Take a much-needed break this festive season and be rewarded when you book a stay at the Rosewood, Abu Dhabi. Those who book two nights, from now until January 16, will get a third night free. Guests will stay in a deluxe room and have access to all of the hotel's facilities. Prices for this deal start from Dh1,160 per night, including taxes. To book your stay email abudhabi.reservations@rosewoodhotels.com or call 02 813 5555.
Emirates offers pre-launch special fares
Consider travelling on Emirates airline's new route to Panama City, set to launch on February 1. Travellers who book their flights now, and travel between February 1 and March 23, will receive a discount on what is set to be the world's longest flight. Prices start from Dh7,205 per person for economy, including taxes, and from Dh20,525 for business class, including taxes.
Hit the slopes this season with Meriski
Hit the slope of Méribel in the French Alps this season and book into one of Meriski's newest chalets. The Chalet Kashmir sleeps 12 and features a master suite with a private balcony and an outdoor hot tub on the south-west facing terrace. Prices start from £12,950 (Dh70,854) per week, including taxes. If you don't feel you're physically ready to ski, Meriski is offering a fitness programme to help get you into shape. Each person will be given a personalised web page featuring daily routines prepared by New Zealand triathlon and cycling coach Silas Cullen. Included are explanations, videos and photos of how to perform each exercise and tips on how to avoid fatigue. The programme is priced at £150 (Dh820) per person, including taxes.
Soneva launches first floating villa
For your next island getaway, book into Soneva's first floating "villa". The new property, named Soneva in Aqua, is a 19.25-metre yacht, located at the brand's flagship resort, Soneva Fushi, in the Maldives. Visitors will have their own captain, chef, masseuse, butler, astronomer and diving instructor. The yacht can accommodate four guests, and features a master suite with a king-size bed, an on-deck hot tub and daybeds, full laundry services and a spa offering a selection of treatments. There are also several culinary options to choose from, and guests can request just about anything, from breakfast in bed to their favourite dishes. Travellers can also request that the captain plot a course around the Maldives, based on specific activities they would like to experience. Prices start from £4,375 (Dh23,937) per night, for four people sharing.
alane@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
