EUREKA, THE CREOLE HOUSE

Formerly owned by his ancestors, Eureka is the estate that French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio describes in his novel The Gold Digger. The house, which dates from the first half of the ^19th century, was built by an Englishman, Mr. Carr, who wanted to be closer to the residence of the governor of the island located at Le Réduit. It was bought in several pieces in 1856 by a family of sugar makers of French origin, the Le Clézio. Six generations followed one another, before family stories, as crisp as tortuous, led to the sale of the house. It was bought in 1985 by Jacques de Maroussem, related to the Le Clézio family by his wife and current owner of the property. From the outset, he decided to transform Eureka into a museum, which had the gift of creating zizanie in the ranks of the aristocrats! Hated and disliked by most of his in-laws, Jacques de Maroussem had the greatest difficulty in gathering antique furniture to decorate the house. But the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York overcame the family resentment. In June 1987, during a stay in Mauritius, the two members of the British crown expressed the wish to have lunch at Eureka. Immediately, furniture and accessories poured in from all the heirs. Although a large part of the decorative objects were returned to their owners, the house is rich in furniture of English, French, Indian and Chinese styles. Today, the first floor features several lounges in a row, a large dining room with its table, a curious old bathroom, bedrooms, some engravings, paintings, photos yellowed by time... On three sides, a veranda with colonial charm opens onto the park and the imposing Ory mountain. And everywhere reigns the old-fashioned charm of a place full of memories, inviting more to a poetic stroll than to a visit of curiosity... One will be sensitive to the eclecticism of the antiques, to the play of light and shade under the porch, to the absolute calm of the different rooms pierced by 109 doors and windows.

Nature lovers will not fail to go for a walk in the park and the ravine, to observe some endemic tree species. There, in the heart of an exuberant vegetation, a small path leads to the Moka River which, at this very spot, has dug natural whirlpools under waterfalls. The ancestors of the Le Clézio family built rock benches and used them as baths. Nowadays, you can still enjoy an invigorating dip.