At what was once the end of an inland trade route signifying to traders bringing coffee, bananas and other exotic goods to Ireland that they had reached their destination, lies a towering contemporary hotel.
Anantara The Marker Dublin sits on Grand Canal Square in Ireland's Docklands neighbourhood. A modern haven with historical roots, this high-end stay in what is quickly becoming one of the Irish capital's hippest areas represents the Minor hotel brand's first property in the country.
Overlooking the waterfront, the hotel is a favourite with locals and tourists alike. The National checked in to see what awaits at the historic location following its multimillion-dollar renovation from The Marker hotel.
The welcome
After an eight-hour flight with Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi, my family and I arrive at the hotel just as Dublin is waking up to go to work. Young professionals scurry across Grand Canal Square on their way to work while we check into the striking hotel. The bold exterior architecture is meant to resemble the crashing waves of the Irish Sea, while the hexagonal-shaped ceiling in the lobby is apparently inspired by Giant’s Causeway about 95km north of Belfast.
Chilled refreshments are available for travellers to help themselves to upon arrival, and we gladly indulge while the friendly receptionist informs us that despite our early arrival, our room is ready. Check-in is swift and friendly, and it's not long before we are headed directly to the sixth floor, with our luggage arriving a few minutes later.
The neighbourhood
Nestled at the tip of Dublin Docklands, the hotel is at the heart of a neighbourhood that brims with stories to tell. Originally a significant Viking settlement, the district has a street sign reading Misery Hill, alluding to the area's medieval period, when it was a departure point for lepers leaving Ireland to go on pilgrimage to Camino de Santiago. The area's history as an industrial heartland is symbolised at Chimney Park, a playpark at the base of a towering red brick 19th-century gasworks chimney, visible from many of the hotel's rooms.
This area is also now something of the Irish Silicon Valley, home to tech start-ups and the corporate offices of companies such as Airbnb, Facebook and Google. And the stunning Bord Gais Energy Theatre sits directly opposite the hotel, a cultural venue staging musicals, comedy, opera, ballet and more. The Aviva Stadium, or Lansdowne Road to the locals, is also in walking distance and is the place to go for football and rugby matches, plus international concerts – most recently Taylor Swift. Epic: The Irish Immigration Museum is nearby and well worth visiting for an insight into the history of the Irish diaspora. There's also a smattering of coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs within easy reach.
The room
We have the pleasure of staying in the Roche Suite on the sixth floor, so named for its view of the Convention Centre Dublin, which was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kevin Roche, who was born in the Irish capital.
Draped in bold colours with velvety plush carpets – a hit with my crawling baby – dark walls and striking original artwork, the suite is huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Chimney Park and beyond, all the way to the waterfront. It has a separate living area complete with a dining table, a hallway with a small guest bathroom and a large en suite in the master bedroom, complete with his and her sinks.
Attention to detail is obvious via sumptuously soft throws, locally sourced water in glass bottles and a curated selection of reading material that sheds more insight on the city and its surrounds. Despite being in the heart of a bustling neighbourhood in the Irish capital, the suite oozes tranquillity and is the perfect hideaway after a day of sightseeing. This is enhanced by careful use of lighting leading to the room, with dark, sleek hallways that are illuminated only where they really need to be.
The scene
Lively, easy-going and elevated, the hotel attracts a mixed crowd, from families and couples on holiday, to professionals popping in for a post-work beverage or pre-theatre dinner.
The Rooftop Bar & Terrace is a very popular seasonal spot that comes with views of the Irish Sea on one side and the Dublin Mountains on the other. It gets very buzzy at weekends. The Marker Bar and Lounge in the lobby offers a decadent afternoon tea, with dishes and drinks inspired by the country's landscapes and poetry. Evening cocktails are also a draw here – both with in-house guests and Dublin residents.
The Anantara Spa is the place to go for a dose of tranquillity. A 23-metre infinity pool lies under a chandelier, lined by comfortable loungers. There's also a Jacuzzi, sauna and eucalyptus-infused steam room making it the perfect rainy-day retreat. It also has five treatment rooms where guests can indulge in Seabody treatments, an Irish organic brand exclusively available in Dublin at Anantara The Marker. Breathwork, long flowing Lomi-style strokes and a quartz eye mask combine to provide 60 minutes of sheer bliss.
The food
Breakfast is a daily treat with a curated buffet that ticks the less is more box. Rather than trying to include every breakfast food under the sun, the culinary team lay out a beautiful spread with a focus on high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. Home-made soda bread, freshly baked pastries and perfectly ripe strawberries are among the highlights. A la carte is also on offer, with items such as buttermilk pancakes and a full Irish breakfast, classic or vegan style.
Dinner at Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins is a fashionable affair, again championing local ingredients and offering a modern twist on Irish dishes. A wide, open kitchen adds to the spectacle, as do placards dotted around the restaurant explaining more about some of the ingredients such as the Irish dry aged beef that comes from County Longford or the Irish rainbow trout from the Little Arrigle River in Kilkenny.
I decide to try the vegetarian options and start with merinda tomatoes (€14/ $15), a dish that is presented like a work of art crafted out of carved tomatoes, pickled red onion slices, bright green herbs and crusty fired bread. My husband tucks into roasted king scallops (€22), gigantic and juicy. For mains, I go for a seasonal white asparagus dish that’s served with crisp purple potatoes, while my husband opts for rib-eye steak (€46) that's flame-grilled exactly as he likes it.
Highs and lows
The 23-metre swimming pool hidden away in this city hotel is a tranquil and unexpected treat, and the breakfast buffet is one of my all-time favourites.
Rooms don't have balconies or doors, which is a shame as it would be lovely to sit out on a warm evening and drink in the waterfront vibes.
The insider tip
Take advantage of the proximity of the Bord Gai Energy Theatre and plan your visit to coincide with a show you're keen to see, and you’ll not only be in stepping distance of curtains up, but can tuck into an amazing pre-theatre feast at Forbes Street before you go.
The verdict
A historic hotel embedded in the centre of a gentrified neighbourhood with modern art, imposing architecture and a must-visit spa, Anantara The Marker Dublin manages to be hip, high-end and homely all in one breath. Well worth checking in.
The bottom line
Prices start from €350 for a deluxe room, including taxes and fees. Check-in from 3pm; check-out until noon; www.anantara.com/en/the-marker-dublin
This review was conducted at the invitation of the resort and reflects standards during this time. Services may change in the future.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
On racial profiling at airports
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Marital status: Single
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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