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DUBAI: Located on the famous Flic en Flac beach, one hour away from the airport, Mauritius’ Sugar Beach offers a majestic coastline and breathtaking sunsets combined with activities for all ages, making it the perfect destination for travelers.

Mauritius is an accessible luxury travel destination for GCC-based travelers, as there are direct flights available from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, and Riyadh.

Upon arrival, a bell rings to welcome each guest individually and a homemade iced tea is served from the adjoining tea room, paired with a pianist playing in the background, setting the tone for a relaxing luxurious vacation.

Sugar Beach offers three main restaurants, providing a variety of cuisines. Mare Mare offers Mediterranean cuisine, while The Patio serves themed buffets with a night dedicated to seafood.

Lastly, Buddha-Bar Beach combines a lively atmosphere with nightly entertainment. One of only a handful Buddha Bar Beach worldwide set beside the sea, it welcomes families as readily as couples, even children are encouraged to join the dance floor during live performances.

Moreover, water sports are a major draw at the resort, as guests can enjoy kayaking, pedal boating, sailing, glass-bottom boat rides, snorkeling, windsurfing, and stand-up paddleboarding, all included in their stay.

The resort also organizes private catamaran tours, which offers guests a chance to swim with dolphins and visit Mauritius’ stunning Crystal Rock— a coral-like rock floating on ocean’s surface.

On land, guests can enjoy a variety of entertaining activities like yoga, dance classes, table tennis, croquet and pedalo races. There are six outdoor courts for tennis and padel which guests can book on the resort’s mobile application.

Additionally, guests can enjoy a relaxing massage session at the Glow Spa. Its signature Mauritian massage blends Ayurvedic oils with deep tissue therapy. The massage is offered alongside a hammam and relaxation table.

Sugar Beach also offers a dedicated Kids’ Club, which is open from 9:30am until 10pm, offering age-specific schedules for children between 2 and 11.

From arts and crafts to karaoke, treasure hunts, and beach games, the resort’s Kids’ Club is ideal for families traveling with kids.

Among the resort’s unique highlights is the Atelier de Parfum. Running in collaboration with France’s Gallimard of Grasse, guests can design a custom fragrance with the help of in-house experts. They also have the chance to name their own fragrance bottles so they can be reordered later– a rare experience that levels up guests’ vacation.

Those who are staying at Sugar Beach can also access its sister resort, La Pirogue. Set among 2,000 coconut trees, it offers bungalow-style accommodation and a relaxed atmosphere alongside a complementary experience.

With extensive dining options, a full kids’ program, wellness facilities, and activities on land and sea, Sugar Beach is one of the island’s best family resorts. Direct flights as well as various entertainment activities make it a compelling destination for GCC-based travelers.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met US President Donald J. Trump at the White House on Thursday in a high-level engagement aimed at resetting relations between the two countries and expanding cooperation on security, trade and regional peace.

The Oval Office talks marked Sharif’s first meeting with Trump since the latter’s return to power earlier this year and the first joint appearance by Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership before a US president in years. The meeting followed a precedent-setting White House lunch between Trump and Field Marshal Munir earlier this year — conducted without civilian officials present — and which came amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, including Washington’s increasingly strained ties with New Delhi.

By pairing civilian and military leadership in the same room with the US president, Pakistan is widely seen to be signaling a more coordinated foreign policy posture aimed at strengthening its influence in wider Middle Eastern and Asian security discussions.

During what the Pakistani prime minister’s office described as a “warm and cordial” meeting, Sharif said he was confident the talks would usher in a new phase in bilateral relations.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Pakistan-US partnership will be further strengthened to the mutual benefit of both countries,” Sharif was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office after the meeting.

Sharif and Munir arrived at the White House shortly before 5p.m. on Thursday as Trump was signing executive orders and talking with reporters. The meeting between the two leaders was closed to the media, with Pakistan’s delegation leaving the White House at 6:18 p.m.

Ties have improved between the US and Pakistan as Trump’s relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the Republican president’s closest with a world leader during his first term, has become strained over India’s increased purchases of discounted Russian oil after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. India and Pakistan are neighbors and fierce rivals.

Trump has dramatically raised tariffs on India for those oil purchases in an effort to put indirect economic pressure on Moscow.

Meanwhile, the US and Pakistan reached a landmark trade agreement in July that is expected to allow Washington to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves and lower tariffs for Islamabad.

During Thursday’s meeting, Sharif invited American firms to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, IT, minerals and energy sectors.

He also praised Trump as a “man of peace” whose “bold, courageous and decisive leadership” helped facilitate a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in May, averting what Islamabad said could have been a “major catastrophe in South Asia.”

The truce, brokered with US involvement, followed a four-day war in which the two nuclear-armed neighbors shared artillery, missile and drone strikes.

Security and counterterrorism cooperation featured prominently in the talks, with Sharif thanking Trump for his public endorsement of Pakistan’s counterterrorism role and calling for expanded intelligence collaboration.

Sharif has gained favor with Trump since publicly endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Peace Prize over his role in brokering the ceasefire with India. Unlike Sharif, Modi has declined to indulge Trump’s attempt to claim credit for arranging the truce.

Pakistan did split with Trump on his decision to carry out US strikes in June on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

Pakistan said the attack “constituted a serious violation of international law” as well as on the stature of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

• with inputs from AP