The welcome
A week before I am due to stay at the Saxon I find myself at Johannesburg airport with a long wait between flights and too much luggage. I phone the hotel at 5am. "Just wait there," says Richard, the night manager. Twenty minutes later a white BMW with the number plate "Saxon" rolls up to collect me. At the hotel I am given a bedroom so that I can shower and am directed to the dining room for breakfast. When I return a week later, the concierge meets me at the airport and the bag I left behind is already in my suite.
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The neighbourhood
The hotel is situated on a residential road in the affluent Sandhurst suburb of Sandton. Journalists are told never to use the word "mansion" lightly, so when I say most of the nearby houses are mansions I do not exaggerate - not that you can see much of them, hidden as they are behind high walls and electronic gates. Despite, or possibly because of, the visible evidence of security alarms, this is the one of the safest areas of the city. Close to the business district, it is also one of the most desirable locations.
The service
Outstanding. The Saxon is where visiting heads of state and celebrities stay when they come to Johannesburg, and the staff know how to look after you. They also know how to smile with it. I did not see the sign with my name as I came off the aircraft, and so missed out on being taken through the VIP customs area. But it is the first time I have been met by a concierge after clearing customs. The front of house staff are immaculately dressed in black suits and manage to be both warm and efficient. My butler, Ryan, explained how the TV, air con and lighting worked and offered to be at my service 24/7. Breakfast, the meal that so many five star hotels have problems with, provided exemplary service. My waiter even recognised me from my brief visit a week earlier. Best of all, the terrace restaurant remains open all night, enabling guests on different time clocks not to be compelled to have room service.
The room
The hotel has recently built 29 new suites in three villas, which can be booked as a unit and are designed for real privacy. But I was in one of the 24 Egoli suites in the main house and loved it. Cleverly designed to have three distinct sections, the sitting area had a sofa, two armchairs, a desk and a dining table; the bed, of which I occupied less than a quarter, took up most of the middle area, and directly behind that is the bathroom from which you can view the Bang & Olufsen telly from the oval bath. Wooden shutters can close it off, if open plan bathrooms are not your thing. Lots of nice useful touches include a laptop, iPod docking station, power panel for every conceivable type of plug, towels tied up with twine and lavender, plus fruit and a welcome drink. Culturally, the art on the walls and decorative objects are pure Africa.
The scene
Charcoal drawings taken from real photographs line the walls and tell the history of the house and its guests. Several feature the owner, Douw Steyn, with his friend Nelson Mandela. Before it was converted 11 years ago into the city's most famous boutique hotel, this was Steyn's private home. This is where Mandela stayed while writing his autobiography, The Long Walk to Freedom. Other famous guests depicted include Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton. The Football World Cup last year drew a galaxy of stars, Mick Jagger, Shakira, Patrick Viera, Beckham and Princes William and Harry among them. The pop group U2 took all the suites in all three villas when they were here last. But you don't have to be famous. Businessmen and tourists both use it - particularly those going to Steyn's sister property, the Shambala private game reserve.
The food
The fine dining restaurant, The Saxon, offers a mix of African, international and contemporary food. A main course costs in the region of 400 South African rand (Dh216). A new chef, Nancy Kinchela, has just joined, although the breakfast menu still has a welcome from her predecessor, Werner Snoek. The continental breakfast, which involves helping yourself from a large buffet of smoked salmon, fresh oysters, cold meats, fresh fruit, sushi, cereals and home-made breads, costs 195 rand (Dh106). A cooked breakfast, which included all of the above plus eggs, mixed grill or French toast is 250 rand (Dh135).
Loved
The service, the terrace and the large spa. My hour-long Elemis facial cost 790 rand (Dh426), and they also offer a 30-minute manicure or pedicure for 150 rand (Dh81).
Hated
I had no complaints about the hotel and would return in a nanosecond, but Johannesburg itself is not a city that draws you back. Unless it is to stay at this hotel.
The verdict
A fabulous best-in-class boutique hotel offering ethnic African elegance with unequalled service.
The bottom line
The Executive Traveller Package offers prices from 9,800 rand (Dh5,284) for a double suite per night, including return transfers, accommodation in an Egoli Suite, breakfast and use of spa facilities. The Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas and Spa (www.saxon.co.za; 00 27 11 292 6000).
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.”
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
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Our family matters legal consultant
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