The UAE is known for its extravagant Valentine's Day packages, tailor-made for romance with a heavy dose of opulence.
For those looking to go all out, here are four options to consider, ranging from Dh10,000 to a quarter of a million.
Swim by moonlight
Price: Dh9,600
For those whose idea of romantic bliss is a spa evening, Burj Al Arab is offering a “romantic version” of its 90-minute interior tour, plus access to UMA Lounge with one complimentary beverage per person.
The main event, however, is a moonlight swim in the pool at Talise Spa, with two glasses of sparkling served with strawberries and cream, and a well-being massage for two.
The tour can be scheduled between 10.30am and 7pm, while the spa activities take place between 7pm and 10pm. The Dh9,600 package is available throughout Valentine’s Day week.
Cheaper packages are available including a tour with sunset drinks at UMA Lounge for Dh998 per couple; a dinner package for Dh1,598 per couple; and an afternoon tea at Sahn Eddar for Dh839.
Lavish feast
Price: Dh10,000
The Japanese concept of omakase (where you let the chef choose the menu) is fast becoming the latest trend in luxury dining in the UAE. This year, TakaHisa, the Japanese restaurant in Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai, offers couples a menu crafted from the finest of ingredients.
Expect Shiromi truffle, A5 Kobe beef (marbling score 12), abalone (the world’s most expensive shellfish) and Almas caviar that arrives in a Louis Vuitton trunk. The restaurant is also offering a caviar-free package, for Dh4,800. Designer coasters and chopsticks, too, are provided for each course.
Roses, more roses
Price: Dh50,000
As part of a collaboration between Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah and Flowers.ae, couples spend a night in the hotel's presidential suite, which will be adorned with 5,000 red roses imported from Europe. A one-night stay in the room also comes with access to its terrace with a whirlpool, outdoor bar, sun deck and dance floor.
Room with a view
Price: Dh250,000
If a cosy Swiss chalet is your idea of a romantic holiday, you can stay in one right here in the UAE. The Aspen Ski Chalet in the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates is not only equipped with a faux fireplace and rustic-looking decor, but also comes with views of the snow-covered slopes of Ski Dubai.
The five-night “quarter million” Valentine's Day package begins on Friday. It includes private check-in and checkout facilities, all food and beverages prepared by a private chef, access to the hotel's executive lounge, a dedicated butler who will ensure guests have a welcome bouquet as well as drawing up a romantic bath, and late checkout on February 15.
UAE squad
Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
Andor
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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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
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
