Master developer ORA has gained a global reputation for delivering luxury lifestyles through its property and hospitality projects.
With a steady stream of flagship projects in cherished locations, the company has become a celebrated name behind prestigious new destinations.
These give great promise for what ORA is preparing to deliver in the UAE with its Ghantoot mixed-use megaproject - one of the country’s largest ever private sector schemes - on the Abu Dhabi and Dubai border.
Among the existing addresses that hallmark ORA Hospitality’s success story is Silversands, Grand Anse in Grenada.
Set on the southernmost island in the Antilles archipelago, this enchanting five-star escape embraces the wild beauty of Grand Anse Beach.
The resort incorporates 43 rooms and suites, beachfront and hillside villas, a full-service spa, fitness centre, watersports, and - at 100 metres - the longest pool in the Caribbean.
Guests can indulge their gastronomic aspirations in globally inspired restaurants, Asiatique and the Grenadian Grill.
All of which has been delivered with the architectural excellence and refined living mandate that underpins ORA’s reputation and progress.
The story behind Silversands, Grenada is inspirational itself - the project came about after a friend suggested to ORA’s chairman and chief executive officer Naguib Sawiris that he visit Grenada.
Already a well-travelled businessman, he fell in love with the island, which borders the eastern Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.
And he wished that other world-weary travellers should discover and embrace Grenada’s beauty and charm within a resort that mixes impeccable design, serene landscaping and world-class service.
Added to that, is easy-to-use technology, including an app that empowers guests’ mobile phones to reserve a beach lounger.
Architects and designers AW², Reda Amalou & Stephanie Ledoux took their cue from Mother Nature, and let Grenada’s beauty inform the detail.
ORA has successful mixed-use developments and residential properties in Greece, Egypt, Pakistan and Cyprus.
Silversands represents another leap forward as one of two experiential ORA hospitality brands.
“The creation of this iconic hotel was very brave,” says Mark Scott, chief executive for ORA Caribbean, “representing a big challenge for ORA.”
Meanwhile, Ashraf El Zahed, chief marketing officer at ORA Hospitality, highlights the villa offering as one of “our key advantages” at Silversands Grenada.
“It is second to none on the level of the Caribbean and even globally,” he adds.
Silversands Beach House, meanwhile, is ORA’s planned luxury boutique hotel, beside Portici Beach, Grenada. Featuring 28 rooms, guests will be able to choose from Hilltop and beachfront tents.
ORA has documented its stellar journey in five engaging episodes for the aspirational documentary A Journey Through Time.
Silversands features prominently in episode three, A Gateway To Timeless Moments, as ORA Hospitality takes centre stage to spotlight how memorable guest experiences are at the heart of everything it seeks to achieve.
The documentary explores ORA’s unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled hospitality by pairing world-class amenities with stunning decor, and exceptional service with bespoke experiences.
It showcases Mr Sawiris’ visionary approach and pursuit of excellence by embracing the seamless integration of remarkable amenities, service and architecture to create unforgettable moments for guests.
Underlining this is ORA’s other hospitality brand, Yi Hotel.
Yi Hotel, Mykonos is the company’s dynamic and sustainably minded boutique property, on the beautiful and spirited Greek island of Mykonos.
It captures the essence of a celebrated location in the Cyclades, with Yi translating as ‘Earth’ in Greek, and ‘one’ in Japanese.
This reflects the four-star hotel’s minimalist yet modern luxury styling and embraces the island’s surrounding natural beauty from its setting close to the stunning Elia Beach.
Guests can choose from suitably named accommodation options such as the Divine Plunge Pool Room with garden, a Superb Sea View Room gazing onto the Aegean Sea, an Embrace Private Pool Room with large outdoor space or an Oasis Suite complete with plunge pool and garden.
Tailored vacation experiences are available, such as poolside massages or rejuvenating facials, pre-breakfast guided walks or swimming tours to make the most of surrounding natural attractions.
Guests can indulge in an olive oil or wine-tasting session, explore beyond Yi Hotel with a boat excursion to historic Delos island, horseback riding - or even receive a DJ lesson from in-house talent Caelina.
ORA will add to its Greek island presence with Silversands Mykonos. This comprises six resort pools, 88 guest rooms, five free-standing villas, and a floating rock bar.
Yi and the Silversands brands are managed by ORA’s hospitality team, rather than an outside management brand, enabling them to operate closer to Mr Sawiris’ personal taste and strong vision for the properties, and the high-end service and sophistication he aspires for them.
ORA Hospitality chief executive officer Dimitrios Zarikos says: “Once you offer personalised experiences that cater to each guest’s unique needs, then you can talk about having great service that people will want to come back to.”
In total, the hospitality segment has a total of 200 hospitality rooms, with future expansion plans which include UAE and different areas of Africa.
With insight from Eng. Sawiris, Mr Zerikos and other ORA leaders, episode 3, A Gateway To Timeless Moments explores the dedication and passion of ORA Hospitality in providing outstanding service and memorable guest experiences, designed to set new standards in the industry.
This promises great things for ORA’s substantial entry into the UAE market.
In partnership with Abu Dhabi investment company Q Holding, it will create a smart, sustainable city in Ghantoot, Abu Dhabi.
ORA’s largest development and first footprint in the UAE will be the largest real estate development in the history of the nation’s private sector.
The waterfront project is set to be an up-scale, sustainable and comprehensive city of the future with a total area of 12.6 million sqm which makes it equivalent to 65% of the area of Beirut. Located at a unique and central location - on a sandy stretch of coast between Dubai and Abu Dhabi - the huge project will target residents and tourists seeking a luxurious live-work-play community.
It also provides ORA with the opportunity to create a desirable destination that bridges the UAE’s two most progressive and best-known cities.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UK%20-%20UAE%20Trade
%3Cp%3ETotal%20trade%20in%20goods%20and%20services%20(exports%20plus%20imports)%20between%20the%20UK%20and%20the%20UAE%20in%202022%20was%20%C2%A321.6%20billion%20(Dh98%20billion).%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20an%20increase%20of%2063.0%20per%20cent%20or%20%C2%A38.3%20billion%20in%20current%20prices%20from%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20was%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%2019th%20largest%20trading%20partner%20in%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%20Q4%202022%20accounting%20for%201.3%20per%20cent%20of%20total%20UK%20trade.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
The five pillars of Islam
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Race card
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
9.50pm: Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
9.25pm: Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
More on Quran memorisation:
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
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