Four Seasons Kuwait on the way in spring
A new Four Seasons hotel in Kuwait will open early next year, the company announced this week, although an exact date is yet to be set. Part of the Burj Alshaya development in the downtown area, the hotel will have 284 rooms in a 22-storey glass tower, with interior design by Yabu Pushelberg, including a striking indoor pool under dozens of fanoos (Middle Eastern lanterns), five restaurants and a yoga studio. Other forthcoming Four Seasons openings include resorts in Hoi An, Vietnam, and the Maldives, on its own private island within Baa Atoll's Unesco biosphere reserve. For more information, visit www.fourseasons.com.
Discounted fitness breaks in Zanzibar
British-based travel company Wildfitness, which offers specialist fitness holidays in the United Kingdom, Greece and Zanzibar, is offering big savings to GCC travellers booking upcoming courses in Zanzibar. Accommodation is in luxurious villas at the Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa in Paje, on the island's east coast. Participants are given individual assessments before embarking on a rigorous programme of daily outdoor exercise routines, including barefoot running, swimming, crawling and throwing. Healthy food is prepared, with no alcohol or caffeine, and most evenings involve a workshop on a different aspect of healthy living, to enable long-term lifestyle change. Guests can get a £510 (Dh2,307) discount on one-week courses starting on November 5 and 12, and £660 (Dh2,987) off a 10-day course starting on November 23; one-week courses cost £2,890 (Dh13,077) and the 10-day course costs £3,740 (Dh16,924), excluding flights. For more information, email info@wildfitness.com or call 0044 7415 884 312.
Bab Al Qasr now open in Abu Dhabi
Bab Al Qasr, one of several new hotels on the north-west corner of Abu Dhabi, opened this week. The copper-coloured, double-towered, 36-storey building, between Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan and Etihad Towers, has 677 rooms, suites and residences, a spa, several restaurants and a private beach, and is managed by Millennium & Copthorne. It has been developed by the Emirates Moroccan General Trading & Investment company (Emroc) and the exterior is an homage to Marrakech's houses. Double rooms cost from Dh927 per night, including taxes and breakfast. For more information, visit www.babalqasr.com or www.millenniumhotels.com.