There is no doubt that the UAE is home to some spectacular properties. From penthouse apartments to plush villas with sprawling gardens and incredible pools, it’s a real estate haven.
Each week, The National showcases some of the finest homes on offer in its Property of the Week. Here, we take a look at a villa in Dubai Hills Estate.
The key details
Where do we begin? The property has nine bedrooms and is set across a 41,433-square-foot plot of which 37,500 square foot is built up. It is located within one of Dubai's most prestigious neighbourhoods and has golf-course views.
The asking price is available to interested buyers upon application, but is above Dh100 million.
What's the story?
Houses for sale can generally be judged by the length of their description on the online portals – short and sweet and it's likely a carbon-copy new build. If it's had some upgrades, then expect to spend a minute or so reading.
This property is another beast entirely, with a love letter-esque outpouring from its broker well worth a read.
The features are seemingly endless, while the rooms, of which there are so many you could easily lose count, contain their own tales of creation and passion. It's like a whole street's worth of style within the same home.
Or, as one observer put it when taking in the quite extraordinary staircase, it's like inhabiting a remarkably upmarket cruise ship.
However you perceive this home – be it museum, work of art or something more transcendental – it wows on every level.
As going from room to room, or even floor to floor, would take forever, here are the highlights:
- Two life-sized horses on the front patio.
- The as-mentioned cantilevered staircase complete with gold rail.
- Artwork everywhere (though it doesn't come with the house).
- Kitchens designed by Goettling of Germany.
- A private lift to reach the first floor.
- The master suite has a sitting room, two balconies – one with a Jacuzzi – and a walk-in closet.
- Every bedroom has a walk-in closet, and one has a professionally equipped audio production studio.
- A safe room with three safes weighing a total of 500 kilograms.
- The basement has a bar, separate men's and women restrooms, and a seven-seat home cinema.
- The garage can double as a nightclub.
- There are two gyms, plus a massage parlour.
- More than 35 varieties of marble have been used throughout, as well as 200 solar panels and 110 trees in the backyard.
What the brokers say ...
Is this the most extraordinary property on the market in Dubai right now?
The short answer is yes. This house has it all, from a recording studio to a nightclub, a spa and a gym, plus a great expanse of living and entertaining space. Rarely do homes of this nature come to market. This has the unique presence of being an imposing and incredible work of architecture, as well as a gorgeous and comfortable family home.
The interior must have taken some time to design and implement …
This home is a work of art and, as with all great masterpieces, time and care has been taken with every single part of the design process. Such precision, attention to detail and design flair has produced something that is mesmerising – a priceless piece of art.
They say that art is the irreplaceable way of understanding and expressing the world. This home expresses the world through the homeowner's inspirations from Bali to New York, London to Paris. The globe truly has been the canvas for this mansion.
Does it come furnished?
Yes, this home is sold furnished and ready for families to start living in. Just bring your toothbrush, your children and don't forget the family dog. The artwork in the home can also be purchased separately.
Have you seen anything comparable to this in Dubai in terms of "wow" factor?
Not really. This home is so eclectic, so very unique, so truly wonderful that there really is no other home that is comparable to it.
It must be worth more than D100m?
The asking price is indeed in excess of Dh100m and it is worth every single dirham. Enjoying incredible golf course and city views and a private location, it is one of a kind.
If you had to pick one room as the most remarkable which would it be?
I personally love the private study – French grey wood panelling, coffered ceilings complemented by marble flooring with veins of red tying back to the colour of the sofas. This room is reminiscent of private members' clubs in London. It is just waiting for deals to be struck and meetings of great importance to be held, followed by late evening coffees enjoyed through the thick haze of cigar smoke.
– Liam Jeffrey, associate director, LuxuryProperty.com
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
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.
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
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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.
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
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
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