Stuart Dunn is the manager of Vista Rooftop Bar & Restaurant in Dubai Knowledge Village.
Hong Kong is one of my favourite cities in the world. I've stayed many times at The Langham, which is full of those little touches which make all the difference. I also like Nicholini's restaurant at the Conrad Hotel (+00 852 252 1383). I booked it for a former girlfriend's birthday and they really looked after us well. It's won the Insegna Del Ristorante Italiano, awarded to the best Italian restaurant abroad by the Italian president, numerous times and the harbour views complete the equation. The food was sublime, from the homemade breads to the lamb (which I still try to recreate today) and was finished off with the best desserts and service I have ever enjoyed.
I'd also recommend the tailors Manning and Son. It started as a father and son operation and now they are a part of a much larger organisation. They still offer that one-to-one service and I have always found their workmanship and quality second to none. The son also comes to London twice a year for clients who can't make it to Hong Kong. That's what I call service.
In London, I recommend Hotel 41 (@email:www.41hotel.com, +44 (0) 2073000041). It's a fantastic five star hotel located on Buckingham Palace road near Victoria station. It's London's smallest boutique hotel, with only 16 rooms and a couple of suites. I've found it to be a great place to take someone for a special occasion or if you want to get away from it all and let the butler do everything for you. It even has a pantry area so you can help yourself to a midnight snack.
The old railway station near Petworth (@email:www.old-station.co.uk) is somewhere I stumbled across on the internet while looking for a short break destination for a couple of days. As the name suggests, it's a train station long retired surrounded by fields and away from everything. As well as a couple of rooms in the station itself, they have four original Pullman carriages from the Orient Express, each divided into 1920s luxury-styled rooms. Breakfast is served platform side and if moving is too much of an effort, you can just stay there for afternoon tea. It's a perfect day. Close by you'll find the Arundal with its impressive castle and Petworth House, which has a deer park and an impressive art portfolio, which is worth dedicating an afternoon to.
The first time I missed the UK since I've been living in Dubai was when a friend told me of the first game of the season on the menu at the Admiral Codrington in South Kensington (@email:www.theadmiralcodrington.co.uk, Mossop Street 17, London). It's a fantastic place for dinner. Think roast Yorkshire pheasant, foie gras, celeriac mash and parsnip chips.
Vista in Dubai (04 4275500) consumes my life, but for what we are creating, it is definitely worth it. We have a great location and we are trying to create simple, tasty, affordable food using quality seasonal ingredients. We are lucky enough to have two outside areas where you can watch the sun go down behind the Palm and generally take in the everchanging Dubai skyline.
The Anjunna market in Goa on Wednesdays is enormous and, although a little touristy, there are many amazing items to be bought. The best deals are to be had at the end of the day. Handmade rugs and cashmere shawls are my two top buys. Haggling is a must and, for me, that's half the fun.
When I visited Indonesia I couldn't believe how undiscovered this country really was. Jakarta is a complete monster of a city which refuses to be tamed. For the real Indonesian experience I headed north-west towards Labuhan and Karkatau. Luxury isn't on the cards but this trip will guarantee lifelong memories. The dormant Karkatau (or Krakatoa) is a sight to behold - even when climbing it. It's just rocks and ash but is still unpredictable.
In Laos, get the fast boat up the Mekong to The Gibbon Experience, a conservation project to help protect and cultivate the reduced Gibbon population. You can take up residence in a tree house deep in the jungle for three days. You then spend your days zip lining across impassable valleys and hiking in search of gibbons and other wildlife. It's left an indelible memory. (@email:www.gibbonx.org).
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
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More on animal trafficking
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
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.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
More from Aya Iskandarani
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
