The welcome
I came to this hotel when it first opened four years ago as a destination spa, part of the Ananda brand. Last autumn it repositioned itself with a new name as a hotel for families and, thankfully, it is not just glib marketing speak. No sooner were we out of the car than my eight-month-old granddaughter was in the arms of one of the staff. While we drank tamarind juice, Naomi was presented with a pink linen rucksack with a silky soft monkey, in which she immediately buried her face. All children get presented with the same gift on arrival, the only difference being the boys get a blue kit. We had come with my daughter and son-in-law intending to share child-care duties, and there was a cot in both rooms, plus the correct size nappies, bottle warmer and baby toiletries. As we unpacked my daughter rang through squealing with delight to say they had been upgraded to a villa with its own pool and garden terrace.
The neighbourhood
Mauritius is only about 50km long and 35km wide and the main tourist areas are in the north and along the west coast. Shanti Maurice is on the largely untouched south coast near the small town of Saint Felix. A day trip by taxi to the capital, Port Louis, costs about 2,500 Mauritius rupees (Dh322).
The room
Shanti Maurice has 61 suites and villas and they all face the Indian Ocean. Built on two levels, the rooms either open directly on to the beach or are above with a balcony. I loved the view upstairs but the idea of lugging the buggy up the stairs persuaded us to go for the beach option. The rooms are described as suites, but there is just the bedroom and it isn't huge, although the French windows lead to a private outdoor space that serves as a sitting area. The design is a contemporary blend of Mauritian and African style and the grandest part was the large marble bathroom with its indoor and outdoor shower, vast bath, double basin, wardrobe area, dressing table and a closed-off toilet. It was so big and comfortable that we used it for the baby to sleep in at night.
The service
Mauritius is not particularly known for its high standards of service, and the hotel's re-launch transforming it from a quiet resort (often only 30 per cent full) - to a bustling hotel with very high occupancy must have created some challenges for the staff. But the general manager, Paul van Frank, is a man with a reputation for turning places around and generally it was fine. Room service took longer than advertised - it sometimes took until the afternoon to get our room cleaned - but there is no doubting the genuine warmth of the largely local staff.
The scene
Relaxed with a real mix of nationalities. Most guests are there with a purpose, whether it is a romantic break, time with the family or to detox at the spa that, as a legacy to the hotel's previous life, is the biggest and probably one of the best in the Indian Ocean. Housed around an attractive tea pavilion surrounded by lily ponds, Nira Spa has an extensive menu of treatments, including a two-hour coffee and mint body wrap for 6,700 rupees (Dh863). Guests can still visit the same Ayurvedic doctor as before; a half-hour consultation costs 1,355 rupees (Dh161). The spa has its own pool and is a child-free zone, but walk past it and there is now a Kids' Club.
The food
There are three restaurants at Shanti, although you can also picnic or eat on the beach. The head chef Willibald Reinbacher's signature restaurant is Stars (it is only open for dinner and the tables outdoors are romantically lit). The contemporary "Cape cuisine" dishes include salted chilli squid (850 rupees, Dh110), seafood broth with coconut, (850 rupees, Dh110) and karoo lamb shank (1,250 rupees, Dh161). My favourite was a side dish of cauliflower cheese at 200 rupees (Dh25). The all-day dining restaurant, Pebbles, has a mix of Mauritian, Asian and European food. The Pebbles salad with sautéed shrimps with palm hearts (740 rupees, Dh95) was delicious. A burger costs 650 rupees (Dh83) and the Indian dishes between 410 rupees (Dh52) for dal and 1,500 rupees (Dh193) for mappas, prawns simmered in coconut and tamarind sauce. Twice a week, a remote part of the beach is turned into a rustic restaurant offering barbecued fish. Old fishing boats are used as tables for salads and fruits and guests help themselves from the barbecue as dancers perform the sega, a traditional Mauritian dance.
Loved
The infinity pool with its fountains and taking my grandchild for a swim in the shallow lagoon created by the reef; the sea barely came over my knees for the first 45 metres and was never higher than my waist. I also loved going out early one morning to Tamarind Bay to swim with the dolphins, and watching the sun set into the Indian Ocean. The spa was simply superb.
Hated
The only thing the hotel forgot in its conversion to family-friendly is the impossibility of wheeling a buggy up stairs. The place is designed for beauty, not for easy access. There was also the odd mosquito.
The verdict
On an island full of five-star hotels, Shanti Maurice has a unique appeal. It's on a beautiful beach and has all the advantages of a destination spa but children are made to feel welcome and honeymooners, or indeed any married couple, can have an indulgent romantic break. The hotel is big enough to have lots of facilities but small enough to be intimate.
The bottom line
A junior suite costs from €510 (Dh2,661) per night and villas from €1,125 (Dh5,871). Shanti Maurice, Rivière des Galets, Chemin Grenier, Mauritius (www.shantimaurice.com; 00 230 603 7200).
The bio:
Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.
Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.
Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.
Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EFor%20Euro%202024%20qualifers%20away%20to%20Malta%20on%20June%2016%20and%20at%20home%20to%20North%20Macedonia%20on%20June%2019%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGoalkeepers%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Johnstone%2C%20Pickford%2C%20Ramsdale.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDefenders%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alexander-Arnold%2C%20Dunk%2C%20Guehi%2C%20Maguire%2C%20%20Mings%2C%20Shaw%2C%20Stones%2C%20Trippier%2C%20Walker.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMidfielders%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bellingham%2C%20Eze%2C%20Gallagher%2C%20Henderson%2C%20%20Maddison%2C%20Phillips%2C%20Rice.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EForwards%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFoden%2C%20Grealish%2C%20Kane%2C%20Rashford%2C%20Saka%2C%20Wilson.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
LAST 16 DRAW
Borussia Dortmund v PSG
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Atalanta v Valencia
Atletico Madrid v Liverpool
Chelsea v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Juventus
Tottenham v Leipzig
Napoli v Barcelona
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
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.
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
