PAMPERING: Zen at the Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi has a treatment room for couples and is offering a range of packages including the personalised two-hour Tranquillity For Two package and the Aromatherapy Bath Soak for Couples in a tub for two, complete with rose petals (02 697 9000). Tilia & Finn at Boutique 1 have a great deal this Valentine's, with a facial, antioxidant body polish, aromatherapy massage, plus a main-pedi, wash and blow-dry for just Dh640, saving you Dh470 off the regular price (04 438 0636), while the Thai Privilege Spa has created a luxurious two-hour package, including a floral milk bath, body scrub or facial, massage and a complimentary photo shoot worth Dh800, at the new portrait studio Pink Pepper. The total cost is Dh550, making a saving of Dh800 (04 348 9679). Look and feel your best whatever your plans with a 45-minute makeover by a Bobbi Brown make-up artist. Dh350, Bobbi Brown Studio at Dubai Mall (04 330 8151) or Dubai Marina Mall (04 399 7527).
DINING: Set the mood for the evening with oysters and champagne at Cloud Nine at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi (02 697 0323). Follow with a special four-course his'n'hers seafood menu at Il Paradiso, overlooking the hotel's private lagoon. Dh450, including a rose "for the lady" (02 697 0279). Over at The Fairmont Bab al Bahr, Frankie's is offering four courses of "romantic Italian" food priced at Dh333 per person (02 654 3238), and the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill has a five-course Valentine's dinner of signature dishes for Dh555 per person (02 654 3238). At the Shangri-La, Bord Eau will be serving a six-course set menu inclusive of selected beverages for Dh450. The restaurant will even capture your romantic moment on Polaroid film (02 509 8888). Out of town, you can dine on shucked oysters, Gulf shrimp and Omani lobster by the water's edge at Nautilus at the Yas Island Hotel, for Dh400 per person. In Dubai, Zuma at DIFC has created a range of special dishes, with a complimentary glass of Ruinart champagne on arrival, followed by a pre-starter, including oysters with caviar.
SERIOUS WOOING: If you're out to really impress, The Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is offering "the dinner of a lifetime", starting with a private chauffeured journey from your home to an exclusive dining area set on a private pier on the creek. Dine under the stars with private butler service, a five-course meal, gifts including a bouquet of roses, chocolates and Pinctada jewellery for the lady. The cost? Dh9,999 per couple (02 654 3238).
So obviously Valentine's Day looms, and if you're single you can paint yourself into a dark corner, keep your chin up and attend some anti-Valentine's event, or you can hide under your duvet with an iPod full of tunes by The Smiths. This year, we're voting for the latter. Help us put together our "this is not a love song" playlist by sending your recommendations to magazine@thenational.ae. We're starting with Billy Bragg's Valentine's Day Is Over. Find the results in our February 13 issue.
MODERN MASTERS Rare and previously unseen works by artists including Picasso, Chagall and Dali are on show at a new exhibition from the Farjam collection, From Matisse To Warhol: Works On Paper By Modern Masters, which runs until the end of the month at DIFC. This is the third exhibition featuring pieces from the extensive private collection of Dr Farhad Farjam and explores the development of the use of paper in 20th-century art, offering visitors an exceptional opportunity to compare preparatory sketches with finished works. The show is open from Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 8pm and Saturday, 12-8pm. Entry is free; advance booking is advised. For details, see www.farjamcollection.com
DIFC Gate Village 4, Dubai, 04 323 0303
FEBRUARY 5-19
GOURMET ABU DHABI Michelin-starred and celebrity chefs will descend on the capital for two weeks for an exhaustive schedule of dinners, events and free cooking masterclasses. The Shangri-La dinner with Alain Passard on February 18 is already sold out, but there is still plenty to choose from, including the three-star Michelin chef Régis Marcon's dinner at Etoiles on the 13th (Dh850).
Various locations. For tickets, call 02 418 1401 or see
www.gourmetabudhabi.ae
FEBRUARY 6-19
DUBAI SKYWARDS INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Free performances by local and international acts continue from the 6th, live at The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence, then from Wednesday, February 10, the venue switches to Dubai Media City Amphitheatre for the Network Jazz Garden series (free via selected online registration or Dh100 walk-up). On the 17th, acid jazz veterans The Brand New Heavies and James Taylor Quartet open the three-night "main concerts", stretching the jazz tag to include the unquestionably poppy David Gray and James Morrison. Tickets from Dh275, www.dubaijazzfest.com
FEBRUARY 14-27
DUBAI TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS Serena Williams
and Roger Federer headline the women's (February 14-20) and men's (February 22-27) tournaments, featuring top players including Serena's sister Venus, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick.
Tickets available at the Dubai Tennis Stadium box office,
9am to 9pm. Call 800 4669, or see www.timeouttickets.com
There's still time to enter the 2010 M magazine and Kitab short story competition. The story must be entitled "Moving Messages" but can be on any theme or subject and be 2,000 words or fewer, written in English. The closing date is midday on Friday, February 19. The winner will have their short story published in the magazine and win a Toshiba laptop courtesy of Kitab, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. The runner-up will also have their story published and win Dh1,000 worth of book tokens supplied by Jashanmal Bookstores. E-mail entries to hfrithpowell@thenational.ae or post entries with your name, address and mobile number clearly marked to: Helena Frith Powell, M magazine, The National, Abu Dhabi Media Company, PO Box 111434, Abu Dhabi. Or deliver to Abu Dhabi Media Company on 15th street, marked clearly for the attention of Helena Frith Powell, M magazine, The National, and call 02 414 5319. No employee or relative of an employee at either Abu Dhabi Media Company or the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is eligible to enter. The judges' decision is final. The story must be the author's original work.
