Background
Sun Resorts is a Mauritian hotel group that owns and manages five resorts in Mauritius – Le Touessrok, Long Beach, Sugar Beach Resort, Ambre and La Pirogue.
Where is it?
Flanking a long white beach south-west of the island, Sugar Beach is just 20 kilometres from Port Louis and an hour’s drive from the airport. The beach road meanders through the villages of Flic en Flac and Black River.
Room Facilities
Of the 258 standard and superior rooms, family units and two suites, 92 are ground floor villas. Dressed in light green tones and scented with the tangy ozone of a sea breeze, our superior room overlooked a vast expanse of lawn and palm-fringed beach. All the usual 5-star stuff was there – towelling bath robes, mini-bar, tea and coffee, LCD flat screens with satellite television, Wi-Fi access, room safe, hairdryers and air-conditioning – but additional little touches included a welcome plate of sliced fruit in our room, pre prandial hors d’oeuvres, a bottle of vanilla-flavoured rum with our names on the label and a CD of lounge music played at the Tides Bar, just because I told one of the managers how much I liked it. The king-sized bed with a firm mattress was super comfy.
Restaurants & Bars
The main poolside restaurant, Mon Plaisir, open for breakfast and dinner, offered lavish themed buffets. Here, the fresh oysters and seared tuna were particularly delicious. Citronella on the beachfront served up tasty Italian food from what has to be one of the nicest locations on the planet. I devoured a sirloin cooked to perfection while my husband opted for a pizza. We followed this up with a tiramisu that was world class. The central Plantation Bar, surrounded by the enormous swimming pool, is another great place to lunch on everything from pizza to Mauritian chicken curry, sugar prawns or calamari. However, the piece de resistance has to be Tides, another beachfront restaurant that is as much theatre as fine dining. Famous for creative cocktails, their centrepiece is an elaborate crustacean and seafood counter that appears to float on illuminated ice. Our oysters, too, arrived on beds of glittering coloured ice. An artistic terracotta cover encasing our red snapper had to be cracked open with a hammer. To cleanse the palate, we got a toothbrush with a sweetish gel encased in a toothpaste tube. Guests at Sugar Beach can also dine at any of the neighbouring La Pirogue restaurants.
Conference Facilities
Not the sort of venue you’d associate with conferencing, but in case you’re more disciplined than I am, Sugar Beach does have a conference room that can seat 350 delegates in cinema-Style Comfort.
Leisure Facilities
At the Aura Spa with a Hamman and treatment rooms centered around a sparkling pool, my husband and I opted for a couple’s massage and I found myself purring with appreciation as my therapist basted my sunburnt limbs with soothing lavender, orange and bergamot oils. Also available is a hair salon. Activities include an aqua gym, water polo, volleyball, tennis (there are six floodlit courts), aerobics, yoga, badminton, jogging, mini football, kayaking, sailing, kite surfing, glass-bottomed boat trips, snorkeling, windsurfing, diving and table tennis. If you choose not to dip in the warm ocean, there’s also a 2000 m2 main pool, a quieter pool in the south village, plus a pool for children at the Kids Club.
Verdict
Tranquil and gracious, it’s a ‘shore’ winner for the sophisticated traveller. Swanning around the property, where colonial formality meets chilled tropical geniality, made me feel like a barefoot sugar baroness.
Contact
Address: Wolmar, Flic en Flac
Tel: +230 403 3300
Web: sugarbeachresort.com
Caroline Hurry