Mauritius has much to offer keen golfers, from championship courses to stunning scenery. And with post-putting activities aplenty, there’s more than enough to keep you in the swing on and off the green, says Guy Fiorita
Up until recently I would never have considered Mauritius for a golf holiday. It was completely off my radar. But things have changed a lot in the past few years. With nearly a dozen top-rated courses to choose from, an ever-increasing selection of luxury accommodation, plus state-of-the-art spas, world-class restaurants and beaches to die for, Mauritius is fast becoming a golfers’ paradise.
I was also drawn to the Indian Ocean island for the fact that, unlike the Caribbean, which is six hours behind Europe, Mauritius is only three hours ahead, meaning you can catch an afternoon flight and rise in the morning ready to tee off. That is exactly what I did, flying business class and getting seven hours of uninterrupted sleep along the way. Within two hours of touching down I was showered, changed and being shuttled from Le Telfair Golf Resort and Spa on the south coast, where I would spend my first night, to the clubhouse at Le Golf du Château just across the road.
Standing on the first tee I knew I had made the right choice. First, there was no one in front of me, no waiting, just tee up and swing away – something you can rarely do at other more popular golf destinations. Second, the view was breathtaking. Designed by South African architect Peter Matkovich, the par 72 championship course is laid out across what was once a sugar plantation with rugged volcanic mountains to one side and the brilliant blue waters of the Indian Ocean to the other. Finally, the course itself looked first class, something I was soon to confirm.
Over the next three hours I was faced with everything one could hope for on a round of golf. Generally speaking, the fairways were generous, the bunkers well placed, the greens challenging and the views unbelievable. To top it all off, the course was in immaculate condition, not a divot in the fairways or a ball mark on the greens, which I am sure can be partly chalked-up to how fast things grow here. This is also why the courses on the island mature at a much faster rate than elsewhere, so that even a two-year-old course plays like and old pro.
After the round and the short buggy ride I still had most of the afternoon left to enjoy the charms and delights of Le Telfair. The first, I stumbled upon by chance through a door at the far end of my walk–in shower. There on the other side was a little slice of heaven: an open-air, outdoor rain shower. If you haven’t had the experience, let me say that there is something inexplicably luxurious about showering under the open sky, on a 30-degree day after a round of golf. Incidentally, I spent the next half hour there.
Being on the ground floor, my room had direct access to the beach. I’ve made putts farther from the hole than the beach was from my door, and I’m not that great a putter. And this was no ordinary beach either. The whitest sand and brilliant turquoise water is accented by a perfectly straight white line made by the waves breaking on the barrier just a few hundred yards out. And beyond that, nothing all the way down to the Antarctic. The mere thought of this huge, empty expanse laid out before me was soothing, and soon the stress of the work-a-day world seemed very far behind me.
The following day after a morning swim and yet another outdoor shower I decided to take a break from the golf and spend the day, and night, on a catamaran floating between two tiny islands a few miles off the north coast. This meant a two-hour drive through the heart of the island, with its ever-changing landscapes of high, rugged mountains and lush, green valleys. I also made a short stop in the capital, Port Louis, which retains some fine examples of colonial architecture and has a number of wonderful markets.
Even though I am prone to seasickness and not a big fan of small spaces, the catamaran turned out to be well worth missing a day on the Links. No wonder really; I spent the day exploring a deserted tropical island, the evening dining on smoked swordfish and chicken grilled on deck, and a good part of the night sipping wine under the stars. We even got to do a little fishing (one of the crew actually caught and released a metre-long reef shark). Later it was off to sleep on deck – swayed to sleep by the gentle rocking of the boat. Add to this a morning of snorkelling, straight out of a Cousteau documentary, and I was beginning to believe there actually is life beyond the 18th green.
That night, back on shore, at the Shanti Ananda Maurice, I got another taste of just how good life can be off the fairway. It turns out, there’s nothing like a good massage to help forget the greens. With its 55 suites and villas spread out over 36 acres of beachfront land, the Shanti Ananda is sister to the famous Ananda retreat in the Himalayas. But it is the 4,600sqm Ayurveda spa that has already begun to draw a string of A-list of stars and money-makers.
For the uninformed, the word ‘Ayurveda’ is a combination of two Sanskrit words: ayur (meaning life) and veda (knowledge). It is a 5,000-year-old Indian form of holistic medicine that has evolved into of complete healthcare system which includes diet, yoga and meditation. From the myriad treatments at the Shanti Ananda I opted for Abhyanga, a synchronised, whole-body massage performed by two therapists, and for an hour I was living the good ayur.
But, you can’t keep a good man down. So, the next morning, feeling totally relaxed, I was itching to get back to the golf. For my final round I chose the Tamarina Golf Estate, one of the newest courses on the island.
The course, whose design was overseen by Rodney Wright, the man behind the Links course at Belle Mare Plage on the island’s east coast, may be young but it too plays well beyond its years. Built on 375 acres of what was once a hunting estate, Tamarina is crossed by a number of small streams and the Rempart River gorge, and offers a great variety of holes that will force you to use every club in the bag.
Most of Tamarina is played under the watchful eye of Gorilla Mountain, as the locals call it. The nearperfect silhouette of an ape cut from volcanic rock looms over nearly every hole of the course. Maybe it was only my imagination but the big brute seemed to be taunting me and I’m sure I caught him smile on the 12th as my ball ended up lost in the rough and then again on the 18th as my par putt slid to the right.
As I left the green I vowed to return and wipe the smile off his face. As if I needed another reason.
The facts
WHEN TO PLAY
Mauritius has two seasons, and with average winter temperatures (May to October) of around 24oC, cold is never a worry for golf. Summer (November to April) can also get quite hot with average temperatures of more than 30oC on the coast. The island does have a rainy season (December to April), but showers never last long meaning you may have to wait out a cloudburst but other than that you can pretty much play every day. March to May and September to November are the most pleasant times to play golf.
GETTING THERE
British Airways and Air Mauritius offer daily flights from London Heathrow. Flights from London take 12 hours. Mauritius is four hours ahead of GMT.
ITINERARIES
Seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the Shanti Ananda Maurice, staying in a junior ocean view suite, from £1,999 per person, based on two sharing.
Seven nights’ half board at Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort, staying in a superior river view room, from £1,699 per person, based on two sharing.
Prices include economy class British Airways flights, private transfers and travel insurance.
Two-night shared catamaran trip, from £249 per person.
Four “alternative” golf experiences
URBAN LEGEND
Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami
Combining a golf trip and a visit to a world-class city is usually not very easy. Many of the best resorts are too far from the nearest urban area to be able to play a round and see the sights in one day, and if you stay in the city, getting out of the centre and onto the tee can often be too troublesome to make it worth it. Often referred to as the Kingdom of Golf, Miami’s Doral Golf Resort & Spa features five championship courses including the famed Blue Monster course, home of the World Golf Championships. That’s 90 holes of premier golf within a few minutes of the centre of Miami and about a 9-iron from the airport. The advantage of all this is that you can tee off at nine and still have plenty of time for some shopping in Bal Harbour, lunch on South Beach or an afternoon business meeting downtown.
www.doralresort.com
GOLF EXOTICA
Dalat Palace Golf Club, Vietnam
For those looking for something really different, how about a steamy round on one of the hottest courses in Vietnam? That’s right, Vietnam. The Dalat Palace course, rated the best in the country by Golf Digest 2007, offers an exceptional 6,409-metre challenge for the intrepid golfer. The course, one of the few bentgrass courses in South-East Asia, meanders through the rolling hills outside the city of Dalat, and much of the course overlooks the majestic Xuan Huong lake, making it a pleasure to play both for the golf and for the views. Nearby, the colonial-style Sofitel Dalat Palace hotel was recently renovated and offers 43 rooms and suites, a restaurant, two bars and a l’Apothicaire spa.
www.sofitel.com
TTHE GOLF WIDOW
Évian Royal Resort, France
Nothing makes a golfer feel more guilty than leaving their nonplaying partner sitting in a hotel room with nothing to do while they putt their way around a course hours. The Évian Royal Resort on the French bank of Lake Geneva has the solution. It offers a variety of spa programmes and à la carte treatments as well as a variety of à la carte treatments. Other delights include hydrotherapy booths, a steam room, sauna, indoor pool and Jacuzzi, plus an aqua gym pool, weight training room and a hairdressing salon – which means there are more than enough enticing treatments here to keep you playing guilt-free for days. And yes, there’s golf too. Set between the lake and the mountains, the Évian Masters Golf Club offers stunning views form nearly every hole. Redesigned in 1988 by famed American architect Cabell B Robinson, the course is home to the Évian Masters tournament, one of the key stops on the ladies’ European professional tour.
www.evianroyalresort.com
FAMILY TIME
Bovey Castle, Devon
A classic problem for the golfer is what to do with the kids while you are out making the rounds, and no place has come up with a better range of interesting activities to keep the little ones entertained than Bovey Castle on Dartmoor National Park, in Devon. From treasure hunts to cider pressing and bee keeping, the Bovey Rangers kids’ club sure to keep your little ones happy. Beginning at 9am, when the children meet at the hen house to personally select their breakfast eggs, and ending in anything from raft building and racing on the lake to learning survival skills at the Jungle Camp, each activity is planned to be both fun and educational. So, no matter how you score on the 18-hole championship Old Course, you can feel safe in the knowledge that your kids will be having fun and learning something, too. www.boveycastle.com
www.boveycastle.com