Playing in paradise: My golf trip to Mauritius

All Square ambassador Julien Tizot spent a week in Mauritius playing five of the best golf courses there, including those designed by Bernhard Langer and Ernie Els, and documented his trip with incredible drone photography.  

Julien, a scratch golfer, visited Mauritius at the end of February, during the country’s summer when temperatures average 25°C.

“Mauritius is the perfect golf vacation for Europeans during winter,” he said. “It’s a similar time zone (just three hours ahead of France), but the weather is great. Great people too and great golf.” 

Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club: Championship course by Bernhard Langer

“It’s a unique course on its own island. You have to take a boat there. I can’t think of many courses like this in the world. It’s very lush and the course maintenance is perfect. Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club is really challenging with a lot of carries over waste areas and lakes. You won’t use the driver a lot, but it’s narrow and if the wind blows you can get crushed. There’s a lot of water and even good players lose a lot of balls. 

The front nine is good but the back nine is great. It has some amazing holes. The par-5 11^th has a green on top of a hill where you get to see entire surrounding lagoon and the mountains in the background. It’s one of my favourite views in golf. It’s probably one of the best greens in the world.”

Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita: Championship course by Ernie Els

“Ernie’s course is completely different. It’s more links-like and you use a driver a lot more, at pretty much every par 4 and 5, and it helps to be long off the tee. It’s a bit easier, but it’s windier and the greens are tricky with plenty of slopes. 

The first three holes are okay but then the 4^th is exciting. It’s similar to the 11^th at Ile aux Cerfs. In fact you can see that hole from this one. It’s a really good course that starts slow but builds into a better course through the round. It’s got a really great finish with holes 16 to 18. A par 3, a par 4, then the 18^th is a par 5 with a sharp dogleg left.”

Constance Belle Mare Plage: Links Golf Course & Legends Golf Course

“I played both the Links Course and the Legends Course next door. Both are championship courses. The Links course is where they play the MCB Invitational on the European Senior Tour. There’s lava rocks and a few lakes. It’s a beautiful inland course and it’s quite flat. 

The Legends course is the more challenging of the two. It hosts the season-ending MCB Tour Championship on the European Senior Tour. It’s a highly enjoyable course to play. Both are very good courses, and they play easier than Ile aux Cerfs and Anahita.”

Heritage Le Telfair – Heritage Golf Course 

“This is on the south coast of the island. It hosts the The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open (co-sanctioned by the European, Sunshine and Asian Tours). It shares that event with Anahita. It’s a good championship course, and plays a bit like Anahita where you’ll hit plenty of long shots.

Heritage Course is not too quirky and there’s a few lakes. The maintenance is good and there’s plenty of palm trees. But I wasn’t blown away. This and the Links and Legends courses don’t have the wow factor of Ile aux Cerfs and Anahita. The blue colour of the lagoon by both those courses is really incredible and gives them that wow factor.”

Accommodation

If you’re thinking of taking a golf trip to Mauritius like Julien, there are many superb hotel options. 

Sun Resorts

Four incredible hotels all offering privilege access to Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club, including land shuttle transfer to Pointe Maurice jetty and boat transfer. Guests also enjoy preferred access fee to Legend Golf Course, Links Golf Course, Anahita Golf Club, Tamarina Golf Club and Avalon Golf Estate.

Long Beach Resort

Modern, chic five-star hotel fringing the stunning beach at Belle Mare. Encompassed by tropical gardens, every room has access to its own stretch of beach, garden or pool. All feature a private balcony or terrace. 

Sugar Beach Resort & Spa

Stylish five-star hotel along the beautiful bay of Flic-en-Flac. Plantation-style resort that mixes old-world charm with modern comforts. 238 elegant sea or garden facing rooms, each with its own private balcony.

La Pirogue

Four-star haven set on the stunning Sunset Coast. Beach, garden, family and pavilion-style bungalows with thatched roofs similar to the unfurled sail of a local fishing boat – from where the resort gets its name. Each opens privately onto a palm grove and the turquoise lagoon.

Ambre Resort & Spa 

Four-star, all-inclusive hotel for guests aged 16 and over. Nestled between a coral-reef lagoon and tropical gardens and built with open architecture providing uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean. Ocean view and garden view rooms and suites. 

Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita

Guests enjoy unlimited tee times on both the Ernie Els-designed course at Anahita Golf Club and the Bernhard Langer signature course at Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club.

Five-star resort with outstanding service set in tropical gardens on a secluded lagoon overlooking Bambous Mountain. 136 spacious single-storey open-plan villas, each with a plunge pool and garden. It boasts the island’s only overwater spa with 12 sea-facing suites on stilts. Four pools, four excellent restaurants and a kids club.