Safely anchored, we fell backward into the sea.Īlong the shoreline, families in bright swimsuits lay splayed on the white powdery sands of Blue Bay beach. The shimmering quicksilver surface of the water splashed and receded above us, and we descended into an unearthly silence. Hans guided me over expanses of jagged white branching coral and waving ropelike anemones. Then he produced a chunk of French baguette, and small fish in bright hues appeared from every direction to nip from it. All around us, black and white dominoes, thin yellow pavillons and red-silver maldacques formed a polychromatic shifting cloud. Sunlight filtered through the clear aquamarine water, which was as warm and enveloping as amniotic fluid. Hans flashed me a divers’ gesture, the rounded thumb and forefinger signifying “O.K.?” Suddenly, communicating an accurate answer seemed almost impossible.
How could I signal to him, “Yes: This is sublimity incarnate”? How might I gesture that I wanted to stay down here for a week? The island nation of Mauritius, along its sands and under its sea, had cast its spell.ĭistant, isolated and loaded with tropical seductions a perfect year-round climate, talcum-soft sands, crystalline waters, world-class diving, big game fishing, fields of purple litchi fruit, rum and tea plantations Mauritius, long called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, has for decades been one of the planet’s most elite island getaways.Īn officially English-speaking former Dutch, French and British colony, it is Africa’s farthest-flung nation, a speck of volcanic rock with a few smaller offshore islands and shoals, more than 1,200 miles east of the African mainland. Starting in the late 20th century, that remoteness, combined with its natural gifts, attracted jet-setters and the five-star resorts catering to them, including One & Only, Hyatt, Oberoi and Movenpick. Prince William of Britain, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, J. Rowling and Robert De Niro have all been spotted in Mauritius in recent years.Īirport authorities amped up the island’s perceived cachet by basically putting velvet ropes around the runways. Only Air Mauritius and established national carriers like British Airways and Air France were allowed in, a policy that restricted access and kept ticket prices exaggeratedly high, helping to preserve Mauritius as a refuge for the rich.īut the winds are shifting. In 2006, air travel restrictions were loosened, and new European budget and private carriers like Corsairfly, Eurofly and Virgin Atlantic began to fly in.
0 kommentar(er)
