Mauritius - Vacoas And Phoenix

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VACOAS AND PHOENIX South of Quatre Bornes lies another residential area, Vacoas (pronounced ‘Vak-wa’). It was named ‘Les Vacoas’ in the 18th century after the pandanus trees (known locally as vacoas) that grew in the region.

Residential and agricultural, it produces mainly vegetables and has some light industry. The heart of the town is a crossroads with a taxi stand, a public toilet, a petrol station and the municipality building.

The British presence in Mauritius lingered on at Vacoas with a land-based communications station on St Paul Avenue, and with British instructors training the men of the Special Mobile Force, which has its headquarters in Vacoas. The frightfully British gymkhana club on Suffolk Road originally opened in 1849 as a polo club for officers. It now has an 18-hole golf course , tennis courts, swimming pool, squash courts, gym, snooker table and a modern clubhouse with a view of the golf course. It also has a restaurant with a stage, a lounge bar and library. The atmosphere is of a well-run establishment with dedicated, long-serving staff. Temporary membership is available to visitors on a daily or monthly basis.

Phoenix is an industrial area, with Mauritius Breweries producing their Phoenix and Stella beers at Pont Fer. Pont Fer also has a Mauritius Glass Gallery workshop, where bottles, lamps and ornaments are made from recycled glass (see What to see in Central Mauritius, page 187). In recent years, one of the island’s largest shopping centres, Les Halles, was built just outside Phoenix. It is slick and modern and has shops selling clothing, cosmetics, home wares and electronics; there is a decent food court with free Wi-Fi.

Where to eat On the road to Floréal from Phoenix there is a Continent supermarket.

X Mandarin Restaurant Royal Rd, Vacoas; % 696 4551; ( for lunch & dinner daily. Cuisine: Chinese. Popular restaurant with tables around a dance floor. $$$

FLOREAL Members of the diplomatic corps live in Floréal, in country houses set in large gardens on leafy lanes. Floréal is a comparatively new community, having been begun by Governor Hesketh Bell during his tenure (1916–24).

Bargain-hunting is probably the visitor’s main reason for stopping here. Of particular interest to shoppers is the Floréal Knitwear Factory, which has a boutique in Mangalkhan, selling export-quality, locally made knitwear.

Floréal Square on John Kennedy Street houses shops (mostly clothing, but also jewellery, art and carpets) and a café (see below).

More expensive, but just as popular, are the duty-free diamond shops, such as Adamas in Mangalkhan (see also pages 74–5).

Where to eat

X La Clef des Champs Queen Mary Av, Floréal; % 686 3458; ( for lunch Mon–Sat. Cuisine: French with a Creole accent. An upmarket restaurant in a converted house, which caters for Floréal’s diplomatic residents & well-heeled gourmets. Reservation recommended. $$$$

X Floréal Café Floréal Sq, 1 John Kennedy St, Floréal; % 698 8040; ( 09.30–17.30 Mon–Fri, 09.30–16.00 Sat. Cuisine: European. Homemade meals, light snacks & pastries. $$$

X Epicerie Gourmande Royal Rd, Floréal; % 697 5429; ( 08.30–18.30 Mon–Sat. Cuisine: European. A branch of the upmarket chain of delicatessens, which sells a good range of tasty treats, most of which originate from France.

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