back the presidency in November, pending his approval, and after the elections days later in Mauritius over the value of the lease.

Trump gave his backing in February during a visit to Washington by Starmer, despite warnings from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior Republicans who said Mauritius’ links to China posed a “serious security threat” to U.S. national security.

Decision comes after two British nationals born on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, claimed the islands should remain under UK control. 

A British High Court judge has temporarily blocked the government from transferring sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The last-minute injunction on Thursday morning came hours before the agreement was expected to be signed at a virtual ceremony with representatives from the Mauritian government.

The High Court decision was granted after action was taken by Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, two British nationals who were born at the Diego Garcia military base on Chagos and claimed that the islands should remain under British control.

High Court judge Julian Goose temporarily blocked the British government from taking any “conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government”.

“The defendant is to maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order,” he said.

Another court hearing is set for 10.30am (09:30 GMT).

Earlier this year, the lawyer for the two nationals, Michael Polak, said on his chambers website that the government’s attempt to “give away” the islands without formal consultation with its residents is a “continuation of their terrible treatment by the authorities in the past”.

“They remain the people with the closest connection to the islands, but their needs and wishes are being ignored,” Polak said.

The UK, which has controlled the region since 1814, separated the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius to create the British Indian Ocean Territory.

In the early 1970s, the government evicted about 1,500 residents to Mauritius and Seychelles to make way for the Diego Garcia airbase on the largest island.

In October, the government announced a draft agreement to hand the islands to Mauritius and allow Britain and the United States to continue using the Diego Garcia base under a 99-year lease.

US President Donald Trump’s administration, which was consulted on the deal, gave its approval. However, finalising the agreement was delayed by a change in government in Mauritius and reported last-minute negotiations over costs.