Thomas Mina is the founder of the venue management company Mansion. I've lived in Dubai all my life - more than 30 years, though I'm originally from the Levant region. I live next to Wafi City in Dubai (www.wafi.com), an area that is getting more and more populated and convenient now, with plenty of cafes and shops. For shopping in Dubai, we often go to Wafi, but when we're going out to dinner we'll go to Teatro at the Towers Rotana (04 343 8000) or one of the restaurants at Madinat Jumeirah. We've been going to Teatro for five or six years, so we're real regulars. It's comfortable, cosy, the food's great - Asian, fusion, Mediterranean. We always feel welcome there.
When it comes to food, I'm really easy - I'll eat anything as long as it tastes good, and the quality and choice in Dubai is fantastic. At the Madinat my favourite spots are Trader Vic's (04 366 5646) - I like the food there and the atmosphere is always lively - and the Japengo Café (04 368 6575). The steaks at the Meat Company are just brilliant (04 368 6040). The most common place for me to shop for clothes is Mall of the Emirates (04 09 9000), simply because it's the biggest mall in Dubai so it has everything. I wear Giorgio Armani (04 341 0339), Diesel (04 341 1395), occasionally Gianfranco Ferré (BurJuman, 04 352 7117) and Canali suits (Wafi City, 04 324 4840). I wouldn't say I dress casually, but I'm not the kind of guy who likes to look overdressed, and occasionally I will not wear a tie, even in a business meeting.
My job is managing nightlife venues, so I'm very fussy, and we're not spoiled for choice in Dubai. Most of my time is spent in New Asia in Raffles, which my company manages. I've been into clubbing for a long time and one of the things I wanted with New Asia was to make it very exclusive. It's not about being difficult to get in, but being cautious about the kind of people we want to get in. I like a club to have people who are nice to be around, not a lot of youngsters, and most of all not be overcrowded. I want to sit comfortably and be serviced well - the things that were missing from other clubs.
Elsewhere in Dubai I like to go to Sho Cho (Dubai Marine Beach Resort, 04 346 1111), Buddha Bar at Grosvenor House Hotel (04 399 8888) and the bars at Emirates Towers (www.jumeirahemiratestowers.com). My favourite city is Amsterdam, but I really enjoy Moscow too. It's beautiful and growing. In terms of partying, Beirut is a beautiful place, especially considering its problems. When I'm eating in Beirut it's the Lebanese restaurants that I go to. The food tastes completely different to what you get here. Beirut is starting to get a little bit pricey but when I go there, it is generally to relax and see family.
I love Europe, especially London, Athens, Mikonos, Santorini, Barcelona and Ibiza. When I go to Ibiza and Mikonos, I rent a villa with a group. Ibiza is fantastic - people have a very wrong impression if it. If you go to the right places you can have a great time. I've learnt a lot from there. Pacha (www.pacha.net) is one of the best places there is, in terms of quality of service. I really enjoy the summer in London - I last stayed in Knightsbridge at the Sheraton Park (www.starwoodhotels.com). I go to London for the shopping and I really enjoy walking around the city - not something you can experience in Dubai. I love watching the culture there. That's one of the things I enjoy about travelling. I'm a big fan of cities with a lot of history, especially old ones. Italy is one of my favourite countries for this and Moscow, too. It's so interesting to understand how the cities became what they are.
When I'm flying, I always choose Emirates if I can. I have been travelling for so many years but I never have a problem with Emirates - they're very accommodating, they try to make you as comfortable as possible and they're just very convenient. I like spa treatments a lot. When I'm not in Dubai I love Thailand for its spas - the Thai style of massage is the best, better than anything you will find here. In Dubai my favourite spa is Talise (04 366 6818) at the Al Qasr hotel - the Fingerprint treatment is perfect.
