The welcome
I arrive on foot at the 158-room, four-star hotel, opened last year as part of the Meliá group’s sub-brand, about 20 minutes’ walk from the train station. The lobby is bright, light-filled and spacious, with an array of colourful seating and artworks, and I’m swiftly checked in at the light-wood reception desk.
The neighbourhood
As the westernmost city in Germany, near the Belgian/Dutch border, not much of Aachen’s pre-Second World War architecture remains, having been razed during the Allies’ advance. The four-star Innside reflects that modernity, in a curved, green-and-white, six-storey complex in a quiet corner of the centre. Although the scale of this relatively small spa city means it’s only a short walk to the few historic sites that did survive, such as the foreboding cathedral, the resting place of famed Medieval monarch Charlemagne.
The room
My third-floor premium room has a leafy view of the quiet shopping street below. The overall minimalist approach employs a black-and-white palette, and good use is made of relatively limited space, with a wall-mounted television, a small circular desk with two chairs and a well-thought-out storage area furnished with a magazine shelf.
The bathroom is poky but functional – more of a compartmented alcove than a room in its own right – and in a open-minded European touch, the shower cubicle’s glass side is visible from the bed. Soft drinks in the minibar are complimentary and there’s a Nespresso machine, while the premium TV channels include Sky Atlantic. The gripes are almost as minimal as the decor: confusingly, the air-conditioning control panel doesn’t seem to feature an actual temperature, while the king-size bed has two individual duvets, which are barely a single size each, a strange quirk of many continental hotels.
The service
It might be a cliché about the Germans, but everything is impressively organised and efficient. The waiting staff at dinner are particularly affable.
The scene
Other guests are mostly Germans on business, although the Innside’s sole dining outlet, the Uptown Sky Lounge & Restaurant, seems to attract non-hotel-guests from around the city. Aachen is also a popular medical tourism destination with Middle Eastern visitors, and I see a couple of Gulf Arab families at breakfast.
The food
Uptown might be the only restaurant at the Innside, but it’s an excellent one, with a contemporary vibe and embellished by a delightful little rooftop terrace equipped with parasols and looking across the nearby terraced buildings and the city beyond. Dinner is à la carte, with a strong regional slant, such as my starter of bitterballen (three for €6 [Dh24]), although there’s plenty to keep less-adventurous diners happy, including the fabulously fresh flank steak (€28 [Dh112]). Even the bread is imaginatively presented, in a bowl atop a bed of stones. The breakfast buffet consists of cold cuts, cheeses, cereals, fruit and hot items, with a few welcome additions: passion-fruit juice and lactose-free milk.
Loved
The terrace at Uptown and the efficient service.
Hated
The Wi-Fi is limited to a rather miserly 100MB, although you can purchase unlimited access.
The verdict
A modern, likeable base from which to explore one of Germany’s lesser-known curios.
The bottom line
Double rooms at the Innside Aachen (www.melia.com) cost from €119 (Dh477) per night, including Wi-Fi, breakfast and taxes.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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