Sol's Resort Still Tops in Mauritius

Q: I am considering a wedding anniversary trip to honeymoon to Mauritius and want to stay in a really special hotel. Besides a good beach, choice of restaurants and luxurious accommodation, we would like a golf course at the resort or nearby. Is Sol Kerzner's hotel still the best on the island? - Rodney Serfontein

A: Sol Kerzner's One&Only Le Saint Géran is still up there with a best and is rightly regarded with awe by other hoteliers on the island. Part of its continued appeal is its magnificent setting in a palm grove, with 60 acres of tropical garden and 1.5kms of white sandy beach. Suites are spacious, there is a 24-hour butler service and three excellent restaurants. To keep you busy, the resort has a nine-hole golf course designed by Gary Player and a superb spa. (www.oneandonlyresorts.com) Probably the closest competitor is the Royal Palm Hotel, a top-notch hotel on a near-perfect beach near Grand Baie. Nicknamed Royal Calm because of its quiet, exclusive atmosphere, it offers spectacularly good service. It does not have its own golf course, but you can use one of the two courses at hotels in the same group (www.beachcomber-hotels.com). A resort with a superb golf course is the Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita. This exclusive retreat is home to the Ernie Els-designed 18-hole championship course, which features six oceanfront holes. There are 123 villas, but the ones to go for are the Lagoon Pool Villas on a private 11-acre island, Ile aux Chats (www.fourseasons.com). Another luxurious resort with its own island (and golf course) is the Le Touessrok Hotel, which has the stunning Ile aux Cerfs. This is where you'll find the 18-hole Bernhard Langer-designed championship golf course. The resort is elegant and romantic, with its best rooms across a wooden bridge from the main hotel on Frangipani Island (www.letouessrokresort.com). Another five-star hotel with good gold credentials is the Constance Belle Mare Plage Hotel, which has two championship courses (www.bellemareplagehotel.com). There are a number of other five-star hotels considering, like the Grand Mauritian and the Oberoi Mauritius. You should not worry too much about having access to golfing facilities. At last count there were 12 golf courses on the island. (16/10/11)