The name itself begs a regal consideration. Say it: “Le Touessrok” – solid, strong and mystical. In actuality, “le touessrok” means “everything is rock”, which is really a tongue-in-cheek take on this premier destination.

I heard of Le Touessrok many years ago. Then, the image of a small, hilly island just off the eastern coastline of Mauritius, where only a golf course exists, sounded most ethereal. Now that I have had the opportunity to make the seven-minute trip to the island, know as Ile aux Cerfs, I am glad to discover that the magic actually exists.

Ile aux Cerfs is an 87-hectare rocky island gorgeously carved with a jagged coastline, volcanic outcrops, lakes, gullies and every geographical feature that makes for a breathtaking golf course.

Designer Bernhard Langer – credit to his foresight – took nothing away from nature, only providing it with swathes of emerald Seashore Paspalum grass on the 18 holes.

Langer’s fastidiousness in competition, and resilience (at 50, he still gives the young pros a run for the money, coming in tied for ninth at the recent BMW International Open), puts him in a perfect position to design a course that tests the vestiges of time. Playing his course certainly made a believer out of me that this is one for the ages.

You can’t put a finger at what “type” of course this is. Though attached to the immaculate setting of the Le Touessrok resort on the mainland across the water, it defies the characteristic of a typical resort course.

It is neither a parkland layout nor links. Perhaps it is this unusual hybrid style that makes the Langer design such an allure.

Although the course is built on an island, there are few holes that afford views, let alone playing to the beach. But in some way, that plays to its strengths – which is the ability to provide a serene, calm, “above it all” type of ambience for the golfer.

Fairways wind in and out of what seems to be untended vegetation. But in reality, the landscaping is faultless, providing a wild, designer-type ruggedness to Langer’s risk-reward design.

For those who insist on playing to their handicaps or better when on holiday, the trick here is to keep it on the fairway off your drives. Be warned that there is a large difference between the back and forward tees.

Choosing the right one can mean the difference between having one of the best golf experiences of your life, and having the irresistible urge to break your clubs over your knees.

You will get a sense of the variety of holes just by taking a peek at the course guide. The first hole – “Lava Rock” – forces you to take your tee shot over rock and pond to a hidden fairway. It is a testy start to a round, but one that sets you in the right gear of what you need to do moving forward. “Split Decision” – the par-5 4th hole – lets you gamble on the second shot, urging you to give it a go to the green if you are feeling good. And the par-5 9th is suitably called “Turn” as it doglegs round a large water hazard, before presenting you with a demanding approach to a green that seems to sit on top of a muffin-shape landform.

The course takes you on a journey through all of Ile aux Cerfs, introducing you to the varied beauty the little island provides. The first nine holes meander upwards, frolic on an elevated plane, and keep you close to the bosom of its gentle foliage. In the middle, from holes 11 to 14, it rushes you up to its crescendo (revealing the tops of neighbouring highlands like Cat and Mouse Mountain on the par-4 12th), throws you down to the surf, then lifts you back up to high ground as it tests your guts on the driveable 308m par-4 14th.

The final hole – “Carry Me Home” – provides an apt finish to what is sure to be a great day out, no matter what you shoot. This par-4, at 382m, demands a good, long tee shot if you are to get your approach over the golf ball-devouring ravine that protects the green. The hole can also be played as a par 3, with a specially designed tee box a little over a hundred metres from the green.

Don’t take it from me that Langer’s layout is as good as the reputation that probably precedes it. The course was voted the “Second Most Popular Golf Course Worldwide”, an award afforded it during the CMIT fair, a German travel consumer show in Stuttgart this year. Opened in 2003, and currently under management consultation with IMG, the experience of playing the course is as good as it comes, enhanced by the stupendous surroundings of Mauritius.

Though the Langer course is merely six years old, the resort has a heritage five times that. Now into its third decade of operation, Le Touessrok, it continues to thrill guests with its unique private coves set against one of the best seaside locations in the nation.

The setting is idyllic, to say the least. The tranquil Trou d’Eau Douce bay forms a backdrop to clusters of low-rise accommodation that is widely strewn along the long, winding beach, providing privacy no matter where your room or suite might be.

Frangipanis punctuate the landscaped pathways that link the main building to restaurants and rooms, allowing you to take a moment to enjoy the thought put into providing a world away-type of ambience for the harried urbanite.

Visitors to many of Mauritius’ resorts stay an average of at least a week. As such, meals are often taken at the resorts. One of the strengths of Le Touessrok is that you can spend a good part of your stay eating at its wide variety of food outlets and never tire of its offerings.

Theme buffets at Three-Nine-Eight, the main dining hall for breakfast and dinner (most guests take a half-board option), offer an international touch, as well as a sampling of the Creole-Indian cuisine that is characteristic of the country. And for a more elegant meal, Safran offers modern Indian dishes and a promise of a culinary adventure you will remember for some time.

The restaurant that will probably leave you with an indelible impression is Barlen’s – and this is not just because of the Asian-inspired menu that includes sushi and Japanese grills.

Named after Barlen Ramasamy, the hotel’s assistant food and beverage manager, it reflects the dedication of its namesake, and the loyalty the ever-present and congenial gent has shown since starting work there as a dishwasher in the early days of
the resort.

“I try to make our guests feel at home,” the affable Barlen confesses. “Sometimes I would recommend something that is not even on the menu.” You might want to take him up on that. His suggestion of a fish curry on my visit was right on the mark, with enough kick to awaken my senses to the understated elegance of the restaurant.

Apart from the golf, the beach and the beautiful swimming pools that are as much landscaping as they are focal points of attention, Le Touessrok offers guests enough things to do to keep them occupied throughout their stay.

The fitness centre is state of the art, providing not only some of the best equipment around but personal training on how to use them. Tennis courts affiliated with the Peter Burwash Institute, jogging tracks and lessons ranging from aqua-gym to yoga allow you to work your breakfast away.

And when all is done, you might want to adjourn to the Givenchy Spa – one of a handful in the world that bears the brand – for treatments that use the best of what the tropics provide. Whether you choose the Lomi-Lomi Massage, the Canyon Love Stone Therapy or the two-therapist Ylang Ylang Body Massage, the experience will leave you in a state of physiological bliss, enhanced by a surrounding that combines tropical chic with Parisian sophistication.

It comes as no surprise that Le Touessrok has earned its share of accolades. It was the 2007 Best Resort Hotel in the World ranked by British Airways Holidays, and made it to the list of the Top 400 Finest Hotels in the World for the 2008/2009 Forbes Traveler 400.

The resort’s constant renewal and focus on what guests want in a luxury destination has been, and continues to be, on the mark.