Honeymooners love it; now Mauritius is golfing
heaven on Earth...
Mark Twain got a lot of things wrong in his
lifetime. He was, for instance, notoriously
bad at investing his money and, as a result,
went bankrupt on more than one occasion. But
there is one thing he got absolutely spot
on, namely that “heaven was copied after Mauritius”.
And yet, given the American humourist’s dislike
for the game of golf (the famous quote “golf
is a good walk spoilt” is often attributed
to him), it’s a moot point as to whether he
would still hold this view today. Golf courses
are sprouting up like mushrooms, all over
this little island in the middle of the Indian
Ocean. There are half a dozen 18-hole layouts,
a handful of nine-holers and a couple of other
championship layouts (most notably one by
Ernie Els) which are due to open in the next
year or so.
If you had asked me six months ago to choose
one far-off destination to play the game for
the rest of my life, I would have chosen (1)
Bermuda, (2) South Africa and (3) the Canadian
Rockies, in that order. The island of Mauritius,
with its azure seas, coral reef and white,
white sands has just gone top of my pile.
The first thing you notice about this island
20 degrees south of the Equator are the colours,
which are wonderfully vibrant and exotic.
The sea really is a rich turquoise; the sort
of thing you only expect to see on digitally
enhanced postcards. Snorkelling is a must,
and the fish are right out of the children’s
film A Shark’s Tale with lots of yellows,
pinks, reds, purples and oranges (and don’t
worry, the sharks are all on the other side
of the coral reef which surrounds the island).
Even the flowers and the bird life seem almost
too bright-hued to be real.
It means sunglasses are an essential accessory
while you’re on the island, and that’s not
just because the sun shines every day of the
year.
The second thing you notice is the culture,
which is a heady, colourful, cosmopolitan
mix which has developed out of its complex
history. For the past four centuries the island
has been under first Dutch, then French and
then British rule, until it finally became
independent in 1968, and became a Republic
within the Commonwealth in 1992. Today, the
population is mainly Hindu, Creole and Chinese;
and this is reflected in everything from the
dress sense to the cuisine. English is the
official language, although French is just
as commonly spoken and Creole is the lingua
franca.
What stuck in my mind more than anything
else, however, was the luxurious nature of
the beachside hotels. If there are grotty
hotels on Mauritius I certainly didn’t see
one. After you have got over the shock of
the slightly chaotic nature of the airport
‘pick-up’ (it’s a long time since my golf
clubs have hurtled along windy, country roads
on the roof-rack of a minivan), you are plunged
into a pampered, hedonistic world of duck-feathered
pillows and immaculate service. ‘A Mai Tai
by the pool sir? No problem’. ‘Water-skiing
tomorrow sir? Certainly, we’ll take you to
the very best waters.’
(For the complete article please refer to
your August 07 issue of Golf Asia magazine)
