Le Paradis provides true golfing paradise in Mauritius

Mark Gorham introduces us to another of the top golf courses in Mauritius, which he visited on his recent honeymoon.

On the south western tip of Mauritius there is a peninsular shadowed by the impressive outcrop called Le Morne. Along this peninsular you will find two hotels – The Paradis and the Dinarobin.

Their facilities can be shared by residents of both hotels, one of which is the excellent Le Paradis golf course which I had the pleasure of playing on my honeymoon to Mauritius. I was also lucky enough the play the Tousserok golf course, which I’ve already written about.

The clubhouse, bar, driving range and first tee at Le Paradis are all close to the reception and anyone staying at Dinarobin will need to arrange a buggy transfer.

I was met by a group of friendly faces running the front desk at the club. Sham in particular was very welcoming and made all the necessary arrangements and I was informed that they hold a competition every Tuesday and Friday so I put my name down for the following day’s event.

Because of the time of year there were only eight entries for the Friday competition, while other times of year can provide a much larger number of competitors. Either way it presents a great chance to meet fellow travellers and golfers. The winner will walk away with a polo shirt emblazoned with the club logo.

I found out I could leave all my gear in an allocated locker for the duration of my stay which made things nice and easy.

On competition day I was introduced to my two playing partners and we were off on our way. This really is an impressive looking golf course with excellent quality grass and sand and water coming into play on several holes.

On the fourth you have to cross the ravine which links the course’s two large lakes to the sea. It’s only 30 feet across but due to its position from the tee it tempts you into a long carry with your second shot, or you could alternatively lag it up short for a chip and a putt for par.

The eighth finds you on a hole no longer than 260 yards. The last 20 yards of that are water, however, so if you are confident of carrying it that far you should be rewarded with a birdie.

The ninth, meanwhile, is positioned along one edge of a lake and anything sliced will find a watery grave on this testing par five.

Onto the back nine you are similarly tested on the eleventh with the water again being on your right for the entire length of the hole.

The signature hole is the 16th which is a par five requiring you to drive over the bay to a narrow fairway. Go too far and you will be in the lake the other side (see the photo for evidence!) The green is situated right in the corner of the coastline and with the prevailing winds proved very difficult to find in regulation.

The short 17th has the sea to the right and is a further test of your ability. With the 18th moving away from the shoreline you are presented with a chance of a straight away drive and a short iron for a possible closing birdie.

A short buggy ride back to club house and it was time for the hows and wherefores over a cold beer at this excellent course.

Related posts:

• Beachcomber Launch Laurence & Jackie Llewelyn-Bowen’s Wedding in Paradise Package
• Tropical Sky Diving!
• Paradise Lost – Climate Change And The Maldives
• New Nature Lover’s Paradise
• Return to the Seychelles