I'm not going to do a full trip report, but I want to share a few things about my visit to Mauritius. I'm currently at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport waiting for my flight to Réunion for the second part of my trip.
Tourism is the #1 economic driver of this country. From what I could tell, though, very few of those tourists come from the United States. I didn't meet a single other USer while I was here, and when I was asked where I'm from, people were very surprised. (I always say I live in Mexico but am American.) Most everyone was from the UK or France. Everyone in Mauritius speaks both English and French (as well as a Mauritian Creole). I was surprised to learn the number of cities you can fly direct from, though none in the Western Hemisphere: https://www.flightsfrom.com/explorer/MRU?mapview
Yes it's a long way from home, but it's so worth it, and four full days weren't nearly enough. I did two tours with a private driver/guide, one of the north part of the island and one of the south. But a day isn't enough time to see it all. Everyone else I met was staying minimum a week, many as long as two weeks. Mauritius is about the size of Rhode Island, and there are good roads, so it's easy to get around. And it's one of the wealthiest countries in Africa (yes it's considered African even though it's about 2,000 kilometers from the mainland and about 800 kilometers east of Madagascar).
Most of the folks I met spent a lot of time at the beach. I'm not much of a beach person, so I wouldn't want to spend two weeks here, but a few more days would have been good. I kept one day open for spontaneous plans, but I ended up needing to rest and catch up on sleep, so I really only did three days of activities. In addition to the two tours, I did a speedboat trip with a group of 18 to five small islands off the eastern side of the island. It was really fun. And the two tours were fine, but they weren't really very guided. The driver told me some stuff and answered my questions, but for the most part he dropped me off at various points of interest and waited for me to see things on my own. That was fine, because I didn't need a tour guide for those things. But there were a lot of other things we passed by, and I have a feeling there were other more interesting sights that weren't part of the tours.
The hotel where I stayed, Voile Bleue Boutique Hotel, was simple and pleasant, and the staff was super friendly. There are plenty of really high-end accommodations and resorts if that's more your bag. But this was perfect for me. I would definitely stay here again, though I might break up my time and stay in two different parts of the island.
I booked transportation through a company recommended by the hotel. And I wish I'd know about them beforehand, because I think they would do much more interesting tours. If you go, contact Cindy at Mauri Discoveries +230 5988 2383 on WhatsApp. I don't think they have a website, but she's very responsive and will send you all the information about tour options, plus she'll customize a tour for whatever you want. Here's a review of the hotel and of her: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g15591605-d6966059-r701502664-Voile_Bleue-Pointe_aux_Biches.html.
Anyway, you should definitely consider Mauritius if you are looking for a different place to go. Interesting history as well as tremendous scenic beauty.
Here are my photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ByjU5drLffNgEGYu9