Palm Jumeirah’s Riva Beach Club reopens to the public

The Palm Jumeirah’s Riva Beach Club – the first independent club to operate on The Palm – has opened to the public after undergoing months of upgrades.

All facilities and water sports are back in operation and the full stretch of beach is open to the public, according to management.

The Riva Beach Club is located between Buildings 7 and 8 of The Shoreline, Palm Jumeirah. It became one of the city’s most popular destinations after it launched as an independent beach club in Dubai five years ago.

The club ran into controversy late last year after residents of The Shoreline were suddenly prevented from using the facilities, including the beach, because of a commercial dispute between IFA Hotels and Resorts, which owns the club, and Nakheel, developer of the luxury waterfront apartments. Residents now have full access to the beach facilities and have been offered special food and beverage discounts.

The relaunched club offers a private beachfront 300 metres wide, a climate-controlled pool, an indoor Mediterranean restaurant and fully-licensed al fresco bar. It has added a new Ripe Organic Supermarket, the only one of its kind in Dubai, and will soon be joined by a second Palm Jumeirah branch of the nail salon NBAR and a Bliss florist.

Daily, weekly and annual passes are available. The club's adult membership costs Dh100 per weekday or Dh190 per weekend. A five-day adult pass is Dh400 and Dh700 for seven days. Annual membership costs Dh6,750 for a single adult; Dh11,000 for couples and Dh15,000 for a family.

Membership includes access to all the club facilities, including unlimited access to the beach and pool, full use of the gym facilities during open hours, towel service and showers and a 10 percent discount on all food and beverage purchases at Riva.

Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

PSG's line up

GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)

Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)

Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)

Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)

Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)

Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands