Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa will open on Friday.
The property features 109 over-water and beach villas, all with private pools. There are one and two-bedroom options, as well as the six-bedroom Amingiri Residence, which comes with its own private sun deck and pool, direct beach access, a spa treatment room, private gym and multimedia room.
The resort’s strongest selling point is its proximity to the capital Male and its international airport. “The resort is in the North Male Atoll, only 20 minutes from the airport via speedboat, so accessibility is fantastic,” says Gaurav Thakur, general manager at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa. “We have seen how properties in the Maldives that are only a boat ride away from Male have a big advantage.”
The resort is reflective of a new breed of properties in the Maldives, where the focus has shifted from insular, privacy-seeking honeymooners to also include couples, groups and families. There is more choice and a more sociable slant to some of the resort’s dining venues, as well as dedicated facilities for children and teenagers.
Aura is a sophisticated pool bar with a “cocktail lab”; Sip tea lounge offers more than 50 varieties of tea, as well as home-brewed kombucha; the Beach Shack specialises in laid-back seaside dining and barbecues under the stars; Eden is a bar; Origin offers a fine-dining venue with a focus on sustainable cooking and minimal waste; and Habitat serves breakfast and then Asian and Italian flavours for the rest of the day.
Wellness facilities include the Amingiri Spa, which is home to a hammam, yoga pavilion, 24-hour fitness centre and a salon.
“Resorts used to be focused on honeymooners but they have changed their strategy to not only focus on couples but also families. We have a children's club that is one of the biggest in the Maldives, with its own mini splash park and swimming pool. We have also created Re:Fuel, a club for teenagers, so the kids will never get bored," says Thakur.
“There is definitely a segment that still wants privacy and to keep to themselves, but a resort like ours offers flexibility. For example, shisha is very popular now. So we are working with a company in the UAE to offer shisha in the evening.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see how the Maldives plans to build one of the world's first floating cities as a response to climate change
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
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Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
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