Floating villas with coral gardens coming to Ras Al Khaimah


Panna Munyal
  • English
  • Arabic

The Heart of Europe's famed Floating Seahorse villas are coming to Ras Al Khaimah.

Not only do the homes by developer Kleindienst Group bob about in the middle of the Arabian Gulf, but they also come with a basement under the water. A glass wall enables residents to peer directly out to sea from the comfort of their couch.

A total of 133 such villas are part of the latest phase of the project, of which 70 are located off the coast of Dubai – and 63 will soon be built in the RAK free zone, Josef Kleindienst, chairman of Kleindienst Group, tells The National. While the original Seahorses were priced from Dh88 million in Dubai, the rate for the Ras Al Khaimah pods will be decided once an escrow account is launched soon after the summer.

Kleindienst describes the latest crop of floating villas as “generation four”, based on the continual improvements to design and technology.

“There will be a coral garden attached on two sides of each unit,” he says. “Imagine your balcony in an apartment or villa, but you have corals and fish instead of flowers.”

While the floating villas will be the same size as their Heart of Europe counterparts – so 4,004 square feet, set across three storeys and including an external deck – they will have different fit-outs. The first 24, for instance, will use furniture from Bentley Homes.

The Seahorses are not the only waterborne projects in the group's pipeline. In 2027, Floating Venice will open its doors on the Heart of Europe islands. “This is a floating hotel resort,” explains Kleindienst. "Where the Seahorses have one level underwater, Floating Venice will have two levels underwater, including walkways.

Renderings of the Floating Venice hotel, which is meant to open in 2027. Photo: Thoe.com
Renderings of the Floating Venice hotel, which is meant to open in 2027. Photo: Thoe.com

This project will be followed by Floating Lido, which takes maritime technology to greater depths – quite literally. “Floating Venice – and most other hotels like it – need to be built on protected islands or lagoons. Lido is designed to be used in the open ocean,” says the pioneering Kleindienst.

The one who builds is the best to maintain
Josef Kleindienst

Following an MoU recently signed between his group and RAK Ports to establish a maritime facility and state-of-the-art shipyard, the Floating Venice and Floating Lido structures will be built in the emirate and then shipped to Dubai.

Explaining the decision, Kleindienst says: “The one who builds is the best to maintain. We cannot buy our structures in Europe and then have nobody here to maintain them. Therefore we decided to bring the know-how to the UAE, and keep construction and maintenance in our hands.”

He adds: “Compared to private boats that are only taken out from time to time for a few hours, the yachts servicing the Heart of Europe island as well as our floating structures run 24/7, as it were. So the agents and generators used normally are not for our kind of high-duty run.”

Another ambitious project part of this deal is the design and construction of a 144-metre giga-yacht, the first of its kind to be built outside of Europe. “The maritime industry defines a yacht bigger than 90 metres as 'giga' and to date, there are fewer than 100 giga-yachts in the ocean,” says Kleindienst.

“Why it was important for us to consider this project is because giga-yachts are at the forefront of technology and now sustainability; a giga designed yacht today is more sustainable than any small boat. Industry operators and investors have realised the more luxurious they are, the more sustainable they have to be.

“Add to this, we have a customer for the giga-yacht plus a shipyard partner in Europe that normally builds these designs there. So that was also the enabler to set up the shipyard for giga-yachts. In a sense, the decisions – to build our own boats, the Floating Seahorses, Floating Venice and so on in the UAE – are all related.”

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history

Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.

 

Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)

A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.

 

Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)

Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.

 

Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)

Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.

Key products and UAE prices

iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229

iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649

iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179

Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

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Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

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The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
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If you go

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.

The car

Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.

Parks and accommodation

For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Updated: June 14, 2024, 8:56 AM