The next day, I could not wait for the time I thought acceptable for
me to call the contacts from my new friend from last evening. I waited until
nine to ring; as I wanted to have time to meet and discuss with them and visit
a villa before leaving.
I got hold of Bernard only at 10'ish, and he came to meet me at the
hotel before 11.00 (I understood later that he practices sports almost every
morning, enjoying the natural setting of Poste Lafayette before getting to work;
lucky him!)
We went straight to the point after a very short introduction as I
was short of time.
-We met … yesterday.. the villa was wonderful... I'd like to come
back here with my 3 kids and rent a villa, how do we proceed?
-O.K. When?
-December this year
-(Laughing out loud)
-December is the very peak period and there are fewer villas offered
for rent. Many are booked well in advance for repeaters. It is also the most
expensive period, both for rentals and airfare...
When I informed him about my budget 3,000-Pound budget for the 10
nights I wanted to stay, he suggested I should come at Easter next year... Over
a year of waiting ahead...
Disappointed but determined, we decided to keep dreaming and flip
through his website, asking for thorough details and... about the rates of each
of them. I was pleased to note that for my 300 GBP / night, we had a few villas
to choose from as this seems to be the average rate for mid to high seasons.
It was difficult to get decided on one but all seemed of high
standards. On the beach-front, with a swimming pool, 3 to 4 bedrooms and as
many bathrooms. Ideally, we should visit them all but this was not at all a
realizable plan but were proposed to be taken quickly to the beach where 2 or 3
we had short-listed were found. Jumped in the car and stopped... right
next-door to where we'd been the evening before. I could not believe that this
luxurious villa could be rented for just 300 Pounds a night just because we
were off season... and I was right.
We were shown the villa right next to it, which I had not noticed
the day before as I had stopped before it and especially because it is
“concealed” behind endemic bushes, like a gift getting unwrapped. It looked
darkish with natural stone-walls and thatch roof; not at all the house you'd
see on the cover of a magazine but it had charm.
Noticing that the maids were still there, Bernard asked whether we
could quickly get in for a visit. We were served the legendary phrase of
Mauritius: “No Problem”!
As we stepped onto the deck around the swimming pool and peeked
inside, looked-up at the high thatch roof, the smell of and wood, I had a
feeling of peace and comfort; as if I had lived there all my life. Contrasting
with the authenticity, the hyper clean and equipped kitchen with it American
fridge, ice-maker, espresso machine, modern oven, wonderful cookware and
glassware. I understood it had just been renovated. It was luxury
villas in Mauritius on the beach dressed in its casual, low-profile
stone walls.
The room upstairs was very similar to the one we had seen next-door,
with more warmth and charm. The bathroom was a bit tight but great. The maid
who was with us was polite and well-dressed, everything had been carefully set,
organised, thought-about. The owners of both these Villas
in Mauritius had an obvious attachment to details and to having things
well-done.
The closed the deal. There was no way I would let this one slip away
from me. We would temporarily book it for the UK Easter holiday period and upon
coming back home, would fix the exact dates and send the 30 % down-payment
required.
Those who are old enough to have watched the “Inspector Colombo”
series on T.V. will better visualize my
turning around, forefinger up;
- One last thing! - I like listening to Opera, is this villa
equipped with a real Hi-Fi set?
-You like Opera too? Then be my guest for an afternoon session next
year. We will play it loud on the beach at my place; there are no neighbors
close enough to complain. And as regards to the Hi-Fi set, I'll make a special
request; there is one next-door which...
Just back and already looking forward to my next trip to
Mauritius...
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