Happy Havens in Mauritius

A villa in the sun is many people's dream. Almost too many — it's frustratingly un-exclusive these days. To stand out, you want one designed by Norman Foster, nestled in a palm-tree jungle and within a short walk of a white-sand Indian Ocean beach, an 18 hole golf course and a five-star hotel with a spa and top-class restaurants. You want, in other words, Corniche Bay, a development of 115 such villas and a 75-bedroom hotel on the secluded southwestern tip of Mauritius. It's one of a few high-end resorts on the island that, for the first time, allow nonresident foreigners...