I'm an American considering retiring abroad and one of the places I'm interested in is Mauritius. I haven't visited yet but plan to in the next year or so.
However, even though I like the idea of being near accessible beaches year round, I do like the cosmopolitanism of larger cities, and I don't mind a bit of a gritty urban experience. So my original thought would be Port Louis itself but, judging from this board and other places on the Internet, it seems like few ex-pats choose to live in Port Louis. Everyone is in Grand Baie, Moka, Vacoas, Flic en Flac, Curepipe, Mahebourg, Rose Hill, Troix Aux Biches, Ebene, etc.
I realize it's a small island and no place is really far from any other place and that, with about 700 square miles, the entire country is in some sense "greater Port Louis." And I get why tourists would flock to the more resort areas.
But, still, I'm curious: why do few seem to want to live in the capital itself? I understand traffic is bad but is it more than that? Is there a crime problem? Is it infrastructure (poor housing stock)? When someone on the board asks about places to live, I don't think I've seen a response yet that suggests Port Louis.
In quickly searching through some of the Port Louis threads here, I'm not getting the sense that it's a complete hell hole. At the same time, I don't see anyone singing its praises much either.
So why would someone not want to live there?
Thanks!