Today, we have the pleasure to meet Raoul Maurel and Christophe Piquet, respectively Director of Operations and Sales and Marketing Director of Heritage Resort.
Can you tell us more about where we are?
C. Piquet - We are at the Château de Bel Ombre, the icon of our domain. It is a beautiful 19th century building that has been transformed into a gastronomic stopover. It's a place where you can come and recharge your batteries with the values of the past, with good wine and the local menu. So it's a great address!
Could you introduce yourselves?
R. Maurel - I am the Director of Operations for Heritage Resorts. We manage the rental division of Heritage Villas Valriche and operate the Golf Club, the Beach Club, the Château de Bel Ombre and the Nature Reserve. We also have two 5-star beach hotels, which are Heritage Le Telfair and Heritage Awali.
C. Piquet - I am the sales and marketing director of Heritage Villas Valriche whose business is real estate development. We sell freehold land as well as villas, both for resale and for "vefa", which means "sale in future state of completion".
Can you describe the estate and what distinguishes it from other estates in Mauritius?
R. Maurel - With pleasure! First of all, Bel Ombre is one of the most beautiful regions of Mauritius. It is a coastal area, which is located in the southwest of the island and whose motto is "Bel ombre later, lamer, lavi". I invite you to visit the website belombre.com to see the beauty of this place.
The Bel Ombre estate covers 2,500 hectares which includes our hotels, located all around the Château, as well as the nature reserve. The residential and hotel development has been done with respect to history and organic architecture. Our infrastructure blends into nature and adapts to the terrain, not the other way around. Our clients can therefore take full advantage of a vast playground where nature is omnipresent and ultra-preserved.
It's true that we really feel it! Christophe, as a history buff, what would you like to add about the historical aspect of this domain?
C. Piquet - You should know that the history of Bel Ombre begins in the 18th century. It is mentioned for the first time in a writing by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, author of the novel Paul et Virginie, which I invite all our listeners to read! He describes Bel Ombre as a fantastic place. Charles Telfair also resided in Bel Ombre and is well known on the island. This British botanist developed this place and made great changes. We are therefore in a place very rich in heritage. It is precisely this cultural contribution that will be the hallmark of your real estate investment.
Thank you Christophe. Whether it's for the hotel part or the property purchase part, who is the clientele attracted by this domain?
R. Maurel - At Heritage Resorts, we are healers. Our clients arrive tired and sometimes stressed but leave with positive energy and a light mind. We want to weave this exotic space of time to allow our clients to unplug, relax and unwind in order to live their vacation at their own pace and according to their desires.
To answer your question more directly, all our establishments are 5-star. Our clients are looking for exceptional moments whether at the table, at the spa, on the golf course, in the nature reserve, in the lagoon or on the beach. The great asset of the Bel Ombre estate is its 2500 hectares of experience. Our customer has a lot of choice. For example, we have 12 restaurants. That's 12 different culinary experiences and 12 different themes, with the fruits, vegetables and spices provided by the Agrïa farm that we are lucky to have on the estate. At the Château, starred chef David Toutain helps us prepare our menus, drawing inspiration from the Bel Ombre terroir to amaze our guests.
Our culinary philosophy makes a lot of sense and I think we share it with our ecologically conscious customers. The idea is to create a circular economy and employment in Bel Ombre, while respecting nature and the principle of a sustainable Mauritius. I invite you to visit our website nowfortomorrow.mu which illustrates all our ecological initiatives. For example, as of October 1st, we will be offering carbon neutral stays. This is a great first in Mauritius!
It's true that we really feel the "sustainable development" footprint when we arrive on the estate.
C. Piquet - Moreover, we are certified "Man and the biosphere". This is a certificate issued by UNESCO which testifies that it is not man who has adapted his environment, but that he has adapted to his environment. You will therefore find something unique on the estate.
On the real estate part, we are at the forefront of sustainable real estate development in Mauritius. On the water management for example, all rainwater is collected in a basin at the top of the domain and is treated to be then dispatched in the villas of the domain by pipes for irrigation and drinking water. All wastewater is treated by our own water treatment plant and then distributed to the golf course for watering. We are therefore completely water independent!
R. Maurel - For example, this glass water bottle that is found in all the bars and restaurants of the Resort is an initiative that we started two years ago and that has made it possible to avoid the use of one million plastic bottles. This is another example of an initiative, among many others.
Let's get to the heart of the matter! Christophe, what can you tell us about the different real estate offers that exist today within the domain?
C. Piquet - The real estate offer at Bel Ombre is quite simple. It is divided into 4 categories.
The first offer is the freedom of customization. Who hasn't dreamed of building the house that looks like him? It is important to know that the land is fully owned, meaning that it belongs to you, and is free-builder. A free-builder land means that you can select your own architect, your own construction company to build the villa of your dreams. Of course, there will be specifications to be respected but you will have a significant degree of freedom. If you don't feel like following your construction and you prefer to relax at the Sea Beach with Raoul, which I advise you to do [laughs], we can accompany you to be your eyes and ears on the construction site with the builder package. You can subscribe to this after the purchase of your land for 10% of the price of the construction.
The second offer is the freedom of our turnkey products. You have the possibility of choosing from among our nine "vefa" plans (sale in future state of completion) the villa you want, on plan, and we will deliver the keys to you 24 months later.
The third offer is the freedom of the immediate. You can buy houses already built by the developer or buy villas that the owners have put up for sale.
The fourth offer is the freedom to invest. We have superb infrastructures that Raoul mentioned earlier: two golf courses, two 5-star hotels, a private beach club... Today, we sell several lots together that we have called "Quartiers" and that investors can buy in a Mauritian real estate scheme called "PDS" to make their own real estate developments.
While giving the possibility to foreigners and non-citizens of Mauritius to invest in this legal framework that is the PDS.
C. Piquet - Absolutely! There are many advantages for foreign residents. For example, if you stay more than 183 days in Mauritius, you can become a Mauritian tax resident with the advantages that we know. On the one hand, for people who pay the IFI in France, there are exits of IFI at the time of investments. On the other hand, you will have a permanent residence thanks to the long term visa which is linked to your investment. These advantages are not negligible and make Mauritius, in addition to its sunshine and relaxed lifestyle, a safe and reliable place to invest.
That's right! Now let's talk about becoming an owner in the area. What are the privileges that are offered to owners?
C. Piquet - We are working on this together with Raoul. Today, when you become an owner, you will pay a pass for the resort, about 2500 rupees per month, which will give you a lot of advantages. For example, you will have 35% discount at the Sea Beach, 20% discount in the hotels, between 10 and 15% at the spa, free activities in the lagoon, free entrance to the hammam and jacuzzi, in addition to access to all the facilities of the hotel - tennis courts, gyms, etc. And of course, access to the golf course! The golf offer is unique: you add a fee of 18,500 rupees per year, or about 400 euros, and you play for free and unlimited on the golf course elected 7 times more beautiful than the Indian Ocean! This is an exceptional offer, in addition to the second golf course.
R. Maurel - Yes, earlier Christophe mentioned two golf courses. We do have another golf course that has been under construction for a year now. It will be operational in October 2022. It is a golf course that will be unique in the world and it will be an incredible addition to the landscape of Bel Ombre because it is a unique golf course in the world. There is a 180 meter drop between hole 1 and hole 18. It is played as in a ski resort! That is to say that we play by going down towards the sea with impregnable views. Each hole has a panoramic view and some greens are "infinity greens", that is to say that you only see the sky and the sea. It is truly spectacular! This golf course is co-designed by Peter Markovic, who already has 30 golf courses to his credit, and Luis Ruiz Tyson. To access this golf course, you must be either a member of the golf course or a guest of a member or a resident of Heritage Resort.
It is clear that there are two predominant identities: the residential part and the lifestyle hotel part. How do you manage to collaborate with each other to bring this area to life?
R. Maurel - Everything is done in symbiosis! It's the same lifestyle that is shared by the residents of Villa Valriche or the people who are visiting for a week or two. It is a lifestyle that is connected to nature and with the multitude of leisure activities it offers, Domaine de Bel Ombre is unique! There is no similar domain in Mauritius, and I want to say in the world.
We work together in a very natural way!
Indeed, we feel that there is no difference between the two identities. The clients have access to everything that is part of the domain, and can benefit from it in their daily life.
R. Maurel - Indeed, 90% of the owners have joined the program!
C. Piquet - It is important to note that we have an agreement with the hotel party until 2069. There is no other agreement as long as this one in Mauritius. This agreement offers our clients VIP access to the beach and the hotels. When you own a property in Valriche, you are the VIP of the beach. That's what you have to remember when you invest in this area!
One last question now! What will Bel Ombre look like in 5 years?
R. Maurel - I think we're going to keep the differentiating aspect of the estate in mind, whether it's five, ten or twenty years from now. We want Bel Ombre to remain in harmony with a preserved nature and to remain a breath of fresh air for future generations.
Christophe?
C. Piquet - I am completely in line with what Raoul says. I think that within five years, we will have closed the real estate development, that is to say that we will have sold everything. To the people who want to invest and who are listening to us: Hurry up, because it's going fast! You too have the right to be happy and that's what we're offering you! We will continue to hold on to our value of natural chic. With our love of commercial service, you won't have to do a thing at the time of purchase and we'll do everything for you: from opening the bank account to the tax advice that our sister company Rogers Capital can provide. Our mission is to preserve our heritage of "natural chic".
Thank you both for your time!