Africa-Press – Mauritius. A Modern Five-Bedroom Villa on Mauritius
$6 MILLION
This modern five-bedroom villa overlooks the southwestern coast of Mauritius, the island nation in the Indian Ocean about 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa.
The property, on 0.4 acres near the village of Bel Ombre, sits just outside the Heritage Natural Reserve in Mauritius’s Savanne District, and is part of Heritage Resorts, which includes a luxury residential community and two five-star hotels.
The 7,276-square-foot house, built in 2019 and being sold fully furnished, has sleek lines, expansive views and is designed to enhance the flow of indoor and outdoor living through its atrium, decks and terraces.
Timo Geldenhuys, a partner of Mauritius Sotheby’s International Realty, which has the listing, said the house is “perched high above the development, with 180-degree sea and golf course views,” and called it “the jewel in the crown on this world-class, five-star estate.
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Because it sits on a slope, the two-story villa is oriented around the ground floor, though the entrance and guest suite are upstairs. The guest suite has a king bed, en suite bathroom and a sunken lounge area that opens to a private terrace and rooftop garden with panoramic views.
From the foyer, a floating timber staircase with a glass balustrade leads down to the living areas, including the large open kitchen, dining and living room, with double-height ceilings adorned with wooden inlays.
Doors on one side open to a large atrium. On the other side, through the living area, is a broad terrace facing the pool and garden with dining tables, lounge seating and a gas barbecue.
The kitchen, near the landing, has marble counters, two islands and appliances concealed behind anthracite gray doors. Adjoining the kitchen is a spacious utility area with storage, a washing machine, and a sitting room and bathroom for a housekeeper.
From the landing, a hallway leads to three bedrooms with en suite baths, and a study and TV lounge are tucked nearby. Beyond this, circling back to the living room, is the main bedroom suite, with a raised sun deck, a walk-in closet and a bathroom with an indoor/outdoor shower.
“It’s the biggest outdoor shower you’ve ever seen in your life,” Mr. Geldenhuys said. “It’s like a whole garden to get to the actual showerhead.
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The property has air-conditioning throughout, and solar water heaters. The pool is not heated, nor does it need to be, given the tropical climate, Mr. Geldenhuys said.
The property also includes access to a golf course, five-star hotels and spa facilities, a beach club, restaurants and gardens. Bel Ombre is home to several resorts, as well as the World of Seashells museum. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is about 25 miles east.
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Market Overview
The Republic of Mauritius, with about 1.25 million residents, is a haven for golfing, kitesurfing, beach vacations and favorable tax laws.
Data from Mauritius’s online property search portal, LexpressProperty, reveals that the housing market contracted in 2020, with supply and demand — in the form of advertisements and inquiries — both dropping, especially inquiries.
Mr. Geldenhuys confirmed that the market currently favors buyers. “We have an oversupply in the market right now, but we anticipate that as borders open this will change,” he said.
Sales volumes “definitely have not recovered,” and new lockdowns and travel bans across the globe are likely to continue impacting the local market, which relies heavily on tourists.
There’s greater demand at the “entry level,” or homes priced at around $400,000 to $700,000, he said, while the higher end has been “slow to come back.
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Despite this, prices have held firm. The Mauritian government does not publish up-to-date real estate sales statistics — its most recent published figures are from 2019.
But agents said prices have remained where they were before the pandemic. “It has not really fluctuated due to Covid,” Mr. Geldenhuys said, noting that sale prices range from $2,500 to $6,000 a square meter ($232 to $557 a square foot), including the cost of land.
If homeowners are “willing and wanting to sell, they would just hold the property until the market recovers,” he said. “They’re not desperate sellers, so they’re not going to drop their prices.”
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