Mauritius: ocean luxuriance

We all know Mauritius and its grand hotels lining dreamy beaches. We know about their sumptuous buffets, glamorous evenings and impeccable service. But we're less familiar with the centre of the island, with its great and small history, the charm of its colonial houses and the fabulous hiking trails in the heart of the green hills. Corporate groups make this the common thread running through their successful operations.

By Arnaud Deltenre -

Published 05/05/2017

Nestled in a lush natural setting, Domaine de l'Étoile demonstrates that Mauritius' appeal extends far beyond its sublime beaches and into its hinterland. — Nestled in a lush natural setting, Domaine de l'Étoile proves that Mauritius' power of attraction goes far beyond its sublime beaches. of Mauritius goes far beyond its sublime beaches and extends right inland.

Report Arnaud Deltenre Photos Alain Parinet.

"First God created Mauritius, then paradise, in his own image.e". In his travelogue Following the Equator, published in 1897, Mark Twain recounts the sweet feelings of a local man for his adopted island. Since then, the phrase has been a favourite with publishers of tourist brochures. And it's true that with its infinitely blue ocean and its sensual beaches, Mauritius has a picture postcard image. Corporate groups make no mistake about it, coming to its many resorts to combine a little work with a lot of relaxation.

It is very difficult, today the destination is one of the most popular seaside resorts in the worldIt is hard to imagine that the island was not always such an extraordinary Eden. In 1710, its first Dutch explorers, distant subjects of Maurice van Nassau - hence the name of the island - even ended up setting sail, disgustedly leaving this tropical confetti that was just too unfriendly. Not much remains of the landscapes of the time when the first humans arrived. Only the Gorges de la Rivière Noire nature park, in the south-west of the island, now offers 50km of trails and signposted walks for a plunge into the heart of an unspoilt wilderness. preserved primary forestIt takes the traveller back to the time when the dodo, that incredible bird that has now disappeared, could still lay its egg without fear of it being swallowed by rats brought into the holds of ships.

Ultra-fine sand, turquoise water, coconut palms gently casting their shadows on comfortable deckchairs set up by attentive staff: the beaches of Mauritius' resorts are the epitome of laziness and indolence (here, The Residence Mauritius, in Belle Mare).

At the foot of Morne Brabant, as all around the island, top-of-the-range resorts welcome business tourists in search of a relaxing beach holiday.

Mauritius has built its "leisure" legend on the exceptional quality of its hotels. But at the end of the day, all it has done is to make use of its own unique way of life, its own very personal way of appreciating life's special moments. Whether it's here in a hammock, even if it's a little overrated, or there, in a lonely kiosk that's much more romantic.

From 1920s elegance at Résidence à Bellemare to glamour and bohemian chic elsewhere, the hotels that have made the destination famous each have their own personality. But they all exude a gentle art of living and a natural sense of hospitality. — From the elegance of the 1920s at the Résidence à Belle Mare to the glamour and bohemian chic of the other resorts, the hotels that have made this destination famous each have their own personality. But they all exude a gentle art of living and a natural sense of hospitality.

Beautiful soft green

More than in the blue lagoon, the Mauritian identity was first written in the great green. It is this colour that can be used as the backdrop to an incentive trip, enhanced by day or half-day excursions. Probably the most interesting of all, a visit to the Aventure du sucre (Sugar Adventure), a museum that is as fascinating as it is didactic, provides an insight into the depths of Mauritius, far removed from the lightness, however exquisite, of its beaches.

Here we learn that although the Dutch left almost overnight, they left behind them a priceless legacy, the sugar cane that was to cover the island in a beautiful soft green. Here we can see the audacity it took for Governor Mahé de la Bourdonnais (1699-1753) to make the island the first in the world to be colonised by the Dutch. "Isle de France a perennial paradise! And how many tears were shed by the slaves who had to clear the fields and grind this bitter-tasting sweet gold! In any case, the wealth generated by this tropical agriculture did not escape the attention of the British who, following in the footsteps of the French colonists, transformed the almost small-scale production into a veritable industry, recruiting a huge workforce of "engagés" from southern India who, from generation to generation, went on to make up a large part of the Mauritian nation. As a result, by the turn of the 20th century, the Mauritian economy had become one of the most prosperous in the world.^e By the end of the 19th century, there were almost 200 factories on the island.

The cultivation of sugar cane, of which rum is a natural product, has shaped the Mauritian nation, from the great families of European settlers to the descendants of African slaves and 'indentured' labourers from India.

While sugar cane is omnipresent, tea is grown on the high plateaux in the centre of the island. Founded in 1892, the Bois Chéri factory processes between 15 and 20 tonnes of freshly plucked leaves every day.

With its stalls brimming with tropical fruit, the Port-Louis market offers a colourful stop-off in the island's capital.

Colonial sagas

The owners of these plantations lived in beautiful mansions, most often nestled in the middle of a forest. in the heart of shady parks by royal palms. Some of the houses are still in their original state, and offer a glimpse into the colonial past, followed by a Mauritian-style lunch of rougaille, curry and other spicy specialities. Built in 1872, the Domaine des Aubineaux, for example, tells the story of the rich families who came to settle near Curepipe, in the centre of the island, as much to escape the plebeian atmosphere of the capital Port-Louis as to escape malaria and other tropical diseases.

Walking through the house, you can imagine the master of the house, Mr Guimbeau, president of the Curepipe Philharmonic Society, gathering his friends around the piano, now out of tune due to damp. No doubt they were invited to listen to Beethoven or Mozart, Liszt concertos or Chopin etudes, but also the latest creations by Debussy or Fauré, whose scores arrived by boat at the same time as the steamy dresses and the the great Parisian hats. After the interlude, the gentlemen moved on to the smoking room, while the women obediently retired to chat in the pavilion built next to the house, which today hosts seminars for small groups.

These noble properties, with their high ceilings for better ventilation, all have the same distinctive feature: they are surrounded by large verandas opening onto the garden. varangues - to shade the day. As the houses had no interior corridors, these varangues were also used by the household staff to get to and from their rooms and by the residents to go from one room to another.

Inhabited until 1999 and still owned by the Guimbeau family, the Aubineaux estate recounts the life of wealthy colonists in its interiors filled with ebony furniture and period photographs. Today, some parts of the house, including the sublime varangue, have been converted into a restaurant.

Not far from Port-Louis, in the town of Moka, the Eureka house is another resurgence of those lives spent in the tropicsand certainly the most charming. It's so named because that's how Alexis Jules Eugène Le Clézio, imitating Archimedes' exclamation, rejoiced when he discovered the house of his dreams, practically leaning against Mount Ory. And it's true that this house, acquired in 1856 by this established solicitor, a distant ancestor of the nobelised Franco-Mauritian writer, is indeed gracious. "Every corner of this big house was full of familiar secrets, memories and childhood happiness."says J.M.G. Le Clézio to the narrator of Travel to Rodrigues. After Alexis Jules Eugène, his son, Sir Henry - Maurice was under British guardianship - inherited the property and lived there with his wife and 17 children in relative comfort.

Eureka, as it has remained, was home to the Le Clézio family and their 17 children, all of whom can be seen gathered around the long mahogany table in the dining room.

The Le Clézio family, that of the celebrated contemporary writer, belonged to Mauritian high society. As evidenced by the opulence of the comfortable salons in which they entertained.

More than likely, in the image of the island's good society, the Le Clézio family On Saturdays, did she go to the Port-Louis racecourse, which is still in operation today? Or did she prefer the botanical gardens of Pamplemousses for a breath of fresh air? Even today, a stroll through the paths of this garden, one of the most beautiful in the world, is an essential part of the programme for groups visiting Mauritius. Pierre Poivre, the island's intendant between 1767 and 1772, was responsible for creating this authentic plant-based League of Nations. A naturalist at heart, he took great pains to decorate the grounds of his residence with trees from all over the world: royal palms from Cuba, giant bamboos from China, talipots from Sri Lanka, African sausage trees... but also lotuses from India and giant water lilies from Amazonia, which, floating in their basins, are still the pride of the place.

Perched in the canopy, the birds pierce the silence of the tall trees and fit perfectly into this multicultural setting. In their own way, they are also part of the island's melting pot, having been introduced to Mauritius through immigration. The martin, for example, was imported from Indonesia by the Dutch to chase away grasshoppers that were taking too close an interest in the sugar cane. The "conde", as it is known on the island, recognisable by its black tufted tail, comes from the Indian subcontinent, while the cardinal, a small passerine whose very coquettish male is adorned in a beautiful red coat in summer, is originally from Madagascar.

These mischievous birds are fairly common on the island, and take pleasure in brightening up tourists' meals by twirling around the tables. Much more shy, on the other hand, are the tailed strawbirds - an endemic species - which can only be seen from a distance, their white wings standing out in the light. lush vegetation which runs along the hillsides. They can be seen flying over the Domaine de l'Etoile, a former hunting lodge now dedicated to eco-tourism, offering another opportunity to get close to the advantageous nature of the island's interior.

The Pamplemousses Garden, a breathtaking plant extravaganza, is one of our star excursions.

Traveller's trees

Deliciously enchantingWith the peaceful Grande Rivière Sud-Est running through it, the island was the setting for some of the scenes in the Paul et Virginie series in the 1970s. In contrast to the watercolour hues of the sugar cane fields that dot the island, here deeper tones are found on the hillsides covered with ebony, guava, traveller's trees, vacoas and albisias.

In the midst of this abundance of species, most of which are endemic to the 1,200 ha of the estate, a thousand deer and hinds, as well as hares, wild boars, macaques and bats roam freely. The whole bestiary plays hide-and-seek with visitors, who can choose to explore the reserve on foot, horseback or quad bike, or even fly over it suspended from a zip line. In addition, the estate offers other team building activities to round off the day. Then it's time for the groups to head off to the coconut-studded beaches for a gala dinner or a barefoot cocktail in the sand.

All roads leading to the sea, never far away on an island the size of a French departmentThe winding roads wind through fields of sugar cane, then become wiser when they come across the first flamboyant trees. These majestic trees are bright red when they are in flower during the southern summer, i.e. winter in our latitudes, and line the roads in the same way that plane trees once lined the N7. Then the filaos, thin and wiry, follow the flamboyant trees, announcing that the luxury hotels are not far away, lined up as if in procession all around the island.

Preserving the island's original nature in a mountainous setting with cascading waterfalls, the Gorges de la Rivière Noire park is home to more than 150 varieties of endemic plants.

During the austral summer, the flamboyant trees colour the roads a brilliant red.

At Cap Maheureux, the bride and groom are photographed in front of the red-roofed church, fulfilling the dream of Virginie, the heroine of Bernardin de St Pierre's novel, promised to Paul but lost body and soul when the Saint-Géran sank.

Clockwise from Port Louis, you'll find Trou aux Biches, Mont Choisy and Grand Baie, the island's liveliest resort with its legendary Royal Palm hotel. Then, on the windswept east coast, there are the resorts of Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce, the Residence, Prince Maurice, One&Only Saint-Géran and other Four Seasons and Shangri-La Touessrok hotels. Continuing southwards, past Mahébourg, the coast becomes wilder, abandoning the beaches for a coastline of black rocks, but still leaving room for a few choice stops, at Blue Bay and Pointe d'Esny, with the Preskil as the figurehead.

At the tip of the island, at the south-western tip, the intriguing silhouette of Morne Brabant emerges. This rocky spur is the focal point ofa Unesco-listed landscapeThis is a mountain of infinite beauty and a testament to the resistance to slavery. At the foot of the mountain, a memorial reminds us that it was on these hard-to-reach slopes that slaves who had managed to escape from the plantations took refuge.

This Morne, which can be seen as a Dantean mountain on cyclone days, can also be enchanting, protecting the resorts at its foot from its shadow, be they Lux*, Dinarobin or St Regis. A truly magical mountain when it turns pale pink in the evening. This is the hour when the barmen of the grand hotels open the ball with their energetically shaken shakers. Make way for the night and its firework cocktails.