Mauritius is truly a rainbow island - a mix of both eastern and western cultures living together on a verdant tropical island full of colour and contrast. The Dutch, French and English have all controlled the island at some time in the past and the impact from all is still very noticeable, and is now mixed in with Creole and Indian influences to create a harmonious pot pourri of cultures.
Today the island is dotted with sophisticated resort hotels, which set standards the world over. But there is more to the island than just self-contained resorts. For the beach connoisseur the island is a treasure, but between the dazzling sand and blue seas is a scenic island with extinct volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls, forests and botanical gardens. The island is also home to a number of golf courses, including some world-class offerings providing a challenge for golfers of all levels. Here, Steve Daykin, managing director of luxury tour operator Inspirational Travel, picks out some of the best courses and offers on the island.
Belle Mare Plage, on the east coast of the island, has two 18-hole championship courses. The main course is "Legends", which was designed by Hugh Baiocchi and opened back in 1994 and holds the Mauritius Open every December. "Links" was designed by Peter Allis and Rodney Wright and opened at the end of 2002. Both courses are lush, superbly laid out and beautifully maintained and offer challenging rounds in stunning surroundings, with water featuring heavily on the Legends course.
Guests staying at Belle Mare Plage Hotel (or its sister hotel Le Prince Maurice) benefit from free green fees at both courses throughout their stay!! The resort is situated on a superb beach and also offers a number of pools, watersports, tennis, a health and beauty club and a choice of bars and restaurants. (See offer on facing page).
The new Ernie Els course at The Four Seasons Resort at Anahita is built to USPGA standards and is the first of its kind in Mauritius and is quickly earning praise as one of the world's great golf destinations with stunning oceanfront holes that are amongst the most spectacular in the world. Carefully woven into the tropical scenery, the course is set against lush mountains and fringed by the vast crystal-clear lagoon. The resort itself is aimed at the most discerning of travellers and has all of the facilities and amenities one would expect from a world-class resort and guests receive unlimited golf at the resort course.
Another recent addition to golf in Mauritius is the Tamarina Golf Estate on the west coast of the island. This is a challenging course that will test players of every level and is a must for any golfer travelling to the island. Built and designed by Rodney Wright on 206 hectares of land that was naturally sculpted for golf the course is surrounded by mountains and the azure waters of the ocean and is unmatched in terms of layout, location and beauty.
On the extreme South of Mauritius lies the majestic Château de Bel Ombre, an exceptional 18-hole golf course surrounding a vast natural park and two world class hotels: Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort and Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort. Le Golf du Château has the right balance and variation in length of holes, width of fairways, green sizes and ultimately the risk and reward element that is crucial on any Championship layout. Green fees are included for guests of either resort who are on an all inclusive package.
Other 18-hole courses of note on Mauritius include the superb Bernhard Langer designed course at Le Touessrok Hotel, Le Paradis Golf Course at La Morne and the Gymkhana Club, which was built by and for the British Army and is actually the oldest club in the southern hemisphere and the 4th oldest in the world!! There are also 9-hole courses at Le St Geran, The Maritim Resort and the Shandrani Hotel.
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