Greet year of monkey with a taste of China in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Rosewood Abu Dhabi

What to expect: Dai Pai Dong, the Hong Kong style restaurant on Al Maryah Island, has brunch and dinner options from February 2 to 14 to celebrate the Chinese new year. Enjoy dumplings, roasted meat, crispy duck salad, siew mai and other specialities. Activities on the island include acts by Cirque Shanghai, the acrobatic troupe

Cost: Dh195 a head with unlimited jasmine tea

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai

What to expect: To ring in the Year of the Monkey, chefs at Gozo Garden have put together a delectable Chinese spread. The menu ranges from spicy Szechwan to traditional Cantonese and the imperial dishes of Peking.

Watch out for: Dh195 per person inclusive of house beverages

Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi

What to expect: Apart from brunches and buffets, some hotels have come up with options to celebrate the festival. The package at the hotel includes an early 10am check-in and a 4pm checkout, a chance to win a room upgrade, special turndown amenities, complimentary dinner or spa treatment in the Ang Pao lucky draw and buffet breakfast at the Urban Kitchen.

Cost: Dh688 plus taxes

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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

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How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Know before you go

Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

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