Île aux Cerfs, a day off Trou d’Eau Douce

Off the east coast, facing the village of Trou d’Eau Douce, Île aux Cerfs spreads its 87 hectares between two shades of blue. No one lives there and no hotel has been built: you come in the morning and leave in the evening, and everything on the island runs to the rhythm of this coming and going. It is one of the forty-nine islets surrounding Mauritius, and one of the busiest, for its white sand beaches, its turquoise lagoon, its tables with your feet in the sand and its golf course.

The shortest route leaves from the Pointe Maurice jetty in Trou d’Eau Douce, which is open to the public. Twenty-four-seat boats shuttle across every thirty minutes, from 9.30am to 6pm, to the Masala jetty, on the island’s north-west coast. The island itself is open every day from 9am to 6pm, and a car park watched by cameras awaits vehicles at the landing stage. The last return shuttle leaves at 6pm: that is the hour by which the whole day is set.

Golfers have their own boat. It leaves Pointe Maurice every twenty minutes, from 6.40am, for the golf club jetty, and runs until the last player has left. The course is open from 7am to 8pm, so you can play first thing in the morning or late in the day.

There are other ways to come. Catamarans and speedboats leave from Trou d’Eau Douce, and some come from further afield, even from Blue Bay. Many excursions make the island one stop on a longer circuit: the tour of the five islands of the east, or a boat trip up to the waterfall of the Grande Rivière Sud-Est, the longest river in Mauritius, whose falls can be approached by water. Lunch, often a barbecue, is then included.

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The beaches

The northern tip is where the activity is. That is where you find the white sand beaches, the turquoise lagoon and the rustic-looking beach bars and grills, where you have lunch looking out over the water. The Sands Bar serves a well-known Mauritian rum cocktail there.

For peace and quiet, simply walk. Following the east coast under the filao trees, one beach follows another, growing quieter the further you go from the jetty, and the shallow water invites a swim at every step. In the south-east, near the golf course, La Flibuste offers a more secluded beach still, with sun loungers and beach service. This is where those who want to combine a round of golf and a few hours on the sand in the same day come to a halt.

The reef that encloses the lagoon makes it well suited to water sports. Parasailing, speedboat rides, water-skiing and wakeboarding are all on offer, and from the sand people happily watch the passengers of towed inflatables. Some speedboat excursions include a parasailing flight in the day.

The waters of the neighbouring coast are protected too. The Trou d’Eau Douce fishing reserve is one of the island’s eight marine protected areas.

The course of the Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club, an eighteen-hole championship course, was designed by Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters champion, and every one of its holes opens onto the ocean. It suits seasoned players without discouraging amateurs. The club has a driving range, an academy and a shop where clubs and shoes can be hired. The course faces the Anahita hotel, on the coast, and can be reached only by boat or helicopter.

The clubhouse is home to Langer’s Bar & Grill, which overlooks the eighteenth green: a natural place for lunch, whether or not you play.

Île aux Cerfs lends itself to a simple day. Arrive with the first shuttles, choose your beach as the mood takes you, lively in the north or peaceful along the east coast, and keep an eye on the time of the last crossing. Golfers start early, enjoy the beach in the afternoon and can stay until evening thanks to the golfers’ boat. Those who prefer the sea treat themselves to a speedboat ride, a flight over the lagoon, or simply a long swim in its clear water.