If you’re looking for an offbeat dining experience in the Northern Emirates – one that combines desert vistas with gourmet dining – then you’re in luck. Just in time for the UAE’s camping season, the luxury Dubai desert camp dining experience Sonara has expanded to Ras Al Khaimah.
The premium dining destination is located at Al Wadi Nature Reserve, set in the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton Al Wadi. The space is home to plenty of local wildlife species – so don’t be too surprised if you see an Arabian oryx, gazelle or red fox wandering about.
Visitors can find much of the same ethos that Sonara Camp is famous for: an Instagrammable setting, right on the dunes.
Visitors can book the sunset or sunset with dinner package, both of which come with family-friendly activities such as sandboarding, volleyball, soft archery and an owl show.
The experience begins on the “upper” level, with a spherical bar, boho lounge seats and plenty of fairy lights to enjoy sundowner views.
Guests who pick the dinner experience can then make their way to a lower level for a white tablecloth meal. On the menu are dishes such as slow-cooked pulled lamb, chicken fajita tacos, a black Angus striploin and ratatouille, with vegan options and a children’s menu also available. While you dine, expect to be entertained with dance performances (and maybe even a fire-breathing show).
The entertainment continues after dinner, with a movie under the stars and toasted marshmallows.
Sonara is by no means the cheapest desert dining experience, but it’s acquired a reputation thanks to its quality entertainment, food and child-friendly experiences in Dubai, and is a popular spot for those looking to celebrate a special occasion or looking for a luxe desert experience.
The sunset experience costs Dh460 per adult and Dh160 per child; the sunset and dinner experience is Dh860 per adult and Dh380 per child (during peak season).
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Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
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Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
RESULTS
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
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Southampton 0
Arsenal 2 (Nketiah 20', Willock 87')
Red card: Jack Stephens (Southampton)
Man of the match: Rob Holding (Arsenal)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Avishka Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Minod Bhanuka, Angelo Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
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Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen
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Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8
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