The welcome
The hotel’s smart entrance and hallway provide a fitting welcome in historic downtown Portland. Inside, there’s a nice balance between cosy and grand, and the bold colour scheme fits in well with the location. There’s a choice of different comfortable seating arrangements in the lounge. The staff are friendly and genuine.
The neighbourhood
In the centre of the downtown area of Portland, within walking distance of the waterfront and a good variety of shops and restaurants, the 10-storey Monaco is one of a number of stately buildings that date from 1912. The building was originally a department store and sits opposite Macy’s. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the bus and train stations, as well as the Portland Art Museum.
The scene
Nicely no-nonsense. This 221-room hotel is popular with business and leisure guests of all ages, most of whom come from within the United States. There is also an Aveda spa.
The room
My room is a 10th-floor king premier suite decorated in the hotel’s signature wallpaper, which comprises drawings of birds flying against a cream background. Colourfully upholstered furniture gives it the feel of a grand boutique hotel. I have a view of the Macy’s building and the room is quiet.
The service
Bright and friendly.
The food
The street-level restaurant, the Red Star Tavern (www.redstartavern.com), is also open to non-hotel guests, and has an attractive menu featuring local ingredients in the form of soups, salads, cheeses, fish and steak, but unfortunately it's closed on the night that I'm there. I have breakfast the following morning, however, and the fresh orange juice, coffee and toasted bagel with cream cheese (a total of US$14.50 [Dh53]) are all good. In the lobby, the hotel offers various free drinks and snacks at different times of the day.
Loved
The relaxing atmosphere and the sense of privacy. Also, every room has a yoga mat.
Hated
The slightly worn-looking animal print bathrobes hanging in the closet didn’t tempt me to wear them. The temperature in the room didn’t seem to be as cold as the temperature control stated, and the airflow from the air-conditioning system wasn’t constant.
The verdict
A comfortable retreat in a great location, and the sense of history comes as a bonus.
The bottom line
Double rooms at the Monaco Portland (www.monaco-portland.com) cost from $160 (Dh588) per night, including taxes, but excluding breakfast.
rbehan@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Tomb Raider I–III Remastered
Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Aspyr
Console: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Islamic Architecture: A World History
Author: Eric Broug
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Pages: 336
Available: September
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
The specs
Engine: 6-cylinder, 4.8-litre
Transmission: 5-speed automatic and manual
Power: 280 brake horsepower
Torque: 451Nm
Price: from Dh153,00
On sale: now
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Frida
Director: Carla Gutierrez
Starring: Frida Kahlo
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
Getting there and where to stay
Fly with Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi to New York’s JFK. There's 11 flights a week and economy fares start at around Dh5,000.
Stay at The Mark Hotel on the city’s Upper East Side. Overnight stays start from $1395 per night.
Visit NYC Go, the official destination resource for New York City for all the latest events, activites and openings.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Fixtures
Wednesday, April 3
Arsenal v Luton Town, 10.30pm (UAE)
Manchester City v Aston Villa, 11.15pm (UAE)
Thursday, April 4
Liverpool v Sheffield United, 10.30pm (UAE)