With a week’s holiday announced for Eid Al Fitr in the UAE, many people now have a confirmed nine-day holiday on the horizon. If you haven't yet made plans for your time off, don’t despair as there are plenty of Eid staycations that can still be booked today.
From a luxury escape on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah to a back-to-basics mountain getaway in Ras Al Khaimah, read on for a dose of staycation inspiration.
And if you're planning to jet overseas, you'll find some exciting holiday ideas in this story, with everything from a wildlife-filled safari in Sri Lanka to a Maldivian adventure for solo travellers.
Sofitel Dubai The Palm
Head to Palm Jumeirah this Eid Al Fitr and enjoy front-row seats to the city's celebratory fireworks displays when checking in at Sofitel Dubai The Palm. With a private beach, 11 restaurants, bars and lounges and a luxury spa by L'occitane, the five-star hotel’s Eid package includes daily breakfast for two, late check-out and an exclusive Arcadia perfume gift.
Rates from Dh1,499 per night; www.all.accor.com
Bear Grylls Explorer Camp, Ras Al Khaimah
Try something different over the holidays with a remote getaway at Bear Grylls Explorer Camp.
Located on Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah, the resort's Eid offer is inclusive of a one-night cabin stay for up to three people, a barbecue dinner and plenty of activities to choose from including a high ropes course, hiking, archery or air rifle shooting. Cranking things up a notch, the nearby Jais Zipline, the world’s longest, will be open 9am-3pm over the Eid holidays and the Jais Sledder – the UAE’s longest mountain coaster – will be open from 9am-5pm.
Rates from Dh649, including one activity. Dh150 supplement for barbecue dinner (for two people); www.beargryllscamp.ae
Studio One Hotel
Book a two-night stay at Studio One hotel this Eid and get 20 per cent off the total rate. The cinema-themed hotel has its own private viewing room to take in your favourite films, a family swimming pool and some great restaurants including Italian spot Larte, popular Irish bar McGettigan's and the swanky Maine Oyster Bar and Grill.
Two-night, room-only stays start from Dh714; www.studioonehotel.com
NH Collection Dubai The Palm
Located on the popular Palm West Beach, the NH Collection Dubai The Palm has discounted rooms on offer this Eid for GCC residents. The luxury property has panoramic views of the Dubai skyline and shimmering ocean, with three restaurants, a private beach club and luxury spa. Check in over Eid and get complimentary breakfast, a Dh100 voucher towards a treatment at Soul Senses Spa and 15 per cent discount on food and beverages across the resort.
Rates from Dh925 per night, excluding taxes. Discount excludes in-room dining and View 180; www.world.nh-hotels.com
Queen Elizabeth 2
Spend a night at sea with a stay at the Queen Elizabeth 2, Dubai’s only floating hotel. Book the staycation special between April 10 and 13 and get a complimentary upgrade to a sea-view room, daily breakfast, a special Eid dinner in Lido restaurant, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. There’s also 20 per cent discount on food-and-beverage spends during your stay. Read our review of the property here.
Room rates start from Dh549 for a classic room; www.qe2.com
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
In the beautiful surrounds of Saadiyat Island, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi offers a relaxing escape and the sense that you’ve left the city. There is up to 15 per cent off room rates for GCC residents checking in over the holidays, with the code UAER when booking online. As well as having one of the best private beaches in the UAE, the hotel is also home to several restaurants, four swimming pools – including one of the largest in Abu Dhabi – and a fantastic children's club. Read our review of the property here.
Rates from Dh3,041; www.hyatt.com
St Regis Dubai, The Palm
On the trunk of Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, The St Regis Dubai comes with excellent views of the city skyline and the Arabian Gulf, and it still has availability for stays over Eid. Check in and enjoy round-the-clock butler service, discounted treatments at Iridium Spa and 20 per cent off dining at Cordelia – the hotel's all-day-dining venue – and at Ruya, which serves Anatolian dishes. Read our review of the hotel here.
Rates from Dh1,245; www.marriott.com
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if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
SPECS
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More on Quran memorisation:
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
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RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
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Result
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2
Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Australia men's Test cricket fixtures 2021/22
One-off Test v Afghanistan:
Nov 27-Dec 1: Blundstone Arena, Hobart
The Ashes v England:
Dec 8-12: 1st Test, Gabba, Brisbane
Dec 16-20: 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (day/night)
Dec 26-30: 3rd Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Jan 5-9, 2022: 4th Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Jan 14-18: 5th Test, Optus Stadium, Perth
