DUBAI // The lawns surrounding the winding, leafy driveway are a deep green, with streams of water criss-crossing though them.
At the end of the drive is a two-storey villa with a waterfall next to its wooden front door.
"There are water features running throughout the development," says Jessica Watson, senior marketing executive at the developer Al Barari.
This villa, on the market for Dh27million, would be well within reach of anyone taking out Standard Chartered's new mortgage.
"In total, there are more than 14km of filtered lakes, streams and cascades [in the development]," says Ms Watson. "It is a piece of tranquillity away from the hustle and bustle of the city."
Inside the front door, a short hall runs past the kitchen to the left before it reaches an open area that has two sitting rooms. The dining room has a table big enough for a banquet. The ground floor master bedroom ensuite bathroom alone is bigger than most studio apartments. So, too, is that bedroom's private garden, complete with a plunge pool.
Both sitting rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on to the garden and swimming pool. "The windows were designed to be like this. It is a really nice view with all the trees and plants." At the top of the marble and granite stairs is the first of seven bedrooms, each with sofas, coffee tables, a television set and - naturally - an en-suite bathroom.
"We designed each master bedroom with a theme in mind to show what you can do with the rooms," says Ms Watson. "Actually all the rooms are master bedrooms"
The maid's room is tucked away in a corner of the villa. "It actually has the largest private terrace in the villa and the maid's room itself is quite big. They have their own kitchen and general living quarters. Next door, if you want to unwind, there's a massage room."
The guest room has its own entrance, allowing visitors to "come and go without disturbing anybody or going through the main part of the house".
A king-size bed faces the window, with a view over the Nad al Sheba Royal Wildlife reserve.
Below the ground floor are two sky-lit basements. One is an additional bedroom and the second is a playroom, but they could equally be a gym, or even a cinema.
"There are so many options for these," says Ms Watson. "We have just put a bedroom in here to show what you can do with it but some people have already gone ahead and built their own cinema."
Finishing it off is a triple garage designed to be long enough for a Rolls-Royce and high enough to fit a Range Rover.
"A lot of our buyers own their own businesses and are self-made millionaires," says Ms Watson. "We have sold 70 per cent of the villas. They are buying their own piece of tranquillity."
eharnan@thenational.ae
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)
Saturday
Brescia v Torino (6pm)
Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)
Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sunday
Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)
Udinese v SPAL (6pm)
Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)
Lazio v Lecce (6pm)
Parma v Roma (9pm)
Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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%20Profile
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Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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