Travel - Mauritius Our Treasure Island

The island conjures up images of tropical paradise and it is fast becoming a desirable destination for more adventurous travellers. Having recently been awarded "Golf destination of the year" for Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf States, Mauritius is truly the new kid on the block as far as golf is concerned. With a dozen or so courses to choose from on the island, there is no doubt that Mauritius is a truly outstanding golf destination.

We had the privilege of playing Bernhard Langer's Le Touessrok course, which is set on it's own island, known as the "Island of Deer". We were also privileged enough to play Anahita, the course designed by Ernie Els, which will once again host the AfrAsia Mauritian Open next month.

We were also really lucky to play the newly opened Avalon Golf course, which is set in the heart of a nature reserve. Surrounded by gorges, volcanic mountains and sweeping valleys, Avalon is in the middle of a tea plantation and covers an area of 230 hectares. This 18-hole championship golf course has been nominated by The World Golf Awards in the category of "Best New Golf Course In The World 2016". Criss-crossed by 5 rivers and an extensive road network, Avalon's residential units were nearing completion when we played there. They have a superb Country Club and the course also offers breath-taking views of the southern Mauritian coastline.

For us Mauritius has it all; endless shimmering sandy beaches, elegant beachside resorts, a kind and courteous people and still more golf courses in development.

If you could get bored of staring at the Indian Ocean from your beachside lounger, having freshly opened coconuts, filled with rum and presented to you by the locals, then there are so many things you can do in Mauritius, playing golf happens to be our favourite pastimes.

We travelled to the east of the island to our first golf destination, Le Touessrok. Its important to stress here that travelling around Mauritius is a bit tricky and the GPS and the road signs can be unreliable, finding our way was a bit of a nightmare at times, as we took a few wrong turns, we also discovered towns like Quatre Bornes.

It is advisable to establish exactly how long it takes to get to the golf course and set your tee-off time accordingly especially if you are going to cross the island.

We somehow made it on time to board the ferry shuttle to cross over to the heavenly Ile aux Cerfs, an island where golfers and sunbathers gather in isolated enjoyment.

This island is hugely popular with Mauritians who board boats in their dozens to picnic on its idyllic eastern beaches. For a golf course, there are few finer sites. Bernhard Langer was commissioned, or at least put his name to the project, and the result is a course even he would find tricky to navigate. After some recent, fairly major modifications to make it more golfer - friendly, Le Touessrok remains a test and a half. Therefore, you don't want to arrive here without your A-game. Unfortunately, we struggled this time around and having a fast four ball behind us, in what felt like a heat, wave did not help our game. We did not count the number of balls we lost; we played our game and enjoyed the scenery.

If you are a good golfer however, this is perhaps one of the most exciting games of golf you'll ever encounter. I'm actually very keen to get back and take theLe Touessrok challenge on again. It's that kind of course; one that intrigues and beguiles. There are some magnificent holes especially near the end where we were forced to play across dense gullies with nothing but trouble between us and a safe landing. A great example of this was the 17th, and then again at the 18thwith the tiniest glimpse of the fairway and a distracting view of the 19th hole that had our mouths watering for that tall cool beverage.

Then, there was Anahita, just a couple of miles south of Le Touessrok, across the bay, known as the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita to give it its full title.

This is a massive 6 858m long course, with fairways wide enough to accommodate even my drifting now-fade-now-draw drive. Finding the rough was not as common as it usually is in my game, however this golf course is still packed with challenges and character and was in perfect condition when we played it.

There are some stunning oceanfront holes interlaced between volcanic rocks and dense, exotic tropical plants. To one side there are towering green mountains and on the other that crystal clear water with its turquoise hue. I was so tempted to jump in it was so hot.

Here we played our best game and we loved every hole, it is still our favourite golf course.

And finally, we played in the newly opened Avalon Golf Course, we enjoyed an early misty tee off complete with a cool mountain breeze and a few showers. The bonus was that we had the entire course to ourselves.

The Avalon Golf Estate is set around an internationally recognised golf course, designed by renowned course designer, Peter Matkovich, the same man who designed Zimbali, another favourite course.

Avalon is still being completed with some of the golf paths still under construction, however the course is in pristine form and the best aspect of this course is that due to its high altitude, the course remains cool throughout the year and the humidity is not nearly as high as the coastal courses.

Flawlessly manicured greens, quaint bridges spanning gurgling streams and tumbling rapids, silhouettes of the decorative voyager palm and a plethora of indigenous flora, the peaceful panorama of the mountain range and undulating landscape... Avalon is a must for any golfer and if, like us, you enjoy the game, then Mauritius is an ideal destination for golf enthusiasts no matter what level of game you play at.