Anahita World Class Sanctuary at Mauritius
by Scott A. Sumner
www.golfingnews.ca
Last year when I was on a golf trip with several Europeans I first learned of an Island in the Indian ocean of South Africa called Mauritius. They all raved about the beauty of Mauritius so when I got the opportunity to visit this island and see first hand I was excited. Mauritius is little bit of a jaunt from my home city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. You travel to Toronto or Montreal, hop on a plane to Paris and then have a 10 hour flight on Air Mauritius to this beautiful island.
In recent years it seems to me aircraft have been getting much better making it easier to cope on a long flight. In fact when you consider it is 5 hours from Toronto to Vancouver, Europe at 6 hours seems not that long. Also today most of the long haul jets have in seat entertainment
systems so you can sit back relax and watch Clint eastwood in Gran Torino or Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler.
After a long journey it was great to arrive at Anahita, a development which includes condos you can rent , a Four Seasons Resort hotel and the Ernie Els championship Golf Course. The development totals 213 hectors including a huge ocean beach front. Construction began January 2006. The golf course was completed in March 2008 when it opened for official play. The residences or condos in July. The residences are 1800 to 2400 square feet in size while the villas are 3000 to 5000 square feet.In fact these residences are simply spectacular and perhaps the most luxurious stay I have ever had. “ We sell and deliver a turn key solution right up to the last tee spoon. The clients are mostly European and some South Africans. We are quite far away from North America market. The concept here is new to Europe and South Africa,” said Nicolas Vaudin, General Manager and Promoter, Ciel Properties Ltd, developers of Anahita, a 100 year old Mauritius company. “ The construction cost was about 300 million Euros or $500 million CDNdollars. This has been the biggest construction site on Mauritius in recent years. The average price of the residences was about $1 million US dollars. Our villas start around $2 million dollars.”
A major attraction of Anahita is the Ernie Els Golf Course which is the only USGA course built to their standards on Mauritius. It has wide fairways but still offers a great challenge. “ Ernie was very involved in the design. He walked the course before the start to approve the
layout. He teed off during the construction to make sure the bunkers placements, greens etc are right to how people will play today with how technology has progressed. The course cost $16 million Euros or more than $1 million per hole. We have 45 staff on the greens to look
after 54 acres of greens and fairways and the resort, “ said Nicolas Vaudin. “ I like that each hole has it’s own personality. You won’t find two holes that are the same. The golf course lends itself to views of the mountains and the sea. What you see is what you get.You don’t have hidden streams or hazards. The bunkers are demanding. It is new but we opened it when it was ready to be played.”
Anahita is a very unique property in Mauritius. You have 6 km of sea frontage, beautiful mountains in the back surrounded by sugar canes. It offers so many opportunities with the sun, the beach, the golf and mountain activities such as quad biking and horseback riding.
There are many things for people to do. “ We have a fantastic spa at the Four Seasons Hotel which had been recognized as one of the very best in their brand. It was developed to be the best Four Seasons in the world. We use natural materials. Everything built so far has been
sold so we are not sitting on inventory. The residence is the next step from the Four Seasons in luxury. It is a home away from home with all the services.” said Vaudin.
My visit to Mauritius was just a fantastic experience. The people were all very friendly and customer service oriented to the 100th degree. The setting is one of the most beautiful I have experienced in the world. Staying at the Residences and the Four Season’s Mauritius made the trip perfect!
