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SA Golf Trader, May/June 2023. Cover Feature - Mont Choisy Golf & Beach Estate, Grand Baie, Mauritius.
Mont Choisy Golf & Beach Estate is the premier location in the north for a once-in-a-lifestyle real estate investment.
Set well back from the road, at the end of the impressive Allée des Flamboyants, the 223-hectare Mont Choisy Golf & Beach Estate in the north of Mauritius unfolds in all its historic glory. The former family-owned sugar estate is the location for sought-after luxury apartments, penthouses and villas and a Peter Matkovich-designed golf course, the only 18-hole facility in the area.
In December 2022, the club hosted the golfing elite as they competed for top honours at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, a DP World and Sunshine Tour event. An estimated 300 million viewers worldwide watched Frenchman Antoine Rozner accept the prized trophy after a flying start with an eagle on the par-five seventh and birdies on the eighth and ninth holes. He described his play of the front nine holes, “the harder nine,” as one of his best.
Generous fairways and large greens
Long-time Mauritius resident and avid golfer Jonathan Tagg, Pam Golding Properties Project Director, says wind direction determines the most challenging holes. “We have a predominant southeast wind in Mauritius, which is great because it means Grand Baie is protected, but the golf course is exposed. If the southeast does blow, the most difficult holes are 2, 3, 4, 5, 16 and 17. It can be different in summer when there’s no wind.”
Feedback from the golfers at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was very positive, considering the course was only about five years old. “There was some wind so there wasn’t a massively high score – 19 under par won it, with second and third places
The par-72, 6 200m championship course has a Links-like feel and a 300m double-ended driving range. The team led by greenkeeper Rory Taylor meticulously maintains the wide, player-friendly fairways and pristine greens, complete with well-placed bunkers and water hazards on six holes. Clever undulations, tall, springy grass along the fairways, and punishing rough all add to the challenge, as do the frequent strong winds. Distinctive black volcanic rocks also mark the course. “Generous fairways and large greens give the greenkeepers ample room to arrange the course in a pleasing manner. The par threes are popular,” says Tagg.
Residency by investment
Mont Choisy Golf & Beach Estate is approved for foreign investment. Buyers who purchase one of these superluxury homes for $375,000 or more qualify themselves, their parents, and their children under 24 for permanent residency. “It’s one of the simplest residency-by-investment programmes available. There are no visitation requirements or language tests. You can own the property and have permanent residency without having to do anything else,” says Richard Haller, director at Pam Golding Properties (Mauritius).
That status enables those who want to work on the island without applying for a separate permit.
In early 2022, the Mauritius government approved an additional joint ownership option. If you buy one property for $1,125m, for example, there are three residency components to that property. That means three partners can invest $375,000 each to qualify for permanent residency for themselves and their family members as detailed above.
“Clients are buying for several reasons. There’s the offshore investment angle, which is really a rand hedge. The Mauritian real estate market trades in US dollars or euros, which is interesting for those wanting to diversify their portfolio. Some clients are looking to retire, others are relocating, swallows are choosing to spend part of their time in Mauritius and investors are looking for a secure investment in US dollars. Lifestyle, safety and security are also important motivators,” says Haller.
Mont Choisy Golf & Beach Estate is one of the agency’s most successful developments in Mauritius. Capital growth averages about 6% annually, and rental yields are 4-6%.
There is a range of properties available with apartments starting at $550,000, and villas from $1,4 million. The Island Signature Villas are currently reselling at $4.5m each. Phase 3 is under construction and sold out, phase 4 is under construction and almost sold out, while phase 5 is now selling off plan.
New lifestyle hub
There is a lot of common land with plenty of facilities wrapped around it, including the golf, which is standalone from the estate, so homeowners are not landed with the levies, tennis and padel courts, a gym, equestrian facilities and a 52-acre nature reserve all on-site. A newly designed lagoon and eco pool area will subdivide phases 3, 4 and 5 and the villas, and provide more facilities for homeowners’ use.
The location is superb, with the vibrant seaside village of Grand Baie on one side and Mont Choisy Beach on the other. Indigenous vegetation enhances the area’s natural beauty and picturesque trails are provided for fitness enthusiasts who love being in nature and training outdoors, just a few winding lanes away from where they live and a short walk to the beach.
The forthcoming opening of Mont Choisy Boulevard will add even more amenities, including retail options, a park, a cycling area, and a pedestrian walkway currently in the design phase. The Mont Choisy shopping centre is a boutique mall incorporating Italian delicatessens, a great wine store, and an organic fruit and vegetable grocer that has been well received. “Residents stand to benefit significantly from this new lifestyle hub and can easily access many of the retail facilities by golf cart,” says Tagg.
The private medical clinic being constructed on the estate is nearing completion, and the retirement development has already been finished.
To find out more about this upscale estate, contact Pam Golding Properties (Mauritius) Jonathan Tagg +230 5498 3842, Mridula Sembhoo +230 5728 8200, or email projects@pamgolding.mu.
