The welcome
I know from the moment I walk through the front door, past the delicate fountains and into the corridors with their Roman mosaics, Greek motifs and Venetian frescoes, that I am going to love this place. Some hotels exude a self-confidence that is impossible to define, for it is more ephemeral than physical. Anassa, known as the grand dame of the island, has it in spades. Juice, cold towels and an efficient check-in is followed by a guided tour that ends on the terrace. A 360-degree vista takes in Chrysochou Bay and the mountainous Akamas Peninsula as well as a full view of the property with its white-washed walls, clay roof tiles and wooden shutters.
The neighbourhood
Anassa sits all on its own on a cliff leading to the island's most beautiful beach. The region is relatively under developed; in the immediate vicinity there is nothing but olive trees and the occasional goat. The nearest village, Latsi, is about four kilometres away. For restaurants, the town of Polis, a 20-minute taxi ride, has a large square full of eateries specialising in tapas and local fish.
The service
The hotel may have the sleepy charm of a Byzantine village, but the service is sharp and delivered with warmth. The lady on the desk for the main buffet restaurant seems to know everyone and greeted them with apparent genuine pleasure. Staff on the beach are particularly helpful and cheerful, quick to set up towels on the sun beds, appear when you want service and disappear when you want to be left alone. Mothers with young children are particularly impressed with their "baby go lightly" service in which every type of baby item can be ordered online before travelling - all they need to bring are clothes.
The food
There are four restaurants all offering different versions of Mediterranean food. Basiliko, housed in a stone cavern, is the signature gourmet restaurant and offers unusual Cypriot cuisine. We had a delicious dinner of sea bass in Helios, although in the dim candlelight it was only the taste that confirmed I had the right order - our neighbours complained so much that more candles were brought in, to little effect. By the pool, Pelagos specialises in handmade pasta, Greek salad and seafood. The largest restaurant is the buffet-style Amphora. Breakfast offers a huge assortment of fresh fruits, breads, eggs, cold fish and meats, pancakes, waffles and sushi. Evening meals are themed - seafood, Italian, Asian, Mediterranean. Sadly, we missed the weekly beach barbecue.
The room
Ours is a room with a view - and what a view. On the same high level as the reception, the Mediterranean and the hotel's impressive gardens spread out in front of us from the balcony. Inside, it is modern, with understated, neutral colours, soft lighting, a TV that shuts away, a desk and a comfy sofa. The bathroom has marble floors, his and hers basins, a powerful shower and an attractive bath.
The scene
The hotel has its share of the rich and famous and, indeed, of Middle Eastern royalty. Sir Philip Green, the British businessman who owns Topshopand other high street stores, booked all 175 rooms for his big birthday bash last year. We arrived just a few hours after Sir Paul McCartney departed, his seven-year-old daughter having loved the kids club by all accounts. People come here to holiday and mobile phones get left in the room. A crèche, a club for four- to 11-year-olds and a teen club make it really popular for families. The loyalty factor is huge - a large majority of the guests return every year.
Loved
My bedroom and the spa. Recently refurbished, the Roman-style thalassotherapy spa is a fabulous bolt-hole to relax in, and the treatments are first class. I had a superb Organic Pharmacy facial and a body massage.
Hated
There is a "no children" rule in the spa in the afternoon that staff don't enforce rigorously enough. There is a heated children's pool, two other outdoor pools and the sea, so it is irritating to have noisy children in the echoey area of the indoor spa pool spoiling the tranquil atmosphere.
The verdict
With less than four hours travel time from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Cyprus is perfect for a Mediterranean weekend break, and this hotel is one of the world's greats. Like most of its guests, I intend to return.
The bottom line
There are about 30 different rates depending on room and season. A minimum three-night stay in low season for a garden room costs €215 (Dh1,043) per night, including breakfast and taxes. A suite with its own pool costs €800 (Dh3,882) per person, per night; the presidential suite costs €2,600 (Dh12,617).
Anassa (www.anassa.com.cy; 00 357 26 888 000), Baths of Aphrodite Road, 8830 Polis, Cyprus.
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENomad%20Homes%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHelen%20Chen%2C%20Damien%20Drap%2C%20and%20Dan%20Piehler%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20and%20Europe%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2444m%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Acrew%20Capital%2C%2001%20Advisors%2C%20HighSage%20Ventures%2C%20Abstract%20Ventures%2C%20Partech%2C%20Precursor%20Ventures%2C%20Potluck%20Ventures%2C%20Knollwood%20and%20several%20undisclosed%20hedge%20funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
HWJN
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