Thailand on price, Mauritius on simplicity. A mid-range dinner for two is ฿900 in Thailand against Rs2,000 in Mauritius, and Thailand has two coasts on offset monsoons so some part of it is always in season.
Mauritius asks less of you. One island, one airport, ninety minutes to anywhere, and no decision about which coast your dates suit. If you want a beach holiday you do not have to research, that is worth something.
| Measure | Best months | Daily budget | Currency | Language | Plugs | Beaches listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | May – October | Mid | MUR | English, French, Mauritian Creole | Type C / G, 230V | 2 |
| Thailand | November – April | Mid | THB | Thai | Type A / B / C, 230V | 2 |
Mauritius
Mauritius is one island ringed almost entirely by barrier reef, small enough to cross in an afternoon — about an hour and a quarter east to west, an hour and twenty north to south, fifty minutes from the airport to Port Louis. Everything is road, cars drive on the left, and foreign licences are accepted.
There is a mountainous interior, a working capital and a food culture drawing on India, China, France and Africa simultaneously. It is a country, not a resort strip, and it is compact enough that all of it is available from one base.
Thailand
Thailand has two coasts running on offset monsoons, and understanding that before booking is the single most useful thing about planning a trip here. The Andaman coast — Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi — has its high season from November onwards. The Gulf coast — Samui, Phangan, Tao — is the one to pick roughly April to October.
Bangkok is the international gateway with domestic connections onward to Phuket, Krabi and Samui in about an hour, then ferries to the islands. Overnight trains run south as a slower alternative. Beyond the coast there is a large country with a serious cuisine at every price point.
Cost
Both sourced, and Thailand is clearly cheaper.
Thailand, checked 19 September 2026: an inexpensive restaurant meal ฿100, range ฿50-200. A three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant ฿900, range ฿600-2,500. A pint of domestic draught ฿70.
Mauritius, checked August 2026: an inexpensive meal Rs300, range Rs150-600. The same mid-range dinner for two Rs2,000, range Rs1,200-4,000. A pint Rs100. Some upmarket restaurants add a 10-15% service charge.
No sourced accommodation rates for either, so no figure on a week. On eating out, Thailand's range starts lower and its ceiling is lower too.
Getting there
Mauritius: non-stop to and from London, Paris CDG daily, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Geneva, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Antananarivo, Saint-Denis, Kuala Lumpur and Perth, plus Dubai under a codeshare; nothing direct from the Americas. One airport in the south-east, then road. Entry is a tourist visa on arrival for up to 180 days cumulative in a calendar year, with an All in One travel form before departure.
Thailand: Bangkok is the gateway, with Phuket taking some direct international flights too. Entry changed on 15 September 2026 — the 60-day exemption was revoked, the 30-day tourism exemption revised and expanded to 60 countries and territories, and a new 15-day scheme introduced for two. Check your own nationality before booking, because this is recent. All arrivals must submit a Thailand Digital Arrival Card, and the official site charges no fee for it.
The beaches
Mauritius' reef ring keeps the water inside it flat on most of the coast on most days, which is the simplest swimming proposition of the two. The counterweight is wind — kitesurfing season runs April to November, windiest July and August, mainly on the east and south coasts.
Thailand's beaches are excellent on whichever coast is in season and poor on the other. That is the whole trade: greater variety and more dramatic limestone scenery, but you have to book the right side. We have no sourced beach-level data for either country yet.
In this directory: Mauritius has 2 beaches listed, 2 rated calm for swimming. Thailand has 2, 2 calm.
In the water
Mauritius runs roughly 23.7°C to 28.5°C — warmest in March at about 28.5°C, coolest in August and September at about 23.7°C.
Thailand is warm year-round on both coasts and the swimming season is all twelve months, though we have no sourced monthly figures for it.
The practical difference is Mauritius' cool season. August and September there are several degrees down on the annual peak, and that is exactly when Thailand's Gulf coast is in good shape.
When to go
Mauritius has one season to get right; Thailand has one coast to get right.
Mauritius is best May to October — winter, drier, breezier, around 25°C, quieter beaches. Cyclone season runs November to 15 May, officially that wide.
Thailand's Andaman coast takes heavy south-west monsoon storms April to October and is in high season from November. The Gulf coast's heaviest rain is September to December. There is no month when some Thai coast is out of season, but there are months when the coast you booked is.
For a January trip, Thailand's Andaman coast is at its best and Mauritius is inside its cyclone window. For a July trip, Mauritius is at its best and you would want Thailand's Gulf.
Mauritius
- January out of season
- February out of season
- March out of season
- April out of season
- May in season
- June in season
- July in season
- August in season
- September in season
- October in season
- November out of season
- December out of season
Thailand
- January in season
- February in season
- March in season
- April in season
- May out of season
- June out of season
- July out of season
- August out of season
- September out of season
- October out of season
- November in season
- December in season
The two seasons do not overlap at all, so your dates decide this rather than your preferences.
Beyond the beach
Thailand wins this outright, and it is the standard reason to choose it: a country with a serious cuisine at every price point, a capital, a north, and an overnight train network. A wet week changes the trip rather than ending it.
Mauritius' version is smaller but unusually accessible — an interior, a capital and four cuisines on an island where nothing is more than ninety minutes away.
Choose Mauritius if
- You want one island, one airport and no decision about which coast suits your dates.
- You are flying from Europe, the Gulf, India, Africa or Australia on a non-stop.
- Your dates fall between May and October.
- Flat, reef-protected water you can swim in every day without research matters more than range.
Choose Thailand if
- Budget is the binding constraint — the sourced restaurant figures are lower at every level.
- You have three weeks or more. Thailand rewards length; a small island does not in the same way.
- Your dates are fixed and awkward — with two coasts, some part of Thailand is always in season.
- Food and a country to travel through matter as much as the beach.
Beaches in Mauritius
- Flic-en-Flac Beach
White · Calm
- Le Morne Beach
White · Calm
Beaches in Thailand
- Phra Nang Cave Beach
White · Calm
- Railay Beach
White · Calm