The welcome
After the customary detour around the perma-roadworks-blighted JLT that’s necessary to reach almost all of its clusters through an infuriating circular one-way system, we find the Pullman’s small but functional valet entrance. After a short queue at the front desk, a very pleasant receptionist takes us up to the 16th floor for check-in at the executive lounge, and escorts us to our room on the same level.
The neighbourhood
Situated in Cluster T of JLT, the Pullman couldn’t have much better transport links, overlooking Sheikh Zayed Road and the nearby Damac Properties Metro station. It’s a short drive from Dubai Marina and Dubai Media City – although if you’re unfamiliar with the constantly evolving roads in this area, it’s worth taking a taxi rather than risk taking an erroneous slip road and ending up several kilometres in the wrong direction.
The room
Our executive room is well-equipped, with a pleasingly wide king bed (with memory-foam pillows), a widescreen TV on a central island at the end of the bed, a Bose bluetooth dock, Nespresso machine, a dresser near the room door and a mini-sofa. The bathroom is spacious enough, with a deep bath and separate rain shower. The hotel’s position at one end of JLT lends our corner room wide, claustrophobia-free views across Sheikh Zayed Road towards the Marina, and in the distance, the Burj Al Arab.
The scene
The clientele is varied from European and Asian tourists to Gulf families and Levant expats, plus a good influx of British revellers circa brunch o’clock on Fridays. The hotel’s modest, but well-formed range of bars and restaurants gives a welcome choice of atmospheres, from the demure Italian restaurant Manzoni to the tapas bar Amarillo’s funky party chic. We’d love to report back on the Pullman’s spa, but our reservation turns into a shambles. When we arrive, the receptionist has no record of us, and with the spa fully booked, we ignominiously wait around for about 45 minutes to resolve the problem – but to no avail.
The service
Variable. The reception staff and waiters at Manzoni couldn’t be more agreeable; the spa staff are less impressive, while at breakfast in the all-day-dining restaurant Seasons, one or two of the servers regard requests with all the surly cheer of somebody complying at gunpoint.
The food
Manzoni, on the ground floor, and Amarillo, in the basement, are the undeniable picks. The former specialises in Italian fine dining, but prizes friendliness over pretension, serving up reasonably priced dishes such as trotie pasta with an array of seafood (Dh85). Amarillo, by comparison, is much less of a sit-up-straight establishment, with kooky, geographically themed tapas-sized dishes, including the “Chinese” deep-fried vanilla ice cream with tart Szechuan peppercorn-and-redcurrant sauce (Dh40). The breakfast buffet at Seasons is less remarkable, but ticks all the basic boxes.
Loved
The views, the balcony and the location (one-way system aside), as well as Manzoni and Amarillo.
Hated
The spa mix-up. And we spend half a day unable to connect to the Wi-Fi, which is logged into with your room number and surname. It’s not until we switch on the TV and see my name spelled incorrectly on the welcome screen that we realise what’s afoot.
The verdict
You’ll be hard-pressed to find better value at this end of town, with a clutch of above-average dining options for good measure.
The bottom line
Double rooms at the Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers (www.pullmanhotels.com; 04 567 1100) cost from Dh560 per night, including breakfast, Wi-Fi and taxes.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
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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
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5