The Ambani family has been turning heads in Dubai.
Over the weekend, Anant, the youngest son of Indian billionaire Mukesh, and his fiancee Radhika Merchant were pictured in multiple locations around the emirate. The couple’s visit comes on the heels of their lavish pre-wedding ceremony, which made international headlines for its opulence as well as for its stellar guest list.
They were filmed driving in an orange Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge accompanied by some 20 security vehicles. There are also videos of them strolling in Dubai Mall and City Walk, again flanked by security personnel.
“They love to visit Dubai and are having a great time,” Mahesh Verma, a wedding planner and businessman who lives in Dubai, tells The National.
Verma was with the couple on Sunday as they visited the Green Planet, an indoor zoo and garden at City Walk. “They are big-time nature lovers,” he said. “They had a great time seeing and interacting with the various species of reptiles, birds and animals at the Green Planet.”
He said the couple also took an excursion to the desert, where they had “great fun".
The couple’s pre-wedding celebrations in Jamnagar made global headlines last month.
The 1,200-strong guest list was a who's who of Bollywood, business leaders, Indian cricketers, politicians and business tycoons. UAE businessman and Emaar Properties founder Mohamed Alabaar was invited; as were Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone; Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan; and Shah Rukh Khan.
Performers, meanwhile, included Rihanna, who expressed joy at having her “first real show” in eight years, as well as Punjabi music star Diljit Dosanjh.
The main wedding event, which will be held in July in Mumbai, is already reported to become “the biggest of the year” in India.
Anant, who is one of the heirs of the Reliance Industries empire, is no stranger to Dubai. He is the owner of what has been dubbed one of the most expensive houses in the city. The beachside villa is situated on The Palm and costs an estimated $80 million. It includes 10 bedrooms, indoor and outdoor pools and a spa.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
The%20specs
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New schools in Dubai
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
