Beautiful Mauritius Beaches
Wednesday 5 & Thursday 6 September
Heather and I flew with Emirates from Athens to Dubai leaving before midnight on Wednesday and landing on Thursday morning.
After a lengthy layover in the lounge we flew late morning to Mauritius arriving late afternoon.
We arrived into Constance Belle Mare Plage hotel at 7pm.
What a beautiful place!
Constance Belle Mare Plage hotel at night
Friday 7 September
Constance Belle Mare Plage hotel
We awoke to sunny blue skies, not even the slightest zephyr of breeze and the sound of waves gently lapping on the beach outside our window..
Welcome to Mauritius!
After a sleepy morning we played the Legends Golf Course next door to our hotel in the afternoon.
Constance Belle Mare Plage- Legend Course, hole 17
The course exceeded our expectations.
It was tight and relatively penal, but endlessly interesting.
You just never knew where the next hole would go!
The site is heavily treed and fairways are narrow- and there is water everywhere.
I had fun with the drone capturing some lovely footage of some extraordinary holes
Dinner was at Deer Hunter restaurant adjacent to the pro shop for The Legends Course.
It was an excellent meal
Saturday 8 September
Waking up to the sounds of the beach outside our window is so relaxing!
We eased our way into the day with a scrummy breakfast at the Constance main eatery, then caught the shuttle to the Links Course.
Constance Belle Mare Plage: Links Course, hole 18
All nine of us that had arrived pre tour were playing- so three threes set out to take on the Links.
It had its own character and was distinctly different to the Legends.
All the early holes featured the volcanic rock/lava- with many pyramid shaped piles of rock acting as significant hazards that dominated holes visually.
But just when you think the course is getting a little samey a number of water holes take the stage..
With the undulating terrain, tree lined fairways, piles of rock and quite a few significant water hazards, a round at The Links course is both fun and challenging.
Tick!
Sunday 9 September
I was up at the earliest this morning and took a few minutes drone footage of the beautiful Constance Belle Mare Plage hotel and foreshore..
After brekkie we checked out and caught a taxi to Anahita where our room overlooked the 9th fairway of the Anahita Golf Course.
We checked out the pro shop, met the pro in charge and planned to get some footage of both Anahita andthe Ile Aux Cerfs course.
We took a ferry to Ile Aux Cerfs and back, and found that they would struggle to take 20 golfers on one ferry run.
The ferry to Ile Aux Cerfs GC
Back on the mainland we took the drone for a run on the Anahita course and got some nice footage.
Dinner at the Origine by the beach was a happy occasion as the rest of the group joined us fresh off the plane
Monday 10 September
The ‘official’ tour kicked off this morning with 20 keen golfers tackling the Anahita championship course.
It was a little breezy but generally warm and sunny.
Anahita GC- hole 4 approach
The Anahita course was designed by Ernie Els and generally has wide welcoming fairways, and large fairway bunkers that were not to hard to avoid.
The course defence was all about the greens, which were generally a little raised and well defended by bunkers and sharp run offs.
There are some outstanding holes- holes 5, 12, 16, 17 & 18 touched the ocean and added some colour to the round.
The ninth hole stood out with a long burn winding down the middle of the hole.
Never seen that before!
The Motley Crew on the tee at Anahita
The 14th hole had some similarities as it had a long rock wall bisecting the fairway.
The Travelling Golfers enjoyed playing Anahita, and were impressed with the meals, accommodation and services available there.
Winners on the day were:
Men- Morgant Sant with 36 pts
Ladies- Krystina Anastaciou
NTP- Paul Armstrong & Annette Den Elzen
Dinner at the Il Forno restaurant went down a treat!
Tuesday 11 September
Ile Aux Cerfs clubhouse
Today we headed to the island to play Ile Aux Cerfs, generally thought to be the the best course in Mauritius.
The early drizzle soon dissipated leaving us with a perfect day for golf.
Today was the start of the team event with Heather’s Flamingo’s playing the Dodo’s lead by Peter.
The Flamingo’s lead from the start to record a clear lead.
Wayne Moriarty won the men’s event and Donna Phillips the ladies.
NTP’s were John & Helen Hillard.
Ile Aux Cerfs was a course we were all keen to see.
It is a course that requires several plays to know the lines of play.
There are a number of tees each hole, so players can choose a tee that suits their game.
It is a wildly dramatic course with tree lined fairways, water features, and colourful flower beds all part of the mix.
It’s a course to play step by step rather than try and overpower it.
I can’t wait to play again!
Wednesday 12 September
The group was well organised this morning having all checked out and settled accounts last night, and now having all luggage ready for the bus to be loaded while we ate brekkie.
Our destination was the Heritage Telfair hotel, and golf for the day was the brand new La Reserve Course at The Heritage.
The course is due to open in December, and is preparing for the Mauritian Open.
None of the infrastructure was yet in place- the clubhouse was under construction androads were being made.
The Heritage- La Reserve, hole 3
We were very fortunate to be able to play.
Our contacts were able to get us on when Avalon GC made a last minute decision to core their course.
After golf the feedback was universal- La Reserve was a world class course and clearly the new number one in Mauritius!
Winners were Henk with 37 pts and Helen with 34pts.
On this occassion Peter and the other Dodo's were victorious!
Thursday 13 September
The view from our room at The Heritage Telfair
Today was sightseeing day.
After breakfast the group split into two and in two people movers we headed off to explore Mauritius.
Our first stop was the Black River Gorges we enjoyed wonderful views of the surrounding countryside and a majestic waterfall.
Travelling Golfers sightseeing in Mauritius
From there we visited the huge statues.
The huge statues
Next up we visited Charmarell’s Seven Coloured Earths park, and enjoyed seeing the tortoises getting active.
Chamarel 7 coloured earth
Our last stop was a 4 course meal at a nearby restaurant..
Friday 14 September
After brekkie we were back in the bus and headed west where we lined up to play Tamarina GC, which usually rates in the top 5 or 6 in Mauritius.
It was another beautiful day in paradise with the sun shining, and the lightest of winds.
Tamarina is located between the impressive Rempart Mountain and the Indian Ocean.
The magnificent mountain towers over the course and together with the occasional glimpses of the bright blue briney make for a memorable day on the course.
Tamarina GC- hole 2
But it is not all about the local landscape.
The course is well designed- architect Rodney Wright designed courses all over the world (USA, Hawaii, Japan, China etc) including Constance Belle Mare Plage Links course.
There are some wonderful holes- I especially liked the par 5 fourth hole- through the trees over the marshland and then the split fairway around a tree for the approach.
But the two par 3’s in the back nine were the standouts- the long drop shot thirteenth hole with ocean views was magnificent!
Tamarina GC- hole 13
Back at the Heritage hotel we ate Indian.
Saturday 15 September
Our last day in Mauritius!
I started early and met with head Greenkeeper James for a second look at the new La Reserve course.
James drove me around and we put the drone up a few times and got some nice footage.
I am sure this will be regarded a significant course on the global golfing scene.
Certainly it makes Mauritius an even more attractive golfing destination.
Then I scooted down to join the group at The Heritage- Le Chateau, to see the group off for their last round of our tour event.
The Heritage- Le Chateau course, hole 18
Le Chateau is generally regarded as one of the best courses on the island.
It is a well maintained resort style course with mainly wide fairways and a number of water hazards to make things interesting..
The crazy Mauritian Travelling Golfers
After a big farewell lunch and presentations we all went our separate ways.
Congratulations to tour winners Wayne Moriarty and Donna Phillips.
And you would be pleased to know that the falmingos and Dodo's held on for a dramatic draw..
Mauritius winners are grinners: Wayne & Donna
Heather and I would like to thank the group for joining us.
Having such a lovely group join us really makes the trip so much more enjoyable for everyone.
Mauritius is a very special place- we hope to return soon.
Heather & Peter