Avoid booking Le Cactus Guesthouse, Mauritius

Le Cactus Guesthouse is a beachside property some 10 kms away from Port Louis city in Mauritius. I booked this property for 5 nights and regret it. I suggest not to bother booking this property and look elsewhere.

No WiFi in room 

Main reason for booking Le Cactus was WiFi. But upon check in we realized that there's no WiFi reception in the room. We've to go to common area in the backyard for WiFi access- this area is locked during night and early morning. Or I've to go and sit in front of owner's front door on steps. Very uncomfortable position. Le Cactus owners need to put up a signal booster or router and keep WiFi closer to rooms for better reception and practical usage. Can't do office work from common area due to noise from children, other guests, TV noise, sea wave noise etc.

Because of this I asked for refund for unused days so that I can go elsewhere, but was refused. 

No welcome drink

Booking confirmation listed welcome drink, none was given

No free water

Booking confirmation listed free water- when asked we were given 1 bottle RO water and were asked to buy water. As my booking was for 5 days I said I should be given 1 liter per day, but got very cold response. I didn't feel like begging any further and didn't bother them during the stay.

No AC: Room had AC but not usable. We are told they won't provide AC. Other properties I stayed in Mauritius didn't have any issue with AC usage. It was relatively cold in Mauritius in August compared to India, but inside the room it was still hot at times due to enclosure. 

No housekeeping- My booking was for 5 days. No cleaning, restocking was done in between. At least after 2-3 days one round of cleaning could have been done. Owing to earlier bad experience I didn't bother asking

No lockable door for bathroom- Bathroom area has no door. Will be very uncomfortable if you're sharing room with someone not that close. 

Interiors of the room were deteriorating.  

They had a nice drumstick tree but they let all the vegetables rot in the tree- such a wastage- could have made nice sambar or sell them in market for 100 rupees a kilo. 

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Complained to host on Agoda, but got some reply in French. Need to figure out what they said. 

The consolation factors about Le Cactus Guesthouse, Mauritius

• We paid about 13000 INR for 5 nights, about 2500 INR per day, which is not too much and one of the cheapest option close to Port Louis, so we got what we paid for, so should not be expecting too much.
• Bus stop is right across the street
• Parking space is good for 3-4 cars, there is a nice mango tree. 
• A bike rental company is nearby
• Few shops exist in 500 meter distance to buy snacks, water and closest restaurant/mall is about 3-4 kms away
• Ocean is next door (entry from building is locked, need to go out)
• When we had rented a bike, we had an issue with money refund. Rental staff claimed no cash, owner said he needs 2-3 hours to reach-eventually we spoke to owners at Le Cactus, they agreed to take online transfer from bike rental guy and pay me cash.  
• Couple of items I had left behind was promptly stored and handed back to me when I visited in the evening. 

Summary about Le Cactus guesthouse in Mauritius

• If WiFi is very important to you, then book elsewhere
• Parking space is good 
• You will get basic accommodation in budget, keep your expectations in check. A couple have constructed a few rooms next to their home and renting it out to make some extra money. Don't expect hotel like services and facilities.
• Next time I would rather book a room with kitchen access (self catering units) even if they are a bit expensive. 
• Le Cactus is 7-8 kms from Port Louis city. If you find something closer to city you will save time and money on bus/taxi even if room is bit expensive.