Discover pristine Centara properties, including breathtaking beachside and mountain retreats, with up to 35% savings.

AS 2023 COMES TO CLOSE, Centara Hotels & Resorts extends a warm invitation to guests across Thailand and beyond seeking unforgettable family getaways filled with blissful moments and exceptional perks. 

Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of luxury as the award-winning brand presents its enticing ‘Linger for Longer’ promotion. Indulge in an extended stay at any of their renowned resorts, spread across six extraordinary brands and encompassing an astounding 50 properties in 8 exquisite destinations.

Let the enchanting surroundings of each destination revitalise your spirit, leaving you feeling rejuvenated, reenergised, and ready to embark on a thrilling journey into 2024.

With addresses in the most desirable destinations in Southeast Asia, Japan, the Indian Ocean and Middle East, Centara continues to build its reputation on exceptional service and gracious Thai-style hospitality. From contemporary city centre locations to far-flung tropical locales, each property offers the chance to linger and enjoy delightful gastronomy, family-friendly facilities and a collection of indulgent spas. 

Love to Linger

Book your long-term stays to get the exciting promotion that provides up to 35% savings on stays at an extensive choice of pristine Centara properties in Thailand, including Phuket, Samui, Krabi, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Trat, Rayong, Koh Chang, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Mae Sot, Udon Thani, and Hat Yai. The offer also extends to certain addresses in Vietnam, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Dubai, with special room rates starting at THB 640++ per night.

Indulge in the allure of extraordinary destinations with minimum stays for the promotion depending on the desired destination. Choose from tranquil beachside retreats or serene mountain escapes, each offering a range of options. Embrace the freedom to craft your dream escape with minimum nights ranging from 2, 5, 7, 10 or 14 nights, providing ample time to unwind and explore.

Enjoy a delightful choice of rooms only or rooms with extensive breakfasts included, enhancing each morning’s delight. Plus, up to two children can stay for free when you complete your booking before 20th December 2024.

Discover a captivating selection of enchanting rooms, suites, and private villas tailored to fulfil your every desire. Let Centara Hotels & Resorts curate an unforgettable journey into the heart of your destination, where hidden treasures await the discerning traveller.

Booking Direct is Best

To enjoy even more unique privileges, make your booking using your Centara The1 membership, which provides an additional 15% discount when you log in before booking. Not yet a member? Sign up for free. 

Additional benefits are also available when you book directly with your property of choice. From a Best Rate Guarantee to 10% off food and drinks and a choice of early check-in or late check-out, you’ll love each exclusive privilege provided by Centara Hotels & Resorts. 

The Linger for Longer offer is good for stays booked through 20th December 2024.

Article Sponsored by Centara Hotels & Resorts.
Images courtesy of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

Fringing the azure waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon is Saudi Arabia’s latest offering from its NEOM project. A pinnacle of modern luxury and an engineering marvel, it is the retreat of the future that has everything from luxury hotels to beach villas, spas, and wellness centres.

Conceptualised by Studio 10Design, Epicon comprises two skyscrapers and a resort and is envisioned to become a jewel of the upcoming desert city of NEOM.

Here’s a glimpse inside Epicon, the new project in Saudi Arabia’s NEOM

Epicon in numbers

Epicon is a new coastal hotel and resort concept, a complex of two jagged towers measuring 225 m and 275 m high, imagined to mimic a glistening mirage on the horizon. Within these towers, guests can ascend to the lounges and premium restaurants. Those seeking elevated experiences can go even higher to enjoy stays at suites and residences. Epicon offers 55 such ultra-luxury suites and residences.

Located at a short distance from the towers is the Epicon Resort. A harmonious blend of architectural ingenuity and innovation, it comprises 120 luxury resort rooms and 45 residential beach villas. Here, a beach club, indoor and outdoor spa treatments, wellness pools, gourmet restaurants, stunning lounges and gyms await you.

A helipad, jetty and a range of water sports shall also be available to elevate your stay and make it an unforgettable experience.

“Designed as a gateway to the future, Epicon provides an opportunity to escape the stresses of the every day,” describes a NEOM press release.

“A highly attractive visitor destination and an optimum place to live and thrive, Epicon’s guests and residents can expect a truly immersive and life-affirming experience,” it adds.

Other projects in NEOM

This avant-garde concept is the sixth region inside NEOM. It comes shortly after the announcement of Leyja, “NEOM’s sustainable tourism destination set within a magnificent natural valley”, stated the press release.

Other regions include The Line, Sindalah, Trogena and Oxagon.

(Hero and feature image credit: NEOM/ @discoveringneom/ Instagram)

Related: Saudi Arabia’s Neom Trojena Will Let You Ski Outdoors All Year Round

Men often get left out or ignored in the wellness conversation, which is unfortunate considering the alignment of mind, body and spirit should be a non-gendered priority. So, we asked holistic healer, artist and leadership consultant Alexander Yasin for his general life guidance and wellness tips for men to achieve optimal health and be properly present for their families, friends and selves. With equality in mind, note that his checklist will work for any of us seeking an easy routine as salve for our souls.

WITHIN OUR MALE-DOMINATED SOCIETIES, strength is often associated with physical size, your ability to “muscle through” obstacles (whether in business or life), “conquer” your competitor, and “make it to the top!” I think it’s safe to say that that mentality is off-balance to say the least, and has created a complex within the global nation of men – resulting in many men disconnected from their true feelings, overstressed, overworked, sad, anxious, depressed, and burnt out. 

Through my experience working with thousands of men and women alike, empowering them to heal both mentally and physically from their negative emotional and physical turmoil, I have found that true strength transcends the corporeal, and encompasses the balance of mind, body and spirit. 

It takes a great deal of discipline, inner strength, and focus to ensure that all three of these elements are aligned, but when they are, we can truly be free, heal, and manifest our true purpose in this life.

That’s a key: Everyone talks about purpose and the desire for it, but no one ever talks about how the prerequisite to unlocking your full purpose is your full healing. 

I feel it’s not only important, it’s absolutely necessary for us as men, to shift out of the old unbalanced masculine program, and into a harmonious, balanced masculine that tends to not only our physical needs, but the ones of our hearts and our souls as well.

Less working hard, more working smart. Yes, focusing on taking care of our bodies, but not at the expense of our minds. We need to start saying “yes!” to vulnerability, recognizing it takes great strength to be vulnerable, and more “yes” work in our hearts, as it takes great strength to love unconditionally, especially in such tumultuous times as these. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to explore all three of these aspects of strength at Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman. From paragliding over the stunning Musandam Peninsula to experiencing deep meditation by the sea, and even bioresonance feedback analysis, this resort provided the ideal backdrop to nurture the mind, body and spirit.

But it wasn’t just the activities that made my experience so powerful. The people and culture of Oman played a significant role as well. The warmth and hospitality of the locals added to the feeling of being embraced by the natural beauty of the area. This sense of connection made it easier to disconnect from the “real world” and to return to myself, which is so important in today’s busy and fast-paced environment.

It also allowed for the most important of all: true, meaningful, present connection with my children and wife – something that can often be sacrificed when we aren’t in balance. Creating beautiful memories for me and my family is the most important, as these precious moments only come once in a lifetime. 

7 Keys for Men (and Everyone) to Unlocking Inner Strength, According to Alexander Yasin

Here are seven practical wellness tips that not just men but anyone can implement in their daily lives to nurture mind, body and spirit:

1. Take time to meditate or simply quiet your mind each day. This can be as simple as setting aside 5-10 minutes to sit in silence and focus on your breath. Try closing your eyes, connecting to your heart by thinking about something or someone you love, and simply breathe into that feeling. Let it expand throughout your whole body. And if you want a meditation practice that can radically change your life forever check out The Lightforce Center.

Get The Lightforce Center’s essential tips every digital nomad needs to start their day in the video here.

2. Incorporate movement into your daily routine. Whether it’s hitting 10,000 steps per day around your neighborhood, going to the gym, or practicing yoga, find a way to move your body every day for at least 30 minutes. And if you struggle with this, I highly recommend investing in a personal trainer. It’s what helps motivate me the most in this area. 

3. Practice gratitude. Take a moment each day to reflect on what you are thankful for in your life. Focusing on what you are grateful for releases serotonin, and is a natural antidepressant! 

4. Supplement and eat right. Unfortunately most of our food is toxic, and lacks the proper nutrients we need. Make sure you are supplementing with the essentials. I recommend Cymbiotika for some of the highest quality supplements in the world, but do your research and find a brand that works for you. Eat organic, and buy from local farmers every chance you can. 

5. Disconnect from technology. This is HUGE! The algorithms are designed to keep us addicted, and connected to our devices 24/7. It is essential for your mental and physical health that you set aside time each day to disconnect from your devices, and instead connect with yourself. Set a one-hour rule at night (no phones or tech before bed), and a one-hour rule in the morning (no phones or tech before your morning meditation). This will allow for better sleep, more self-control, and to be present with yourself and those around you.

6. Give back, and be of service. Helping others, especially when our world seems to be in such tumult, is needed more now than ever – and it’s a two way street! Giving of yourself to improve the lives of others is a powerful way to nurture your own spirit.

7. Prioritize sleep. Getting enough rest is crucial to maintaining a healthy mind and body. Study after study shows how imperative healthy sleep patterns are for our overall mental and physical health. And if you struggle with sleep, doing the above six steps will surely help. 

Incorporating these practices into your daily life can help you find balance and strength in all aspects of your life. It’s just a starting point, but a very good one to say the least. And if you’re looking for a place to truly disconnect and explore these elements of yourself, Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman is definitely worth a visit.

P.S.  The only way forward is within! 

Alexander Yasin is a HeArtist, LightForce Quantum Healer™, poet, world renowned speaker and leadership consultant, whose mission is to empower the masses to heal, and awaken to their life’s Purpose. He is driven to assist in the collective consciousness shift on this planet during this pivotal time in our history. He’s excited to connect, so feel free to drop him a DM.

In a bid to transform the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into a global gaming destination, US-based Wynn Resorts is investing billions of dollars to build its first gaming resort in Al Marjan Island. According to the official statement released by Wynn, over USD 3.9 billion (INR 31,885. 2 Crore) has been invested in this project.

The major attraction of this property will be its extensive entertainment and gaming area. The details of the “games” have been left ambiguous as gambling is currently banned in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. The company has partnered with Marjan LLC and RAK Hospitality Holding LLC to develop this grand oceanfront property planned on a group of four islands about 45 minutes away from Dubai. While the construction work has already begun, the property is slated to open its magnificent doors to visitors by 2027.

Here are all the details about Wynn Al Marjan Island Resort

Wynn has planned 1,500 lavish rooms, suites and villas as per their latest statement. The company states, “Visitors can look forward to a wide array of entertainment options, a gaming area, 24 dining and lounge experiences, innovative spa and wellness experiences, a high-end shopping esplanade, a state-of-the-art events centre, a theatre hosting a unique production show, and other amenities.”

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The resort will also have a light and laser show every night to highlight the natural beauty of the Ras Al Khaimah islands. Touted to be a man-made oasis, it will retain the rawness of the surrounding ecosystem by replicating the natural curve shape of the beach in the design of its podium, beach-facing promenade and opera house.

What makes Wynn’s Ras Al Khaimah project special?

Speaking about the project, Craig Billings, CEO of Wynn Resorts, said in a statement, “We have spent the past year meticulously programming and concepting Wynn Al Marjan Island, carefully considering its unique location.” He added, “I am incredibly proud of our design and development team’s ability to impart our legacy of rich, thoughtful design into a sun-soaked beachside resort that will delight customers, new and old. We look forward to opening Wynn Al Marjan Island in early 2027.”

(Main and Feature Image Credit: Wynn Resorts)

This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com

Related: World’s Oldest Pearl Town Discovered In The UAE

What is it like to visit one of the world’s top new resorts with its architect who also happens to be seeing it for the first time? T+L SEA accompanied Blink Design Group founder Clint Nagata on an exclusive trip to Regent Phu Quoc, in Vietnam. We talked about his new projects from Japan to Saudi Arabi, simplification, the sound of water, and his friendship with fellow starchitect Bill Bensley.  

LONG BEFORE INTERIOR DESIGNER of the Year Clint Nagata received the accolade at the Design Excellence Awards in Singapore this month, Blink Design Group, the architecture and design firm he founded and for which he acts as creative partner, has been winning prizes and praise around the world. Among the recent additions to Blink’s portfolio, you may have heard of the W Mina Seyahi in Dubai, Fullerton Hotel Ocean Park in Hong Kong, the JW Marriott Khao Lak in Thailand, and Roku Kyoto in Japan. Also hotly anticipated in Kyoto is a new Six Senses, and they’re designing a Banyan Tree in Dongguan, China, and the NEOM Morgans Original in Saudi Arabia. 

Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia was invited to spend three days with Nagata in Vietnam on his first trip to see one of his recently completed properties, Regent Phu Quoc. The pandemic meant that Nagata had to manage this (and many other) projects remotely. Despite having a packed schedule of meetings and site inspections, the designer and architect makes time to show us around and chat about his work. 

As his expert eyes pick out gradations in finishes and details in the grain of the flooring that a layman would never notice, Nagata shares a key factor that determines how he judges a hotel, whether crafted by his team or someone else—”I think guest rooms need to have a certain sex appeal”—but dodges a question about defining a “Blink style.” Rather, he prefers to highlight what he considers their strength: the team’s ability to tune into the wishes of the owner, and translate that into a guest experience before any customers even set eyes on a finished hotel.  

He had met BIM Group chairman Doan Quoc Viet on this very spot. Though they didn’t share a spoken language, they found other ways to communicate. “He drew a diagram of the water,” recalls Nagata, “and rooms that look at the bodies of water or the sea.” 

Nagata translated that into pools of water throughout Regent Phu Quoc, and not just for visual effect. “The sound of water is very important,” Nagata says. At the same time, the Vietnamese-influenced architecture creates sightlines that lead to the sea. “To make the architecture go away was our challenge,” he says, and they succeeded. On this property, you see walls but not roofs in the landscape. 

Many surfaces are covered in intricate Vietnamese eggshell lacquer and the plants are indigenous. Ideas attuned to the surroundings also came from further afield. Rattan-like abaca weaving from Java fits right in with the tropical setting and contemporary Czech glassmaker Lasvit was brought on to create a marine-inspired mural sculpture.  

“I don’t feel that I impose my vision,” he says. “Like for a suit, I’m the tailor. Does the customer want this cut or that cut? That’s how I’ve always approached design. I find that part of my job very satisfying.” 

And what if you ask the tailor to reconceptualize a suit someone else originally made you? In the expansion and refit of JW Marriott in Khao Lak, the challenge was breathing new life into a Thai hotel that had been built 15 years ago with red teak floors, a lobby with a Thai roof, and older furniture. “We had to keep a lot of that, focusing on elements that make sense, looking at things that would elevate the room.” Now, the vibe is calmer and more contemporary, thanks in part to the addition of pieces designed by celebrated Thai textile artist Ploenchan ‘Mook’ Vinyaratn in the guest rooms.  

Nagata calls the process “editing”: de-coloring… creating a softer palette that works better together, like painting stained wood white… reducing… simplifying. 

Finally, I ask if his style could be defined as uncluttered clean lines, and he pauses before conceding, “that’s a fair assessment.”   

“That’s one thing that’s Japanese about me,” laughs Nagata, who grew up in Hawaii in a place so quiet it didn’t have a traffic light. 

Even with such synergies of mindset, in Japan, like anywhere, a new project can present its own challenges. Six Senses Kyoto, due to open in 2024, has the luxury wellness brand at its core, but in the ancient capital will exist in an urban setting on a long, narrow slice of land—a “tough” juxtaposition, he says. “This owner is a history buff,” Nagata adds, “and there is a temple across the street built in the Heian period, so all of the design elements are inspired by that.” 

When he opened Blink in Bangkok 17 years ago, the small-town boy was drawn by the chaos of the big city. He also met fellow American-born, Bangkok-based hotel designer Bill Bensley, whom he credits with pointing out all the resources available there. “He made me realize how creative Thais were as designers,” he said. “I like how he works with artisans.” 

That however is about where their similarities end. “Design-wise we sit at opposite ends of the spectrum—we hardly ever compete against each other,” Nagata says about the also-prolific Bensley, who is known for his bigger-than-life, more-is-more sensibility. “I respect his work a lot.” 

Don’t be surprised if a string of your new favorite hotels continue to have his name attached. The praise for Nagata keeps pouring in, such as the Interior Designer of the Year Award that he picked up in Singapore earlier in March. “The award wasn’t necessarily for me, it was for us as a team,” he modestly tells me. “I just happen to have some silly ideas sometimes.” 

Ed. Note: Nagata is one of the most respected in his field, but we’ve also found his winning combo of innovation and collaboration in some of the coolest up-and-coming personalities in hospitality and design around Asia-Pacific. Can’t wait to introduce them to you in our new series, Generation Create, out next week! —Jeninne

This new retreat in Qatar is guided by Traditional Arab and Islamic Medicine. Never heard of it? We visited Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som to find out all about this lesser-known but broadly practiced form of holistic health.

ON A WINDSWEPT PENINSULA 45 minutes from Doha, a tip of Qatar so northernmost that if you squinted you might think you could make out Bahrain in the distant sea, sits a first-in-its-country destination with revolutionary aspirations. Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som is the only resort that we know of specializing in Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine (TAIM), in the first foreign foray by Chiva-Som, the storied health resort that pioneered its brand of detoxifying luxury wellness beachfront in Thailand 27 years ago. Dreamed up by Her Royal Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, one of Zulal’s main goals is to impart health wisdom and practices to the entire family: start kids young so wellness becomes lifestyle; teach adults an integrative path they can take home. 

The wellness center is anchored on key pillars – spa, physiotherapy, fitness, holistic health, and aesthetics  – that each have a wing around a pretty garden that includes local herbs used for some treatments, and in the sugar-, gluten- and dairy-free cuisine. The women’s spa (they’re divided by gender) is truly a sight to behold, centered as it is by a massive aquatherapy circuit, with a salmon-pink salt room, and a snow room that generates real powder, to go along with the steam room, the sauna and the two wildlife-rainforest-jungle showers (how I like to refer to the multi-sensory lights, natural noises and water from all sides cubicles that seem to be all the rage in high-end spas these days). Outside there’s a lap pool where I saw guests taking water aerobics and other classes. 

When you’re ready for enlightenment, track down Dr. Purnima Siddhanta, the TAIM specialist whose job really is to set the tone for the whole resort as its holistic health manager. A medical doctor, an Ayurvedic doctor, and an herbalist, she told me that “TAIM is as old as Arab culture,” an amalgam of prophetic medicine (meaning the lifestyle practices of the prophet Mohammed), Islamic religious beliefs, Hippocrates’s humoral theory, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. “TAIM works on mind and body, diet, spiritual practices and applied sciences,” she said. 

Like those ancient practices from which it derives, TAIM says you should find wellness through food first (making nutrition another integral pillar at Zulal), then medicinal herbs, then treatments such as applied therapies including hammam and cupping, and only when all else fails should a person turn to surgery. “Human will is immense. You should not be surprised by the healing power of the body,” Siddhanta said.      

One wing of the resort is adults-only, and made up of semi-detached suites and villas, all with private pools and access to a large, pretty, man-made lagoon that’s filled with filtered sea water, so that on warm days you can get the benefits of swimming in salt water without having to trek half a kilometer out from the shoreline, which is where at the lowest of tides the ocean finally begins to reach your knees. There are actually some cool benefits to this topographical anomaly. 

It creates a wide-open expanse for grounding, also known as earthing, the simple act of walking barefoot outside to absorb, advocates believe, electrical charges from the earth that can improve immunity, sleep and mood, and decrease inflammation, cardiovascular disease, muscle damage, and pain. The idea is that contact with the Earth’s surface both exposes us to electrons, created by its negative charge, that act as antioxidants in our bodies, and helps maintain our circadian rhythms. Grounding provides both a physical and spiritual sense of being of a place – particularly here at Zulal, where a wide-ranging amble on a beautiful sunny day across the squishy sand brought me to an old fishing system left by those who held this place long ago. Hand-built rock walls now less than knee-high were shaped into a large funnel for fish, who would swim closer to shore at high tide and get trapped when the water receded, ready for the plucking.

Alone, in the middle of the not-quite-ocean, a vast empty sea- and skyline in panorama before me, I pondered this simple, generations-old engineering ingenuity and it made me feel buoyant. I clambered over a wall, next to which grew a series of shrubs that presumably would be submerged when the tide returned, and headed further out where my ankles finally got wet. By the time the ocean reached my thighs, the water was robin’s egg blue, refreshing and kinetic, as the sun shone through the light wind whipping around me. Turning to face the shore, I had the odd sensation of seeing a mirage. Air, ocean, sand and land combined to a shimmery haze in the distance. That’s where I was supposed to long to return, yet I wanted to keep moving out to sea. How far could I actually get into the Gulf before it consumed me?

Is this what five days of detox – from both alcohol and the internet – on unfamiliar terrain does to your brain? Zulal means ‘pure water’ and I was certainly was experiencing a cleansing ritual here. I reluctantly headed back through the shallows to the resort, as I had about 100 appointments that day and didn’t have more time for frolicking.

OK, not really 100, but the Zulal retreats are action-packed, especially if in between your prescribed massages and energy healing and superstretches, you sign up for the complimentary fitness classes (pilates on a balance beam – I dare you), book private speciality sessions (electrocution sweat-therapy in an EMS suit is a hardcore yet surprisingly fun way to double your calorie-burning during HIIT) and take advantage of the aquatherapy circuits, the gorgeous double-height House of Wisdom with books curated by the Qatar National Library, and the tea house with sommelier ready to brew to your mood. 

Over in the Zulal family section of the resort, called Discovery, wellness takes less a therapeutic approach and is more like camp for the whole family – but based on circadian rhythms, and stimulating children’s cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language growth. Family therapist Joelle Alkoury, who previously worked with refugees and in women’s protection and empowerment, and is now running the Zulal family programming, told me, “the concept of bonding appealed to me. Parents and children coming together.”

Mornings are for personal time – wellness retreats for the parents, developmentally appropriate activities for the kids that tend to be more physical as adrenaline levels are highest earlier in the day. “We try to book families meditations or beach walks at sunset to calm them down,” Alkoury said. Then it’s time to share a meal and get to bed: “serotonin levels drop by 11 p.m., so you want to be in bed by 9 to get that deep sleep,” Alkoury said. Family spa offerings include reiki massage for infants that is meant to help with stranger danger. Screen time and nannies are discouraged.

The entirety of Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som is set up to align with what Siddhanta said are the six essential factors of TAIM: Food and drink should be specifically for you (I am omnivorous, but the Zulal me craved their tasty and creative vegan room service menu); evacuation (it’s a gentle euphemism); physical movement and repose (seek balance even in training); mental movement and repose (“One day you should not be thinking,” Siddhanta said, to which I replied, “Yes, please! And how?”); sleep and wakefulness; and the air should be clean. 

That is most certainly is at Zulal, whether offshore in the melty sands or while the crisp wind whips across the inland saltwater lakes. Coming from congested Bangkok, I found the air quality alone restorative. But this project is a gateway to a new method of looking at health based on several very, very old practices. It’s cerebral and effective – well, if you stick with the program. “Wellness is only obtained if you practice it,” Siddhanta said. “It is your responsibility.”

zulal.com; rates starts from QR4,075 single-occupancy per night in low season (May through September) and QR4,500 high season (January through April), but check with the resort for costs of the various retreats, rooms and family options.

The easiest way to get to Zulal is to fly Qatar Airways, which offers direct flights to Doha from the major Southeast Asian cities. Now that they’ve reintroduced planes with the Q Suites on many of these routes, flying Business Class is more appealing than ever because who doesn’t want a door of their own on an airplane?! Your social distancing concerns and overall desire for a private cocoon are taken care of in one spacious, storage-filled, lay-flat seat.

T+L Tip: Book the Al Maha Platinum service for your arrival at Hamad International Airport. It includes a friendly staff to greet you at the aerobridge and escort you to the serene, luxe lounge, where there are snacks and refreshments to enjoy while a porter waits with the regular people to pick up your luggage from the carousel. Only once your bags are retrieved are you ushered through a no-wait, private immigration desk, whisked through customs and brought to your ground transfer easy-peasy. Highly recommend.

All Images Credit: Courtesy of Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som.

We give you seven reasons why the private weekend launch party of Atlantis The Royal was the grandest event in Dubai.

Imagine hip-swinging with the likes of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kendall Jenner; savouring a gastronomic journey with Nobu Matsuhisa and Gastón Acurio among others; having a party of a lifetime with the better half of Bollywood stationed in Dubai, along with the best hospitality extended for the grand weekend reveal of Atlantis The Royal on January 20 and 21 — if this isn’t the hottest event in town, then what is?

7 reasons that made the launch of Atlantis The Royal in Dubai special

1. Feast of Dreams

It was a once-in-a-lifetime epicurean dining experience to celebrate the launch of eight new celebrity restaurants, headed by Nobu Matsuhisa, José Andrés, Costas Spiliadis, Ariana Bundy, Mich Turner and Gastón Acurio—all under one roof, for one night only! VVIPs gathered from across the world to savour this culinary experience at Gastronomy, featuring live stations and food art.

2. The best food

With 17 restaurants under one roof, Atlantis The Royal is undoubtedly Dubai’s newest hotspot when it comes to fine dining. For the first time, enjoy a Nobu By The Beach. In addition, one could experience dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Jaleo by José Andrés, Ariana’s Persian Kitchen, La Mar by Gastón Acurio, Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis, and Little Venice Cake Company by Mich Turner.

3. The Royal Cake

Mich Turner MBE from The Little Venice Cake Company, and baker to royalty and global celebrities, created a giant Grand Reveal Celebration Cake to commemorate the hotel’s much-anticipated launch. The five-foot-tall and four-foot-wide cake weighed a metric tonne and was baked to serve 1,200 guests. With seven layers adorned by 25 handmade sugar birds and 80 hand-painted butterflies, it took seven pastry chefs six days to create this masterpiece.

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4. Kendall Jenner’s party

Kendall Jenner launched her tequila brand, 818, in the UAE with a star-studded soirée at Cloud 22 Skypool, Atlantis The Royal. Guests present included names like Amir Khan, Ronan Keating, and more!

5. Entertainment destinations

Besides the gastronomic experience at Atlantis The Royal, let your hair down at Cloud 22 — an outdoor entertainment venue featuring a swim-up bar and a head-shaped DJ booth. There’s also the iconic Ling Ling— a modern Pan-Asian restaurant offering a day-to-night experience.

6. Private concert by Beyoncé

This was an experience even money cannot buy, especially when it is a by-invite-only private performance for a guest list of 300 people across the world by none other than Beyoncé. After four years, this was Beyoncé’s first public performance. Also accompanying her during the grand reveal of Atlantis The Royal was her whole family, including her husband, Jay-Z.

7. Spectacular fireworks

Dubai’s night sky lit up on January 21, as Atlantis The Royal was officially launched with a grand performance by Beyoncé followed by fireworks that lasted for almost half an hour! With the facade of the hotel lit up, it was worth every click—and one that Dubai will surely remember.

Hero and feature image credits: Atlantis The Royal

Related: Is There Any Truth To The Stories Of Grand Hyatt Taipei Being Haunted?

W Hotels and Resorts are getting their groove back, and it’s obvious as soon as you check-in to their smashing new adults-only Dubai tower.

IT’S HARD FOR A NEW HOTEL to stand out in Dubai—after all, there are 784 options here, many of which fall into the five-star category. So when the W Dubai Mina Seyahi recently opened in a newly built 31-story tower designed to look like a Saharan viper (use your imagination…), I checked in to see if it could compete with the many cool new upstarts in my home city.

Even before you step inside the building, the new W has one big thing going for it. It sits in a sweet spot between Dubai Marina, the Palm Jumeirah and the new Dubai Harbor, part of much-loved Mina Seyahi, a 900-meter stretch of beach, palm-filled gardens, 19 restaurants and two more hotels—The Westin and Le Méridien—that’s a long-time favorite of visitors and locals alike. 

The magic of the W is that it manages to feel simultaneously connected to—yet separate from—all of it. When I’d had enough of squealing down waterslides and sipping drinks at one of the swim-up bars, it was just a short walk on a garden path back to my child-free, adults-only oasis. Yes, this W only welcomes guests aged 16 and over.

But it’s not all about what’s outside. Head indoors, and the first thing you notice are the dramatic interiors by BLINK Design Group, the studio behind The Fullerton Ocean Park in Hong Kong and Roku Kyoto, among others. There are Arabian inspirations, both fictional and factual, throughout the property. The scaly patterns on the check-in desks are a nod to snake charmers, and my welcome drink was served out of an Aladdin’s lamp. Contemporary touches are in evidence, too, such as the magic carpets climbing the walls that morph into geometric crystals as they reach the ceiling, and a dramatic wall of white balls representing prayer beads, each adorned with Arabic script representing a tale from One Thousand and One Nights.

The subtle Arabian influence continues in the surprisingly calming rooms. Behind the extraordinarily comfy beds, white leather headboards mimic the curves and folds of the sails of dhows, and the white walls are covered in a paper-like texture, designed to inspire guests to “pen their own tales”—although probably best you don’t start scribbling on them. Golden treasure chests double as bedside tables, and dangling glass lanterns reminiscent of old fishing floats flank one side of the bed; on the other is a lamp covered in a beaded veil. It all feels very grown-up, a departure from some other Ws that feel a little overly contrived and futuristic.

All 318 accommodations are filled with light that pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors that lead out onto big balconies. My room faced west, giving me jaw-dropping sunset views in the evening, and, in the morning, scenes of skydiving planes taking off from the nearby runway, followed a few minutes later by parachutes hurtling towards the ground at a heart-stopping speed. On the other side of the building, the rooms look out onto the long stretch of Jumeirah beach, the trunk of the Palm, and the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab in the distance. 

Those views continue in the Bar-B Spa on the 30th floor, where socializing is encouraged and you can order a bellini with your mani-pedi. This is the kind of Spa where I wanted to keep my eyes open during the treatment to take in the rich textures and colors, touches of gold, and tropical patterns on the walls. Treatments are excellent, therapists really know what they’re doing, and the product lines are as luxe as you’d expect in Dubai. My 111SKIN facial left me with an instant, noticeable glow, and I was so impressed with the overall experience that I’ve vowed to make it a regular haunt.

One floor above the Spa is just-opened Japanese restaurant and lounge Attiko, with what must be some of the best sundowner views in town right now. While the hotel doesn’t currently have its own beach club, it’s practically on top of Dubai’s most infamous—and polarizing—beach club, Barasti. Love it (like I do) or hate it, unlike many of the city’s other beach clubs that charge hefty fees for entry, Barasti is free and drinks are reasonably priced, meaning that things can get a bit rambunctious. If all you want is some casual, fun beers by the sea, pumping music and a bit of dancing, you really can’t go wrong. But for something more upscale, just wait a smidge: the W has plans to open its own beach club, Malakite, in 2023, an 8,000-square-meter space with a 50-meter pool, private beach, and entertainment throughout the day.

Right now, the main focal point of W Dubai Mina Seyahi is the Wet Deck, where an infinity pool looks out over Dubai Harbor, a circular bar shakes up cocktails, and all-day restaurant Ginger Moon’s wide-ranging menu spans salads, sliders and stir-fries. And it was here, lounging on a daybed, sipping a fresh apple juice after a poolside sound-healing session, that I began to feel that the W might have grown up a bit. 

In the past, I’ve shied away from the brand, finding the Whatever/Whenever-isms and giant Instagrammable Ws a bit too much. But at Mina Seyahi, the vibe feels a bit different. My fellow guests were of an age that probably enjoyed the W’s original—and admittedly game-changing—arrival on the hospitality scene more than two decades ago, and were contentedly enjoying its latest evolution here in Dubai. The music at the pool was the right volume to be energizing without drowning out conversation, a morning Bloody Mary felt cheeky rather than an invitation to get wasted, the service was confident, friendly and fun, and the child-free ambience felt like a much-deserved treat.

In spite of the hot competition across the city, the new W Dubai Mina Seyahi is carving out a niche for itself, without tryingly desperately hard to be achingly cool. And if its early weeks are anything to go on, it’s making a good job of it.

www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dxbmw-w-dubai-mina-seyahi/overview/; doubles from AED1,699 

All images courtesy of W Dubai Mina Seyahi.