Issue No.4 - DECEMBER 2019A Quarterly Celebration of Life Under the SUN

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SUN Life

A Sun Resorts PublicationPublication Director: Sandrine PetitPublication Coordinator: Axelle Chatigan Sun Resorts Hotel Management LtdEbène Skies, Rue de l’Institut, Ebène 72201, MauritiusT: +230 402 00 00 | E: info@sunresorts.mu | W: www.sunresortshotels.comConcept & content creation by: Evolution

1-4 News Highlights from the Last Quarter

5-8 News in Pictures

9-10 SUN Resorts’ Chefs at the Paul Bocuse Institute

11 Shining Stars: This Quarter’s Outstanding Associates

12-13 SUN Food: A Signature Menu Recipe

14-15 Caring for Corals: A Fruitful Initiative

16 Entertaining your Kids During the Holidays

17 Competition: Win A Trip to Île aux Cerfs

contents

Editorial

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SUN Life

“MAY THE ROAD TO EXCELLENCE MAKE US ALL FLOURiSH”It is my great pleasure to present you the 4th edition of SUN Life. 2019 has been a complicated year for the Mauritian Tourism Industry with no growth in tourism arrivals. Nevertheless, Sun Resorts has shown good resistance with it being a very busy and eventful year at SUN. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the warm welcome I received upon my arrival in September. This year, to enhance our customers’ experiences, we carried out several product improvements at Long Beach, Ambre and Sugar Beach where phase 1 and 2 of the renovation have been completed. And as part of our core values (passion, teamwork, integrity, excellence and trust), we launched the Sun Excellence Awards to motivate each and every one of you to progress and prosper. I am pleased to announce that this event will now be held annually to nurture a culture of excellence, reward the efforts of our operational teams and celebrate the performance of Sun Resorts’ employees. These awards involved a lot of hard work and I would like to congratulate and thank the participating teams and organisers. Sun Resorts has a long and beautiful history, exceptional products, but above all, we have incredible teams who work tirelessly to deliver our promises to our visitors. All our associates love what they do and our customers can feel it in every interaction. On this note, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to my colleagues at Sun Resorts for their contributions over the past few years with a special mention to those who are working during the holiday season in our hotels. Together, let’s face our industry challenges, strive to provide the best customer service and ensure Sun Resorts achieves its objectives in 2020. I wish you and your loved ones a joyful festive season and a prosperous New Year.

François EynaudChief Executive Officer

Sun Resorts participate in Switch Africa Green Conference on Sustainable Tourism Sun Resorts, was invited by UNEP to present the SUNCARE programme in the first regional meeting on Sustainable Tourism in Kigali, Rwanda, on the 29th of October 2019. The event is an initiative of Switch Africa Green with collaborating partners such as United Nation, United Nation Environmental Programs, the European Union and the Government of Rwanda. The main objective of the workshop was to consolidate and share the knowledge generated by SWITCH Africa Green in the sustainable tourism sector. Sun Resorts was represented by Ali Abdool, SUNCARE’s Sustainability Specialist, who showcased the various sustainable practices implemented by our resorts.

Ambre celebrated its annual staff party on the 24th and 25th of October 2019 with the “Beach Chic” theme and an enticing menu featuring Mauritian cuisine, tiger prawns and seafood. The party was entertained by DJ Shehzaad, a fire juggler followed by dazzling fireworks.Sugar Beach celebrated its 23rd anniversary on the 18th of October 2019 with all its associates. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all of the hard work and dedication provided by every associate during the past years.

Sun Styled Boutiques’ associate party went “back to school” at Ambre, while Washright Services Ltd.’s created an exotic Hawaiian Night for their associate’s party also celebrated at.

iT’S PARTY TiME

SUN STYLED BOUTiQUESSpreading our Sun Styled Boutiques’ footprints onto new territoriesWe are very proud to announce that our whole new boutique in Anantara Iko Mauritius at Le Chaland is fully operational since the 8th of November.

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SUN News

FRANCE OFFiCETop Resa 2019Last October, RSO France hosted the prestigious IFTM Top Resa 2019 tourism trade fair. The exhibition took place over four days, during which RSO and Francois Eynaud met some of the best tour operators’ partners. RSO France had also organised its annual event at Shangri-La Paris. On this occasion, “Inspiration Mauriciennes” was launched, a signature menu inspired by local ingredients featuring Mauritian cuisine classics revisited by our executive chefs at the famous Paul Bocuse’s culinary school.

Roadshow in France with Nicolas de ChalainRSO France organised a roadshow with Nicolas de Chalain to promote the all-new Sugar Beach. Thriving events in Buddha Bar Paris, Lyon and Monaco were organised and major partnerships were formed to boost sales with dinners to win at Buddha Bar in France for the best sellers.

GERMANY OFFiCE Charity Gala

We took part in the Charity Gala for the 10th time and together with the Vice President of the Emirate, we donated the first prize: a stay at Kanuhura Hotel together with two

Business Class tickets. We won a total of 14,000 euros in auctions which were all allocated to the charity project for children with special needs. This fundraising gala was sponsored by Mrs Regine Sixt, CEO of Sixt rental cars who is also helping the “Crèche Coeur Immaculé de Marie à Quatre Bornes”, an orphanage in Mauritius.

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SUN News

KANUHURA MALDiVES

AMBRE QUARTER AWARD CELEBRATiON

LONG BEACH

Kanuhura Maldives won the Luxury Family Beach Resort in the Indian OceanThe incredible 13th Annual World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala was held on the 12th of October 2019 at the majestic Arctic TreeHouse Hotel and SantaPark in Rovaniemi, Finland’s Lapland attracting more than 300 guests from around the world. This unforgettable world-class award acknowledges the ongoing commitment to excellence in the hospitality sector as well as the outstanding achievements in the international luxury hotel industry. Sun Resorts is pleased to announce that Kanuhura Maldives is among the winners and has been awarded the Luxury Family Beach Resort 2019.

Ti-Bar, Ambre’s Unmissable New Beachside BarTi-Bar is a Mauritian tavern with a truly sensational cocktail menu. Holidaymakers who want to discover our Mauritian mixologist will certainly be spoilt for choice with the unique range of contemporary and creative cocktails topped with local spices and herbs. Monkey peanuts are also available on all barrel-tables to satisfy peanut cravings.

Ile Aux CerfsThe highly-anticipated first-quarter award took place between July and September 2019. Six candidates from different departments were nominated namely Aneeapen Sitama, Neyhaul Anil, Hasseea Ravish, Pallavee Beeharry, Pitipolsing Omnitesh and Duval Georges Stephan. The two winners were Raj Harradon of the Food Service and Parmendra Seetohul of the Stewarding Department.

Wellness day at Long BeachA wellness journey was held at Long Beach from the 01st to the 07th of December with a team of experts in yoga, movement, rehabilitation, nutrition and fitness. These experts outlined the latest and effective ways of maintaining a healthier lifestyle and keeping the right balance between mental and physical health. The wellness professionals were Lindley Zama and Marina Pavlenko and the celebrity yoga coach Julie Ferrez.

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SUN News

LA PiROGUECute and Spooky Halloween at La PirogueThe Halloween Night took place on the 31st of October 2019 at La Pirogue featuring a “Dia de Los Muertos” buffet at Wolmar Restaurant. To spice up this spooky evening, the dance floor was lit up by a Halloween show and an after-party was also hosted on the beach. The kids had a whale of a time and were pampered at the Sun Kids Club.

SUGAR BEACHLaunching Our New Gem: Citronella’s Grand OpeningThe Citronella’s beach lounge restaurant was revamped in October 2019 during which guests had the opportunity to discover the exquisite Sicilian dishes by Michelin star Chef Giuseppe Costa. The revised restaurant is both sophisticated and refreshing, with stunning shades of blue, white highlights and wooden styling to compliment the space. The Mediterranean atmosphere has been enhanced by a fresh, light and airy aesthetic, in line with its setting and colonial structure. The restaurant is now a more relaxed, welcoming and dynamic place with an exciting new menu offering an impressive selection of Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

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SUN News

A BURST OF CREATiViTYREFURBISHMENT OF COEUR D’AMBRECoeur d’Ambre has been refurbished and was officially inaugurated by our repeater guests, Mr and Mrs Infortunio on the 8th of October 2019. The theme of our staff restaurant is “Birds” which now shares a more entertaining atmosphere for our associates with Wi-Fi, pool table, vegetarian and non-vegetarian buffet and more cosy seats. A competition to make birds from recycled items was held in which all departments participated. Check out some photos of their creations!

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SUN Moments

A BURST OF CREATiViTY

“Sky is no more the limit”

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SUN Moments

A Passion For ExcellenceSUN EXCELLENCE AWARDSThe first edition of the Sun Excellence Awards was held at La Pirogue on the 29th of October 2019 with François Eynaud, the new CEO of Sun and Jean-Pierre Dalais, the chairman. This event brought together nearly 500 employees from the different hotels.

The Sun Excellence Awards aims to highlight the efforts of all Sun Resorts employees in terms of service, customer experience and hospitality. It is also a means of sharing best practices. Ten prizes were awarded to several teams for their contribution and achievements.

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SUN Moments

A Passion For ExcellenceThe festivities were followed by an amazing cocktail party...

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SUN Moments

With magic at their fingertips, the chefs of SUN Resorts flew to the Paul Bocuse Institute, the leading school in hospitality management and in culinary arts. They were five in total to have embarked on this knowledge-packed journey, which proved to be a great bonding time for all them. For five days, chef Prakash Seetul of Long Beach, chef Dhoovassen Mauree of Sugar Beach, chef Amalen Vyapooree of La Pirogue, chef Vijranand Kallooa of Ambre and pastry chef Sandy Scioli were under the care of world renowned chefs Sébastien Charretier and Laurent Cordonnier.

A rewarding trip at the Paul Bocuse institute for SUN resorts’ chefs

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SUN Team

at the Paul Bocuse institute for SUN resorts’ chefs

Excellence at heartOne goal in mind: concoct a signature menu by revisiting traditional dishes of our island with local produce. This initiative, which emerged from the sparkling idea of the cluster’s training manager, Rubina Seewoochurn and Varuna Ramlagun, Human Resource Manager, was undertaken in an effort to celebrate the Mauritian cuisine and to push the limits of the team. The clients’ satisfaction, at the heart of SUN Resort’s excellence culture, is the driver of this resourceful squad. “People gather around a meal for a convivial moment and we hope to be always up to their expectations”, they say.

Their strength resides in their teamworkMore than a culinary experience, the training was a humane experience, they were able to share a unique learning experience and consolidate their teamwork. They developed a synergy while working together and exchanging ideas. “Even though we have different personalities, we complement each other”, shares chef Prakash. They unanimously agree that this collaboration was a great sharing experience and acknowledge that each and everyone in the team has contributed by adding his personal touch. “Chef Mauree has great qualities. I’m glad to have collaborated with him on this menu”, adds chef Amalen. “Chef Sandy is curious and has a good palate. She is a plus for our team”, says chef Prakash. “Chef Prakash is very helpful. I was very impressed by him. Besides having a lot of work, we had a lot of fun”, shares chef Kallooa. “I’ve never before worked with chef Amalen but we were on the same wavelength while working on the menu”, says chef Mauree. “I’ve known chef Kallooa since a few years now. He always has the right words to cheer you up. He is a hard-working and meticulous person who never seizes to push away the limits”, adds chef Sandy.

Reinventing the Mauritian cuisineThis was also a great opportunity for the chefs to show their sizzling creativity and perfect their skills. New techniques are now mastered by the “culinary heroes”, who wish to pass on their acquired knowledge to their respective team. “It is a big school. We learnt new techniques and new ways to blend different flavours. Indeed an enriching trip!”, says Chef KallooaThey combined their forces to create the unique signature menu, “Inspiration mauricienne”, with local products and modern techniques. During the TOP Resa SUN reception which was held at the sumptuous Shangri-La Paris, the chefs delivered a stellar performance. The menu was served at the cocktail reception. And good news! As from the 30th of October, the guests are able to discover the richness of the local cuisine through this stunning menu. It will be available in the restaurants of Sun Resorts, namely at The Tides restaurant at Long Beach, La Brasserie at Sugar Beach, Magenta Restaurant at La Pirogue and La Plage Restaurant at Ambre.

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SUN Team

JOANA QUATRE BORNES BOOLSales Coordinator Ambre“Joana is brilliant, polite, professional and always smiling. Feel free to contact her should you have any issues. She will sort them out in the blink of an eye.” - sanyyy9

“We would like to thank Joana for always ensuring the smooth running of everything and for being so friendly.” - Sarahlg

ASIF SOOGUNAssistant Restaurant Manager La Pirogue“We had an unforgettable experience at Coconut Café. Asif and his team took good care of us and were very helpful. We thank Asif for his exceptional hospitality and for making every meal better than the last.” - Nabil & Mhairi

“Our appreciation also goes to… Asif the restaurant manager had an eye for detail and made us all feel comfortable with impeccable service.” – Jean-Claude C

Over the last few months, these stars have delivered exceptional service that has not gone unnoticed. Numerous guests have

given them a special mention in their online reviews. Here are a few noteworthy extracts. RAJEN VEERAPEN

Valet | Sugar Beach“Our room was kept impeccably tidy by a room service staff named Rajen, a young man whom we found totally committed and very reliable.” - Stephen W

“I went there for a few nights and was marvelled by the quality of service offered. We stayed in room 602 and our housekeeping butler Rajen went above and beyond! He came to check on us several times to make sure everything was fine.” - Kim C

PRIYA ANEEAPEN Waitress at Sands Grill | Ile Aux Cerfs“The service was excellent. We were welcomed by a nice lady, Priya, who attended to us in a very courteous manner and always with a smile.” - Ashvina Nundoo Sutohul

*Note: certain review extracts have been edited for clarity and conciseness.

MARIE-NOËLLE PETITAssistant Restaurant Manager Long Beach“The staff is very welcoming with impeccable service… We extend a special mention to Marie Noelle for taking care of us on each visit. She’s just amazing!” - Sadia

“I would like to thank Marie Noëlle for always sharing her smiles and for the great service every morning at Le Marché.” - MRM

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SUN Stars

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SUN Stars

Shining Stars

Fresh Fruit SushiSun Signature BreadSince August, we have created SUN’s first signature bread namely SUN HEALTHY BREAD and SUN BREAD which are both marked with the SUN logo. SUN HEALTHY BREAD is all about eating deliciously healthy and contains no bread improver. This unique healthy bread is composed of natural yeast, low carbohydrate flour, mixed grains and cereals. SUN BREAD is made from pure white and rye flour. Both breads are eco-friendly as they are typically produced using natural banana peel yeast …a great way to recycle banana peels!

Sun Christmas Log “NOU FiLAO”Our Sun log has been named “Nou Filao” to promote Filao trees that represent Mauritius’ stunning sandy beaches. It is prepared with seasonal and local products such as litchis, muscovado, sugar, mango, coconut, etc.

ingredients

1. Dacquoise Biscuit:

75g Almond Powder, 82g Icing Sugar, 28g Flour, 15g Grated coconut, 120g Egg white, 50g Granulated Sugar

2. Exotic Cream:

145g Mango Pulp, 70g Passionfruit Pulp, 1g Vanilla Bean, 2g Vanilla Tea, 45g Granulated Sugar, 10g Starch, 7g Gelatine Leaf, 25g Grand Marnier, 375g Banana Dices, 25g Lime Juice

3. Caramelised Banana:

250g Banana, 5g Butter, 10g Sugar, 5g Rum

4. Ivory Whipped Cream with Tea:

150g Ivory Milk Chocolate, 375g Whipping Cream, 4g Guava Ginger Tea

5. Petal Meringue:

50g Egg White, 50g Granulated Sugar, 50g Icing Sugar

6. Pineapple Chips:

150g Water, 150g Sugar, ½ Vanilla, 1 Victoria Pineapple

7. Passionfruit Coulis:

50g Mango Pulp, 200g Passionfruit Pulp, ½g Vanilla Bean, 125g Topping, 10g Sugar, 2g NH Pectin

Banana On A Creamy Caramelised

Dacquoise Biscuit

Continued on next page

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SUN Food

How To Make it? Step by Step Preparation

1. Dacquoise Biscuit:

Use a sieve to sift together the almond powder, the icing sugar and flour followed by the grated coconut. Thereafter, prepare a meringue by whisking egg whites with the granulated sugar to form a soft bird’s peak. Gently fold in the fine dry ingredients into the egg whites until fully mixed. Spread the batter out into a pan and bake at 200<180°C for about 15 minutes until fully cooked. Remove the heat and let it cool down. Cut out your dacquoise into circles and garnish the top and bottom of the circles with a piping nozzle No.9 to give a professional touch. Then decorate it by sprinkling a thin layer of icing sugar.

2. Exotic Cream:

Soften the gelatine leaf and starch in water. Bring the pulps, the chopped and scraped vanilla bean and the vanilla tea to a full boil and let infuse for 5 minutes. Strain and put back into the pan. Add the sifted mixture of granulated sugar and starch and simmer while whisking constantly for 1 minute. Afterwards, remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the softened gelatine in cold water. Temper to 30 °C and add the Grand-Marnier followed by the banana dices mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice. Pour the preparation into any silicone mould and place in the freezer.

3. Caramelised Banana:

Let the butter and sugar melt in the pan on low heat. Then sauté banana, cut side down in the pan, shaking skillet for a few minutes. Flame the banana with rum. Mix lightly and let cool.

4. Ivory Whipped Cream with Tea:

Melt the ivory milk chocolate. Bring the cream to boil and infuse the tea for 5 minutes. Strain over the melted ivory chocolate. Cool and set aside for 24 hours at °C. With an electric mixer, beat the cream until smooth. Store the cream in a piping nozzle No.15.

5. Petal Meringue:

Beat the egg whites, then add the granulated sugar then gently mix in the icing sugar until a firm, glossy meringue forms. Spread the meringue on a tray with Rhodoid sheet using a stencil and form into a gutter. Bake at 70 °C for about 45 minutes.

6. Pineapple Chips:

Prepare a vanilla syrup, let cool, then soak the pineapple slices for 1 hour. Drain and store the slices on a Silpat. Bake at 80 °C for about 2 to 3 hours. Store in a tin with a moisture absorber.

7. Passionfruit Coulis:

Heat the mango and passionfruit pulps to 40°C. In a saucepan, combine the fruit pulps, sugar and NH Pectin mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Then add the topping. Let cool and set aside at 4°C.

8. Assembling:

Garnish the biscuit with the caramelised banana then add the exotic cream followed by the ivory whipped cream with tea. Embellish with pineapple chips and petal meringue. Finally, add the exotic pineapple coulis, fresh watermelon cubes and crusty crumble…

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SUN Food

Spreading awareness about the importance of preserving our beautifully diverse marine ecosystem, SUNCARE’s coral farm is gradually expanding its activities to better protect marine life.

Our lagoon is one of the biggest treasures we need to protect, as the life it hosts is inestimable. This is why one of SUNCARE’s top priorities is the coral preservation programme which consists of two nurseries: the lagoon nursery, and the open sea nursery, which are particularly productive, with a positive impact on marine biodiversity.

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SUN Care

a fruitful incentiveCaring for corals:

The lagoon nursery (fixed rope nursery)Starting with the lagoon, the installation of a fixed rope nursery has been successfully completed, with 9 “tables” placed in the lagoon, allowing corals to grow and be monitored. Indeed, this nursery now hosts around 1000 coral fragments from 4 different coral species to promote diversity in the ecosystem.In order to keep them healthy, weekly maintenance is of the essence, during which ropes are cleaned in order to remove biofouling and coral predators. Caring for these corals also involves a weekly scientific follow up, to assess their growth and health, a critical step that will lay the stepping stones for the success of this project.The latest inspection of the coral gave encouraging results, with many signs of growth and low mortality.

Open sea nursery (Floating nursery)In order to increase the odds of success, a second coral farming technique is currently being tested, in order to asses which is the most efficient farming technique.Contrarily to the ropes and tables techniques which are closer to the sea floor, a floating nursery involves deploying a floating platform at 10 m below the sea surface. In order to secure it, the floating platform is cautiously anchored to the sea floor, as it hangs in the water, between the floor and the surface.This is how our own floating nursery has been successfully installed in the open sea, with the help of the Dive centre’s team – a great work accomplished, as it was so securely anchored that it was able to withstand the rough seas that prevailed for a whole week. Ever since its installation, 200 coral fragments have already been placed in the floating nursery, and even more will be introduced gradually… And it is already yielding great results, as a two-week observation found that colonies were showing rapid growth, indicating that the site selected is perfect for coral farming.

Credit: Esther Rambert

Credit: Esther Rambert

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SUN Care

TipsSummer holidays are the boon of children… But not quite the same for parents. If you wANT these two months to happily fly by as your kids go about their own schedules, here are a few tips to keep them busy.

Playdates are a

parent’s best friend The golden rule: age is irrelevant here! The main advantage: instead of seeking help looking after the kids five days a week, you can easily discuss with other parents the possibility of sharing this responsibility. Planning will, therefore, divide these more stressful days which need coordination and supervising by the number of friends willing to participate; so, the more, the merrier!

An activity a

week makes it fly byAre your kids old enough to travel by themselves? Perhaps signing them up for a weekly extra-curricular activity will keep them busy, and even ignite a new passion of theirs. All you need to do is look to find the perfect fit for their personality: trying out a new sport, getting a gym membership, learning an instrument in private lessons or a band, or even singing are great possibilities to help them relax, and gain a sense of accomplishment.

Hobby

exploration is funReading, drawing and macramé are only a few of the hobbies you can introduce to your children. Start with short workshops at home during your spare time. Spending quality time with your kids will promote parent and child bonding and will possibly grow into a passion for them. Ensure a variety of activities to encourage them to pick up one or more of these healthy interests.

Scene time,

not screen timeAre your kids shy? Why not look for an acting class for them? Rather than being bored by TV, or secluding themselves by spending hours on end on social media, acting will help them gain self-confidence, and help them interact better in social situations. Can’t find an acting class? You can simply challenge them to write their own play, and give them a small allowance to set up a production to be showcased for the whole family during the festive season.

Playcation station

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SUN Tips

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SUN Fun

Stand a chance to win 4 entrance tickets to Île aux Cerfs with a welcome cocktail upon arrival. Simply answer the question below correctly.

How many bubble lodges does the island have?

ANSWER : ..............................................................

Win A Trip to Île aux Cerfs Competition:

Send your answer via mail to intranet@sunresorts.mu before the 31st January 2020.

All correct answers will be entered into the prize draw. The winner will be announced in the next edition of SUN Life.