Eid getaway suggestions include Prague in the Czech Republic.  iStock
Eid getaway suggestions include Prague in the Czech Republic. iStock

28 great options for your Eid holiday



Staycation, beach break, shopping expedition? 28 ideas for your Eid holiday.

Active adventure

Switzerland Get back to nature in the mountains at Badrutt's Palace hotel in St Moritz. The two-night package includes a room upgrade, breakfast and dinner, one Nordic walking session, rail and public transport tickets, Wi-Fi, children's club access and welcome gift. Prices start from 880 Swiss francs (Dh3,464) for a superior single room. www.badruttspalace.com

Beach break

Maldives Enjoy a secluded island break at Baros Maldives, which is offering discounts on stays of four or eight nights. Stay for four nights and pay for three, or stay for eight nights and pay for six. Guests also receive a five per cent discount on all room types, breakfast, 50 per cent discount on return speedboat transfers, a complimentary sunset cruise, early check-in and late check-out. Activities include diving and snorkelling, yoga, fishing and spa treatments. Deluxe villas cost from US$832 per night (Dh3,056), with a minimum four-night stay. www.baros.com

Book a villa for three or five nights at Cheval Blanc Randheli and receive an extra night free. The offer also includes a free upgrade, complimentary daily traditional afternoon tea, daily private stretch, meditation or yoga class, one hammam followed by a 30-minute scrub per adult per stay, sunset mocktail/canapés and a cooking class. In addition, guests can also choose one of the following experiences: a family "movie under the stars", family snorkelling excursion or diving excursion for two people. Prices start from $1,792 (Dh6,582) per couple, per night. www.randheli.chevalblanc.com

Thailand Book into one of the new ocean wing suites at Amari Phuket to take advantage of an opening offer – 4,750 Thai baht per night (Dh516) for a one-bedroom suite or 10,925 baht per night (Dh1,188) for a two-bedroom suite. All guests staying in the ocean wing receive access to the Clubhouse, which includes complimentary breakfast, tea, coffee and light snacks throughout the day, happy hour and Wi-Fi. www.amari.com

City discovery

Germany Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt has a distinctly Arabian flavour this Eid, with shisha, halal dishes, Arabic lemonade and fresh mint tea on the menu. Guests who stay for three or more nights receive a 20 per cent discount, as well as breakfast and Wi-Fi. Prices start from €254 (Dh1,036). www.roccofortehotels.com

Lebanon Experience Beirut's shopping, culture and dining with an Eid getaway at Le Gray, Beirut. Book a terrace suite and receive an upgrade to a corner suite with complimentary breakfast. The package is valid from July 17 to 25 and costs from $770 (Dh2,828) per room, per night. www.legray.com

Sri Lanka Explore Colombo on a double-­decker-bus tour and receive a 15 per cent discount at Eat restaurant when booking a two-night Eid stay in a dream ocean king room at the Ozo Colombo hotel. The package costs from $384 (Dh1,410). www.ozohotels.com

Cultural exploration

Czech Republic Visit the fairy-tale city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and see what makes it a haven for culture lovers. With Romanesque and gothic architecture, it's brimming with museums, palaces and other historic attractions. Corinthia Hotel Prague has a Best of Prague package this Eid, which includes complimentary tickets to visit some of the city's top attractions such as the Old Town Tower, Alfons Mucha Museum, Zizkov Tower and the Franz Kafka museum. Starting from €84 per person per night (Dh343), the package includes accommodation in a superior room, buffet breakfast, Wi-Fi, early check-in, late check-out and one ticket per person to a listed attraction. www.corinthia.com

Malta Head to the Malta Jazz Festival from July 16 to 19 and stay at the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa. Located next to the Presidential Palace, at the heart of the island, it's a great base for exploring Malta's Unesco World Heritage Sites, Valetta, beaches and nature. Rooms at the Corinthia hotel cost from €187 (Dh763) per night. www.corinthia.com

Russia Cool down on a visit to Russia's second-largest city and cultural hub, St Petersburg. Corinthia St Petersburg is offering a 20 per cent discount on three-night stays in its executive rooms, which come with Executive Club benefits and breakfast, as well as a private guided tour of one of three palaces – Peterhof, known for its gardens and fountains; Pushkin, the last tsar's summer residence; or Pavlovsk, the most opulent of all. Prices start from 7,300 Russian rubles per night (Dh484). www.corinthia.com

Family time

Seychelles Fregate Island Private, 35 kilometres from Mahé's coast, is offering a reduced rate for families over Eid – €2,900 per night (Dh11,840), instead of €4,400 (Dh17,956). The offer includes food and beverages, a half-day deep-sea fishing excursion for stays of three nights or more, an introduction to scuba diving, a 55-minute head and shoulder massage, yoga session, laundry, Wi-Fi, guided nature walks, non-motorised water sports and other activities. www.fregate.com

Switzerland Kulm Hotel in St Moritz has a family package including three nights' accommodation with half-board, welcome gift for children, massage, children's club, unlimited spa access, well-being sports programme, free nine-hole golf and unlimited use of the open railways and public transport. The package starts from 835 francs per person (Dh3,290), and there's a 50 per cent discount on the base rate for adjoining children's rooms. www.kulmhotel-stmoritz.ch

Foodie fun

Thailand Stay a minimum of four nights at Iniala Beach House near Phuket Island and receive a 20 per cent discount. The gastronomy package includes halal-certified ingredients, an Eid buffet, a two-hour massage or spa treatment per adult guest per day, optional activities and airport transfers, including VIP fast track at immigration. Villas start from $2,670 (Dh9,807) per night. www.iniala.com

United Kingdom Treat your taste buds with the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park's Historic Gourmet Escape package in London. The offer includes a lunch or dinner reservation at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal with £200 credit, full English breakfast for two overlooking Hyde Park and a signed copy of Blumenthal's new cookbook, Historic Heston. The package costs from £942 per night (Dh5,442). www.mandarinoriental.com/london/

Shopping expedition

Dubai Receive a Dh500 Emaar gift card when booking into the Fairmont Dubai. The card can be redeemed at The Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina Mall and Souk Al Bahar during the stay. Rates start from Dh1,262 per night. www.fairmont.com/dubai

Ireland Head to the Irish capital, Dublin, and shop for designer goods in high-end department store Brown Thomas in the heart of the city and stay at the recently refurbished luxury hotel The Merrion. The Shop in Style package includes two nights in the garden wing, breakfast and a €75 gift card for Brown Thomas, for €550 (Dh2,246) per room, per night. Guests can also claim a rebate on the 20 per cent VAT for their purchases when they leave. www.merrionhotel.com

Switzerland Explore Geneva with a private atelier from Chopard and Mandarin Oriental's Happy Suite Diamonds package. Guests will receive a bespoke private two-hour tour of the Chopard workshop to learn more about diamonds and jewellery. The tour also includes a visit to Chopard's newly opened private museum. The package costs from 1,950 francs (Dh7,683) for a one-night stay. www.mandarinoriental.com/geneva/

France Combine VIP access to the department store Printemps Haussmann with a stay at Mandarin Oriental, Paris. The J'aime la Mode package includes an exclusive private shopping experience with a VIP welcome, bespoke inshore personal service, VIP card with special offers, local delivery and shipping, and access to multilingual personal shoppers and fashion advisers. The package costs from €995 (Dh4,068) per room, per night, on a double-occupancy basis. www.mandarinoriental.com/paris/

Staycation

Abu Dhabi Book directly with the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, as a Ritz-Carlton Rewards member and receive complimentary local calls and internet. Room rates start from Dh986. Email reservations.abudhabi@ritzcarlton.com.

Book online and receive a discount of up to 20 per cent at Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara from July 16 to 19. Prices start from Dh1,600 per room, per night. www.anantara.com

Ajman Be among the first to stay at the newly opened Fairmont Ajman, which is offering a nightly rate of Dh1,230, with Wi-Fi and buffet breakfast for a minimum three-night stay. The hotel is set on a 200-metre stretch of beach. www.fairmont.com/ajman

Dubai Fairmont The Palm has a UAE residents' Eid offer that includes 15 per cent off the best available rate, buffet breakfast, complimentary children's club access and an additional 30 minutes when booking a 60-minute treatment at Willow Stream Spa. Rates start from Dh632 per night, with a minimum stay of two nights. UAE identification must be produced to receive the offer. www.fairmont.com/palm-dubai

Take advantage of a 33 per cent discount when booking for three nights or more at the newly opened Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights. Guests staying in a suite receive a 45 per cent discount as well as access to the Regency Club Lounge, complimentary breakfast, and beverages and snacks. All guests have access to a complimentary non-alcoholic minibar and Wi-Fi. Rooms cost from Dh480. www.dubaicreek.regency.hyatt.com

Sir Bani Yas Island Receive breakfast for two and a discount of up to 20 per cent when booking online with Desert Islands Resort & Spa. Guests can add activities, such as wildlife drives, horse riding, archery and kayaking, at an additional cost. Room rates start from Dh1,450 per night. www.anantara.com

Wellness escape

Germany Villa Stephanie in the spa town of Baden-Baden is offering two nights in a Stephanie superior double room with flowers and fruit on arrival, and breakfast both days, for €1,115 (Dh4,553) per person, per night. The villa's new spa stretches across five floors, with a 500-square-metre spa, plunge pool, gym, hammam and ladies' sauna. www.villastephanie.com

Jordan Soak in the Dead Sea and enjoy some therapeutic pampering at the spa during a three-night stay at the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa. The Marriott is offering a third night free when guests book for two nights, along with 50 per cent off food, beverages and spa treatments. Marriott Rewards members also receive free Wi-Fi. Rates start from 141 Jordanian dinars (Dh731), using the promotional code "B4F". www.marriottsummer.com

Maldives Retreat to the Maldives for a three-night theta healing weekend at Paradise Island Resort from July 17 to 20. The package includes three theta healing sessions, all meals and beverages, non-motorised water sports, speedboat transfers, flights with FlyDubai and accommodation. The package costs Dh6,990. Email support@destination-lovers.com or call 04 453 1193.

Morocco Book three nights or more at Palais Namaskar in Marrakech and receive an extra night free, as well as upgrades and complimentary transfers. The hotel is set in the Palmeraie Oasis, between the Atlas Mountains and Djebilet Hills. The offer also includes breakfast and Wi-Fi, and costs €490 (Dh2,003) per night. www.palaisnamaskar.com

atomlinson@thenational.ae

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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