Retreat to Le Palais Paysan in Morocco. Courtesy in:spa retreats
Retreat to Le Palais Paysan in Morocco. Courtesy in:spa retreats

Disconnect to reconnect with one of these digital detox holidays



While some people don't have any problem forgetting about work the moment they switch on their out-of-office, many are so overworked and addicted to life behind a screen, that they continually check their email even while on holiday. Others have difficulty staying away from social media, mobile messaging and photo sharing apps. Experts say that what you really need to rest is a complete break, which will return you to the workplace rejuvenated.

Ironically, there's a host of online travel resources that promise to help you do just that. For a wide range of digital detox holidays around the world, visit digitaldetoxholidays.com. The site offers three grades of disconnection: the lowest, "detox packages", feature hotels that suggest ways to help you disconnect. The middle grade, "tech-free attitude", means there will be no Wi-Fi, no phone and no TV in your room. Finally, "highly disconnected" offers "exceptionally remote" places where there will be no mobile phone connection. Such locations include a luxury lodge on Lake Malawi, a jungle resort in India and a "comfortable" lodge in the Gobi Desert.

The United Kingdom-based Time to Log Off (www.itstimetologoff.com/digital-detox-retreats) offers real-world breaks in Britain, Italy and Hawaii. Its next retreat takes place at an 18th-century farmhouse in Puglia, Italy, from Oct 1 to 7, and activities include cycling, yoga, guided nature walks and "creative mindfulness" activities. Prices are from £870 (Dh4,156) per person.

Digital Detox retreats (www.digitaldetox.org) in the USA are based on the theory that "as we disconnect from our devices, we reconnect with ourselves, our community, nature and the world at large". The rules of the retreats, which take place in California, North Carolina, New York and Texas, include "no digital technology, no networking, no work-talk, no anxiety". Instead, time is devoted to "analog art, movement, writing, mindfulness, conscious and healthy eating, and reflection". For pricing, email info@thedigitaldetox.org.

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Read more: 

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A smart way to stop your mobile phone from taking over your life

Facebook linked to neurotic behaviour

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On a mountainside in the Swiss Alps, Montagne Alternative (www.montagne-alternative.com) has been designed with a holistic philosophy involving the renovation of ruined stone and timber buildings in a remote village, amid hiking paths and open spaces, with guests encouraged to connect with nature. "The peace and quiet and authentic and beautiful surroundings will unleash positive emotions and strengthen relationships," the company claims. Activities include walking, astronomy and healthy cooking classes. It offers a selection of upscale lodges with views over the Grand Saint-Bernard Valley. The Barbey Lodge, which sleeps 10, costs from CHF1,130 (Dh4,305) per night.

The UK-based in:spa retreats (www.inspa-retreats.com) runs luxurious group health, fitness and detox retreats in Marrakech, France and Andalucia. This year, it has introduced a unique "digital crèche" at its destinations, "where guests can simply leave their digital devices (phones, tablets and laptops) until the end of the retreat. Cutting out on screen time allows their mind and body to fully relax, enabling a sense of calm and inner-focus, whilst minds are re-energised."

In Morocco, prices start at Dh7,382 for a five-day programme including accommodation, gourmet meals, two massages, two guided hikes, twice-daily fitness classes, yoga classes and a personal training session.

The new Santani resort in Sri Lanka has no Wi-Fi or TV. Instead, guests swap screens for an immersive stay in nature, surrounded by 47 acres of rainforest, where the hotel "aims to restore the inner balance of guests and reconnect them with their inner self" through well-being activities such as meditation, yoga, cleansing spa treatments, gentle fitness sessions, cookery workshops and cultural trips to nearby natural swimming pools and the Temple of Tooth in Kandy. Evenings are spent in modern wooden villas that offer a calming inside-outside feel with sleek decor, timber floors and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. To book, visit The Healthy Holiday Company.

 

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ENGLAND TEAM

Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers Pickford (Everton), Pope (Burnley), Henderson (Manchester United)

Defenders Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), Gomez (Liverpool), James (Chelsea), Keane (Everton), Maguire (Manchester United), Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Mings (Aston Villa), Saka (Arsenal), Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Walker (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Foden (Manchester City), Henderson (Liverpool), Grealish (Aston Villa), Mount (Chelsea), Rice (West Ham), Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Winks (Tottenham)

Forwards: Abraham (Chelsea), Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Sterling (Manchester City)

The chef's advice

Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.

“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”

Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.

The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.