London
Claridge's, the Connaught and the Berkeley, which are all owned by the Maybourne hotel group, have organised two-night festive packages from December 24 to December 26. At the Connaught, the offer costs from £700 (Dh4,030) per person, and includes accommodation in a standard double room (based on two people sharing), Christmas treats upon arrival, afternoon tea with champagne, English breakfast, a horse-drawn carriage ride through Mayfair, and a six-course Christmas lunch.
Christmas at the Berkeley costs from £550 (Dh3,170) per person and includes two nights in a standard double room with welcome Stollen cake on arrival, a four-course Christmas lunch, a horse-drawn carriage ride through Belgravia on Christmas morning, breakfast, stockings filled with goodies and a gift-wrapped cake to take home.
At Claridge's the festive offer costs from £680 (Dh3,917) per person for a two-night stay in a superior room, including a bottle of bubbly, festive in-room treats and stocking fillers, breakfast, a carriage ride through Mayfair, and a seven-course Christmas Day lunch.
The offers are valid for bookings until December 1. All prices include taxes. Visit www.maybourne.com for more information.
The French Alps
Stay at a renovated 19th-century farm in the French Alps and enjoy skiing and snowboarding on the Grand Massif. The trip includes seven nights' accommodation, organic breakfasts, high tea, three-course dinners with wine, wood-fired hot tubs, guides, ski lessons and all activities, airport and train transfers, and local shuttle services to the slopes.
The eight-day land-only trip costs from €680 (Dh3,510) per adult and from €400 (Dh2,065) for children under the age of 12. There is a €50 (Dh258) Green Travel Bonus discount per person if you share a car or arrive by train. The trips run from December 19 until April 3. Visit www.responsibletravel.com or call 00 44 1273 600 030.
Hong Kong
Spend one night at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin, between December 17 and January 3 and earn a spending credit worth 1,000 Hong Kong dollars (Dh475). The package costs from HK$1,980 (Dh938) per night including taxes, and is based on two people sharing. Visit www.hongkong.shatin.hyatt.com for more information.
Kuala Lumpur
The Ritz-Carlton's Christmas package costs from 1,380 Malaysia ringgit (Dh1,627) per night for four guests in a two-bedroom suite and from RM1,840 (Dh2,70) per night for five guests in a three-bedroom suite.The offer is valid for stays on December 24 and includes taxes, breakfast and Christmas lunch, and stockings and gifts for each person. Visit www.ritzcarlton.com for details.
Rajasthan
Wild Frontiers has organised an exotic 15-day holiday at Castle Bijaipur in Rajasthan, a beautiful heritage hotel in the Aravali Hills surrounded by forests, villages, lakes and ancient temples. The tour begins in New Delhi and includes a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra, Fatipur Sikri in Chittor, Christmas Day celebrations at Castle Bijaipur and a party on New Year's Eve.
The land-only trip from December 19 to January 2 costs from £1,925 (Dh11,088) per person and includes accommodation, all meals and all transport outlined in the itinerary. For more details, visit www.wildfrontiers.co.uk or call 00 44 20 7736 3968.
Bhutan
Uma Paro, Bhutan's mountain-top adventure resort, is offering a complimentary 10-day activity programme for guests staying between December 23 and January 1, 2011.
The programme includes four daily events and includes activities as varied as lectures on Buddhism, cookery lessons for those interested in Bhutanese cuisine, archery contests, yoga by candlelight, meditation sessions every morning, one night of films, a traditional mask performance and an evening of music and dance. On December 25, Father Christmas will put in a special appearance in a horse-drawn cart. There'll be plenty of hot chocolate with churros (fried pastries), and a classical music recital. On New Year's Day, guests get to enjoy a complimentary festive meal.
Standard rooms cost from US$708 (Dh2,600) per night (based on two people sharing), including all meals, airport transfers and taxes. For more information, visit www.uma.paro.como.bz.
ciyer@thenational.ae
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
