Jumeirah | September 2017

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Swiss delights

How the Swiss made an art of Alpine goodness

Fairytale wonderland The romance and history of Germany’s finest castles

Up your game

A collector’s guide to custom game tables

MICK JAGGER

The Rolling Stones frontman is going back on the road

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THE DUBAI MALL 04 339 8972 H A R R Y W I N S T O N . C O M

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Jumeirah Magazine

Image: Getty Images

september 2017

Jumeirah Corporate Office, Al Sufouh Rd, PO Box 73137, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 366 5000, Fax: +971 4 366 5001.

Website: www.jumeirah.com Jumeirah is a trading name of Jumeirah International LLC. A Limited Liability company.

Registration Number 57869.

Share Capital Dhs 300,000 fully paid up.

Jumeirah International LLC its affiliates, parent companies and subsidiaries (“Jumeirah Group”) and the publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors or omissions contained in this publication for whatever reason, however caused.

The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of Jumeirah Group or of the publishers.

Readers are advised to solicit advice before acting on the information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Jumeirah Group and the publishers take no responsibilty for the goods and services advertised. All materials are protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (Including photocopying or storage in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of the copyright owner, except as may be permitted by applicable laws.

Editor-in-Chief

Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing Partner & Group Editor

lan Fairservice Editorial Director

Gina Johnson Deputy Editor

Nina Catt Senior Editorial Assistant

Cecilia D’Souza Art Director

Clarkwin Cruz Contributors

Tahira Yaqoob, Conor Purcell, Gareth Rees, Rachel Silvestri, Danae Mercer, Damien Reid General Manager – Production

S Sunil Kumar Production Manager

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Contents This Month

R Murali Krishnan Production Supervisor

Venita Pinto Chief Commercial Officer

13 City watch Discover the most exciting events happening this month

Anthony Milne Group Sales Manager

Ziad Saleh ziad@motivate.ae

20 Monitor Essential news and previews

For Jumeirah

Charlie Taylor, Claire Hill

Featured 24 Moves like Jagger The Rolling Stones frontman is still going strong five decades on with a new tour

Head Office: Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, PO Box 2331, Dubai UAE, Tel: +971 4 427 3000, E-mail: motivate@motivate.ae

30 Up your game Foosball, anyone? Designer table games are the latest luxury must-have

Dubai Media City: Office 508, 5th Floor, Building 8, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 390 3550, Fax: +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE, Tel: +971 2 677 2005, Fax: +971 2 677 0124, E-mail: editor-wo@motivate.ae London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK, E-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai

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34 Shanghai’s tech hub Foreigner-friendly Shanghai is poised to be the next big hub for start-ups

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FOR THE CITY WHERE NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE… THE S HOW T H AT P ROV ES I T. NOW LI V E AT A L H A BTO O R C I T Y

La Perle by Dragone is the region’s first ever permanent show, featuring 65 world-class artists. Created by world-renowned Artistic Director Franco Dragone, La Perle combines the spirit of Dubai with an iconic 860 sqm aqua-stage to deliver an unmissable spectacle in, on, and above water.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY LaPerle.com

september 2017

Contents 48

Lifestyle 40 Fit for a king Maha Al Mazrouei has created artwork for the Jumeirah Vittaveli’s Royal Residence 44 A look inside Jumeirah Al Naseem designers share the key to creating understated elegance 48 Set sail Chanel’s new Flying Cloud collection blends nautical themes with pure luxury 54 Eastern time Designer watchmakers are winding back the clock with eastern Arabic numerals 58 Exotic bikes Superbikes take centrestage with turbocharged accessories to boot

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Travel 64 Insiders’ guide to...Istanbul Home is where the art is, according to the historic city’s key tastemakers 70 The castles of Germany Lose yourself in the countryside around Frankfurt in magical fairytale castles 76 Swiss delights The Swiss have perfected the art of creating the world’s finest treats 80 Featured spaces Shang-High Cuisine, Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, Shanghai 82 The high life Naya, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai

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City Watch

Key dates for your diary

Dubai

Making a Splash September 26 and 27 Hamdan Sports Complex hosts one of the series of two-day meets that make up the Fina Swimming World Cup 2017. The competition takes place between August and November each year in nine locations across Asia, Europe and the Middle East and sees some of the world’s best swimmers fight it out for a share of the US$2 million prize money on offer.

Fina Swimming World Cup 2017, Hamdan Sports Complex, Dubai. fina.org

Dance the Night away September 28 and 29

Bollywood Voices September 8

French choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project performs Gems Trilogy in Dubai Opera. Set to music by American composer Philip Glass, the work combines performances from American choreographer Justin Peck’s Murder Ballades and Millepied’s On the Other Side and Hearts and Arrows.

Gems Trilogy, Dubai Opera, Dubai. dubaiopera.com

Following their successful Moving Closer tour in the US, Bollywood stars Shafqat Amanat Ali and Rekha Bhardwaj perform in the Dubai World Trade Centre. The set list will include hits such as Kabira (from Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani), Zindagi Kuch Toh Bata (Bajrangi Bhaijaan), Dildara (Ra One), Such Nahi (Tubelight) and Mitwa (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna).

Legends@DXB, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai. facebook.com/LiveLifeRocks

Singing Sensation September 22 and 23 The Tony and Olivier award-winning Broadway and West End musical theatre star Lea Salonga makes her Dubai debut with two shows at Dubai Opera. Salonga will perform hits from theatre and movie hits such as Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, West Side Story, Aladdin and Mulan.

Lea Salonga, Dubai Opera, Dubai dubaiopera.com

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Abu DhAbi/istAnbul

Hunting Heritage September 12 to 16 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) hosts the 15th edition of the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition. The exhibition features a camel auction, a saluki beauty contest, a dog racing demonstration using lure coursing, art and photography competitions, hunting and equestrian activities and the opportunity to buy camping, hunting and equestrian equipment from more than 600 brands.

Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi. adihex.com

Movie Magic September 21 to 23 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert in the Du Forum will see the first film in the Harry Potter film series projected onto a 40ft screen and accompanied by a symphony orchestra playing John Williams’ score.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert, Du Forum, Abu Dhabi. duforum.ae

Fun of the Fair September 14 to 17

Artistic Neighbours September 16 to November 12

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The 12th edition of Contemporary Istanbul takes place in the Istanbul Congress Centre (ICC) and Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICEC). The four-day art fair will

Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts presents the Istanbul Biennial. The 15th edition

showcase artworks from both local and

of the contemporary art exhibition, curated by the Scandinavian artist duo Elmgreen and

international galleries.

Dragset and built around the theme of good neighbours, will take place in six venues

Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul

across the city, including Istanbul Modern, Galata Greek primary school, Ark Kultur, Pera

Congress Centre and Istanbul Convention

Museum, an artist collective’s studio in Beyoglu and Kucuk Mustafa Pasa hammam.

and Exhibition Centre, Istanbul.

Istanbul Biennial, various locations, Istanbul. bienal.iksv.org

contemporaryistanbul.com

london

Modern Classic September 5 to 23 Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting For Godot returns to London’s Arts Theatre, the venue where the play made its Englishlanguage debut in 1955. The Irish writer’s tragicomedy is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century.

Waiting For Godot, Arts Theatre, London. artstheatrewestend.co.uk

Meat Feast September 1 to 3 The fifth edition of the Meatopia food festival held in London takes place in Tobacco Dock.

Promising high quality, ethically sourced meat cooked over logs or hardwood charcoal, as well as music, butchery demos, workshops, art installations and street theatre, this year’s events boasts a line-up of world-class cooking talent, including Nathan Outlaw, Yotam Ottolenghi, Mark Hix and Elizabeth Haigh.

Meatopia, Tobacco Dock, London. meatopia.co.uk

Graffiti Legend September 21 to January 28, 2018 Barbican Centre’s exhibition Basquiat: Boom for Real brings together more than 100 works by the iconic New York artist JeanMichel Basquiat. Curated by Austrian artist,

Brit Art

art historian, critic and curator Dr Dieter

September 12 to January 21

Buchhart and Barbican Art Gallery’s Eleanor

Tate Britain celebrates the 25-year career of British sculptor Rachel Whiteread with a

Nairne, the exhibition focuses on Basquiat’s

retrospective charting her impressive history. Whiteread, one of the artists who made up

relationship to music, text, film and TV and

the group known as the Young British Artists, or YBAs, had her work featured in the Royal

includes some of the artist’s earliest work.

Academy of Arts’ Sensation exhibition in 1997 and was the first female artist to win the

Basquiat: Boom for Real, Barbican Centre,

Turner Prize in 1993.

London. barbican.org.uk

Rachel Whiteread, Tate Britain, London. tate.org.uk

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frankfurt/Shanghai

Folk Fair September 8 to 17 The annual Autumn Dippemess takes place in the Ratsweg fairground.

The folk fair promises market stalls and fairground attractions.

Autumn Dippemess, Ratsweg fairground, Frankfurt. frankfurt-tourismus.de

Polish Posters Until September 15 Power Station of Art’s Henryk Tomaszewski exhibition, curated by the Chinese graphic designer He Jianping, features more than 250 works by the Polish poster artist, including more than 40 screenprinted posters, 100-plus book designs and more than 120 sketches.

The show will also include a seminar and workshops.

Henryk Tomaszewski, Power Station of Art, Shanghai. powerstationofart.com

Jazz It Up September 14 Grammy award-winning Canadian jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall performs in Frankfurt’s Alte Oper. The show is part of Krall’s Turn Up the Quiet world tour, which goes hand in hand with her latest album by the same name, released earlier this year.

Diana Krall, Alte Oper, Frankfurt. dianakrall.com

Picture Perfect September 8 to 10 Aimed at collectors, both established and beginners, the fourth edition of Photofairs Shanghai in the Shanghai Exhibition Centre features fine art photography and video art from artists including Chen Wei, Wolfgang Tillmans, Zhang Haier, Gohar Dashti and Roman Signer. The show also features a programme of talks.

Photofairs Shanghai, Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Shanghai. photofairs.org

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Words: Gareth Rees

MURDER MYSTERY

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British actor and playwright Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s 1983 horror novella The Woman in Black has been running in London since 1989, making it the second longest-running play in the history of the West End after Agatha Christie’s murder mystery The Mousetrap. This month it is coming to the Madinat Theatre in the Souk Madinat Jumeirah for a short run.

The Woman in Black is the story of young lawyer Arthur Kipps, who, having travelled to the small town of Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of client Alice Drablow, sees a ghostly figure dressed in black. He visits Eel

Marsh House to sort through Mrs Drablow’s papers, where he uncovers the dreadful secret behind the Woman in Black. In the stage version an elderly Arthur Kipps hires a young actor to dramatise his story.

The current production of the play is directed by John Payton and stars Malcolm James and Mark Hawkins.

The Woman in Black takes place from September 26 to October 2 in the Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. See seewomaninblack.com for more details

monitor

AMADEUS, AMADEUS Dubai Opera reopens for business this month after a short summer break with a packed schedule of shows that includes three of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most famous operas: The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi Fan Tutte and Don Giovanni.

The three comedies, all collaborations between Mozart and Italian librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, will be performed by opera singers from Naples’ famous Teatro di san Carlo, the oldest working opera house in the world.

The Marriage of Figaro, based on Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’ 1784 play Le Mariage de Figaro, is the story of a butler’s attempts to marry fellow servant Susanna, despite attempts from their aristocratic employer Count Almaviva to seduce her.

Cosi Fan Tutte, Mozart’s final collaboration with Da Ponte, focuses on two young couples and explores the theme of fidelity. Don Giovanni is based on tales of mythical Spanish libertine and philanderer Don Juan. The trilogy kicks off a season of operatic and classical performances throughout the autumn, including Beethoven chamber music and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

The Marriage of Figaro takes place on September 7 and 14; Cosi Fan Tutte runs on September 8 and 15; Don Giovanni completes the trilogy on September 9 and 16.

All performances take place at 8pm in Dubai Opera. dubaiopera.com

ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION This month, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and its partner Islamic centre in 2007, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority is showcasing an exhibition called Hajj: Memories of a Journey.

The showcase, held in the grounds of the grandiose mosque, charts the spread of Islam throughout the Arabian peninsula and the history of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage completed by millions of Muslims every year to the holy city of Mecca. The story is told through photographs, artefacts, multimedia displays, talks and workshops.

Visitors will also be able to learn about the UAE's founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his own pilgrimage in 1979.

Hajj: Memories of a Journey takes place from September 19 to March 19, 2018, in Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi. See szgmc.ae for more details

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MahallatiJewellery

MahallatiJewellery

Mrs.Mahallati

Featured 24 Moves like Jagger

The charismatic Rolling Stones frontman is still going strong

30 Up your game

Foosball, anyone? Luxury games are a stylish addition to your home

34 Shanghai's tech hub

Image: Getty

Jumeirah takes a close look at foreignerfriendly Shanghai as an emerging tech hub

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Images: Getty

featured: mick jagger

Moves Like Jagger as the rolling stones embark on their 13-date No filter tour of europe this month, conor Purcell profiles the band’s iconic lead singer and his impact on modern rock

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t’s hard now, 50 years on, to imagine the impact Michael Philip Jagger first had on popular culture around the world. This is a man who changed the way rock stars looked, acted, performed. A man who redefined what it was to be a man and set the template for breaking boundaries and flouting convention.

Jagger of course, would deny all this. As he told Vanity Fair in the early Nineties: “I wasn’t trying to be rebellious in those days. I was just being me.

I wasn’t trying to push the edge of anything. I’m being me and ordinary, the guy from suburbia who sings in this band.”

“This band” of course, was the Rolling Stones and Jagger’s onstage persona and snake-hipped gyrations helped turn the Rolling Stones into the biggest band in the world. If the Beatles were the boys next door, the Stones were the bad boys at the end of the road, the ones you kept your daughters away

from. And Mick Jagger, who is preparing to hit the road again, was the personification of that – the ultimate rock icon, a shape-shifting, pouting rock god, eyes rimmed with eyeliner, his charisma palpable. While Jagger was often compared to Elvis Presley, Jagger’s biographer Philip Norman sees a key difference. “While [Presley] made girls scream, he did not have Jagger’s ability to make men feel uncomfortable.”

Jagger, for all his onstage wildness, is extremely private. He refuses to write an autobiography, claiming he has nothing of interest to say, although those close to him claim he simply has no intention of talking about it. He did accept $1.3 million in the Seventies to write his autobiography, only for it to be returned by the publisher, who deemed the book too dull for publication. Jagger was reportedly shocked – he eventually returned the advance – that anyone would be interested in his private life. Even Norman admits it’s impossible to find an interview where he says anything of interest about himself.

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On flight to the next show in early 1968

Jagger is also an extremely shrewd businessman. He knows how to play the game. The band has been one of the most profitable and durable corporations in the world, consistently selling out stadium tours for decades. The Stones’ last tour grossed nearly half a billion dollars and Jagger is said to be worth north of $300 million — not bad for someone who lasted a year at the London School of Economics. Before the Stones, it was usually the band manager who made all the money, doling out cash to the performers as they saw fit. Jagger and the band decided to take control of their own finances, something the likes of U2 have copied.

Although the Stones are considered far less musically innovative than the Beatles, they did bring a blues sound to the mainstream, blending it with their own take on rock and roll. Even the band’s name came from blues — they took it from the Muddy Waters’ song Rollin’ Stone. But Jagger’s voice changed things. Steve van Zandt, the E Street guitarist (and actor in The Sopranos) says: “The acceptance of Jagger’s voice on pop radio was a turning point in rock and roll. He broke open the door for everyone else. Suddenly Eric Burdon and Van Morrison weren’t so weird — even Bob Dylan.”

Jagger of course also attempted to make it as an actor, probably thinking his stage theatrics could translate to the big screen. They couldn’t, although his turn in Performance was not altogether bad. He set up a film company, Jagged Films, in 1995, which has released a number of films and documentaries.

The Rolling Stones pose for a portrait in London

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Mick Jagger performing on stage at Atlanta

featured: mick jagger

The Rolling Stones from L-R: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones (1942 - 1969), Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts

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I wasn't trying to push the edge of anything. I'm being me and ordinary, the guy from surburbia who sings in this band

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featured: mick jagger Mick Jagger performs with the Rolling Stones at Ciudad Deportiva, Madrid

In 2002 Jagger was awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday Honours List and accepted it from the Prince of Wales the following year. Some fans were disappointed that he took the award, somehow assuming Jagger was anti-establishment. That many believed he was is testament to how shrewdly Jagger has played the game for the past half-century. He has morphed from being perceived as an anarchist and a counter-cultural force to an establishment figure, a patron of the British Museum and the founder of the Mick Jagger Centre, which promotes music in British schools.

Despite the side projects and the advancing years (Jagger turned 73 in July), he shows no sign of slowing down and is just about to embark on a European tour with the Stones called No Filter, kicking off in Hamburg on September 9. He loves the intoxicating buzz you can only get from a packed-out stadium. For Stones fans, this is good news because it means Jagger — and the rest of the band — won't be coming off the road anytime soon.

Talise Spa, couples' treatment room

reLaX aT jUmeiraH FraNkFUrT If you want to make the Stones’ German date one to remember, why not head to Frankfurt for some post-show relaxation at the Jumeirah Frankfurt, one of the city’s most luxurious hotels. With complimentary wifi, the delightful Talise Spa and 217 spacious rooms and suites, it’s the perfect base for a long weekend in one of Germany’s most vibrant cities.

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Up YoUr Game

Words: Conor Purcell

From customised $10,000 backgammon sets to a $50,000 ping pong table from high-end game table designer 11 Ravens, when it comes to luxury gaming products, the sky is the limit

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Pheasant ebony backgammon board with feather playing surface and hand-applied lacquer

FEATURED: LUXURY GAMING

Backgammon table Backgammon has been played for more than 5,000 years but probably not on a board as beautiful as this creation by Alexandra Llewellyn. The Londonbased designer has been making waves for her intricately crafted games and although she has a number of options available, we love the Pheasant model, which features an ebony board, brass hinges and antique gold and black weighted aluminium playing pieces. The dice cups are made of rosewood and the dice are laser-cut to ensure fair rolls on each throw. Handmade in the UK, this board is truly a work of art.

Alexandra Llewellyn Design, from $5,475, alexandralldesign.com

Playing cards Playing cards and dice from Louis Vuitton

If you want to look as stylish as possible, these Louis Vuitton cards are just the ticket. Emblazoned with the famous LV logo and housed in a beautiful box, the set features three card decks. Beautifully printed and embossed, these are the ultimate calling cards.

Louis Vuitton, from $140, louisvuitton.com

Billiards table Billiards tables have been sought by the elite for centuries, with the first known indoor table owned by none other than Louis XI of France. Louis XIV further popularised the game and it became a favourite of the French elite. It is unlikely that Europe’s kings and queens had a table as sleek and minimalist as this one, however.

Handcrafted and composed of brushed aluminum, this table would be a standout piece in any games room. Comprised of specially engineered hardwood as well as high grain maple, along with other specially engineered hardwoods, it features a striking black felt surface. The sublime wooden curves turn this table into a work of art.

11 Ravens, from $24,750, 11ravens.com Theseus alluminium billiards table from 11 Ravens

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Glass pool table from Elite Innovations

Luxury football table from 11 the game

Glass pool table

Football table This stunning creation was first showcased at the 2008 Milan Furniture Fair and has, unsurprisingly, become a favourite for those wanting something different for their games room. Think sweeping curves, brass players and stunning jet black exterior.

The eight rods to which the players are attached are made from a single piece of brass and finished in polished silver chrome. Circular lights set across midfield automatically keep score, while the ball return slot flashes a white light until the ball is retrieved after a goal. The electric orange ball is a striking contrast to the monochrome finishes and the table really is a thing of beauty. Each table takes at least three months to make and the craftsmanship is undeniable.

11, from $50,000, 11thegame.com

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It might look like something from a sci-fi movie but the X1 pool table is very real: a state-of-the art piece of kit that features a transparent glass base and top. The design gives the impression the table is floating on air and despite the unusual table material, the patented Vitrik transparent surface replicates the feel of a traditional felt surface. There’s a fine mesh embedded in the glass compound that offers a resilience to match its beauty. Another impressive feature is the ball return mechanism, which is integrated into the table and smooth as silk. The company – based in Australia – only makes five tables a year, which helps to explain the hefty price tag. There are four different models on offer and there is the option of getting a customised chrome or gold-plated finish.

Elite Innovations, from $42,000, eliteinnovations.com.au

Shuffleboard table Shuffleboard might be considered a rather old-fashioned game but rarely has a table as beautiful as this been produced. Measuring 14 foot long and 31 inches tall, the table has a top crafted from rift-sawn white oak, treated with two coats of epoxy resin and inlaid with black walnut for the lines and numbers. The legs are made of solid black walnut, which slide into the white steel frame. The board itself is lined with charcoal grey felt and the attention to detail is reflected in the time it takes to make one – from six to nine weeks. Included are eight black and white pucks and a magnetic wall mount (for handy storage), as well as some shuffleboard salt to get you started.

Woolsey, from $14,000, seanwoolsey.com

featured: luxury gaming

Woosley shuffleboard table

Rock climbing wall at Madinat Jumeirah

eat, stay, play Jumeirah Al Naseem hotel, part of the Madinat Jumeirah resort, is filled with activities for all ages. Try the 6.4 metre-high climbing wall, which includes three rock boulders and a traversing section with various levels of difficulty. Built using a curved resin system, the wall features life-like pockets, flakes, cracks and tufa (a type of limestone) for a realistic experience. If you fancy something more leisurely, how about a spell at the PBI tennis academy, where worldclass instructors will help you perfect your backhand. For the little ones, there is the Sinbad Kids’ Club, which features more than 1,000 square metres of play areas and pools. Nearby, the KiDS play area is an amazing outdoor arena which features a jungle gym, splash pad and swing sets. www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/madinat-jumeirah/ jumeirah-al-naseem

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Words: Conor Purcell / images: getty. Flickr and supplied

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Shanghai’S Tech hub Shanghai is on a mission: to catch up with Beijing and Shenzhen when it comes to tech innovation. Perceived as more foreigner-friendly, the city has seen more than 70,000 start-ups emerge in the past year alone. We look at the opportunities for companies looking to set up in Shanghai

featured: Shanghai’S Tech hub

Night view of the skyscrapers in Pudong along the Huangpu river in Shanghai

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Pudong apartments in Shanghai

Old city shopping

Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility

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Superhighways and traffic

featured: Shanghai’S Tech hub

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t all started in Shenzhen – a sleepy town of 30,000 – nearly 40 years ago. In 1980 the Chinese government set up a special economic zone (SEZ) there to drive innovation and manufacturing in the region. It worked and by the turn of century, Shenzhen, located on the Hong Kong border, was China’s biggest economic success story. The city was built on manufacturing but in recent years it has become a technology hub, becoming home to thousands of tech start-ups, which take advantage of the city’s networking and venture capital infrastructure.

STay and explore The Jumeirah Himalayas hotel is located in the centre of Shanghai, the perfect place to explore the city’s burgeoning tech scene. Only a few minutes walk from ZJ Park and a host of other tech companies, incubators and start-ups, it hosts meeting rooms, hotel-wide wifi

That innovation has resulted in huge economic expansion, with the city’s GDP growing at an annual average rate of 22 per cent. Unsurprisingly, China’s financial capital, Shanghai, wants a piece of the action. While Beijing is the centre of China’s political power and a number of SEZs were set up to aid Shenzhen’s success, Shanghai has been seen more as a traditional finance hub, set apart from the tech industry. Now that is all changing.

Earlier this year a report from accountancy firm KPMG predicted Shanghai would “rival Silicon Valley as a technology hub in the next four years”. While that timeframe might be optimistic, there is no doubt Shanghai is finally starting to rival China’s traditional tech powerhouses. Take, for example, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, which is based in the centre of Shanghai’s Pudong district. It hosts 13,000 small and medium-sized businesses, 49 regional headquarters and 138 research and development (R&D) centres. The scale of the financial backing is also impressive: there are more than 200 venture capital funds located in the park, providing the finance for China’s next generation of entrepreneurs. The facility – known locally as ZJ Park – is home to everything from robotics to biomedicine to fintech (computer banking systems).

This is the new economy, one based on knowledge and cutting edge technology. To give you a sense of the scale of what is happening in China right now, last year it became the first country to receive more than one million patent applications in a year, according to the Financial Times.

At first glance, ZJ Park looks like a traditional manufacturing zone but there are no factories here. The area is home to R&D centres, including 67 incubators providing workspaces for budding start-ups. The park holds a diverse amount of disruptive technology, including robotics, software and biomedicine and offices for some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including HP, NVIDIA and Qualcomm.

The future, whatever that might look like, is being built in places like ZJ. One company, Fourier X1, is building an exoskeleton helping disabled peo-

and state-of-the-art fitness facilities.

https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/shanghai/ jumeirah-himalayas-hotel/

ple walk again and will help everyone from stroke victims to those with spinal injuries. There are many more companies like it. Earlier this year, Price Waterhouse Coopers accountancy firm launched its own Shanghai innovation centre, which the firm hopes will help develop the city’s tech infrastructure. Featuring an incubator, a tech lab and a catalyst workshop, the company hopes the centre will enable start-ups to bring their products to market far quicker than normal.

While Shanghai doesn’t have the entrepreneurial infrastructure of Shenzhen yet, it is the most foreigner-friendly city in China. While Shenzhen and Guangdong are more attractive to foreign tech companies, Shanghai is much more of a lure to their workers. There are more than 200,000 expats working in Shanghai and that readymade expat community, as well as the high calibre social scene, means that Shanghai is by far the most appealing Chinese destination for most expats. Often compared to Hong Kong, it’s the most international Chinese city (its French influence is still clearly visible) and it aims to leverage that to attract more foreign tech firms. The push seems to be working. A recent survey by Venturebeat found Shanghai is perceived to be the newest global technology and innovation hub in the next three years.

Whether Shanghai can overtake Shenzhen any time soon remains to be seen. But with Hong Kong, Vietnam, Seoul and even Burma all investing heavily in technology hubs, Asia’s future is looking bright – and Shanghai is at the forefront.

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lifestyle 40 Fit for a king

Artist Maha al Mazrouei has created artworks specially for Jumeirah Vittaveli

44 A look inside Image: Getty

Jumeirah Al Naseem offers a sophisticated, understated city escape

48 Set sail

Chanel's new nautical-themed collection will put the wind in your sails

FIT FOR A KING Acclaimed artist Maha al Mazrouei has been commissioned by Jumeirah Vittaveli to design four pieces of bespoke art celebrating the newly launched fivebedroom Royal Residence. Here we reveal the artist’s inspirations, then go on a tour of art around the world

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lifestyle: Maha al Mazrouei

Hidden Gardens painting in the Royal Residence, Jumeirah Vittaveli

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Coral Oasis, Royal Residence, Jumeirah Vittaveli

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hen we talk, acclaimed artist Maha al Mazrouei is full of apologies. She’s been travelling, she explains. Now she’s in Switzerland: “The internet is really bad in the mountains.”

Yet Al Mazrouei is no stranger to remote places. The talented Emirati creative is often on the road exploring new galleries and inspirations. Her most recent collaboration saw her making four pieces of bespoke art for Jumeirah Vittaveli’s new Royal Residence.

The pieces are bold: sharp swatches of turquoise clash with dashes of orange.

One painting plays with patterns, emulating a coral reef. Another suggests staring down at the islands from the height of a plane. They’re simultaneously vibrant and serene.

“I always feel a sense of calm when visiting the Maldivian islands,” says Al Mazrouei. “It’s heaven on earth.” Her goal was to create a collection which captured this experience, reimagining the Maldives through broad strokes of oil paint.

With a passion for cubism and abstract styles, Al Mazrouei has made a name for herself in the Middle Eastern art scene. In 1996 one of her paintings was chosen as the stamp for the UAE postal authority. She has spent years working with the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, creating a collection of murals and with Dubai International Airport designing pieces for its VIP majlis.

She also co-founded the Tebra Art Group in 1993 with other Emirati artists. Through Tebra, Al Mazrouei’s work appeared in various exhibitions, such as a mural for Dubai Shopping Festival in 1996.

The four pieces designed for Jumeirah Vittaveli are part of the Royal Residence’s luxurious, five-bedroom space. A twin piece flanks the entrance while a bolder piece hangs in the spa pavilion. In the living area of the sanctuary — the accommodation reserved for the host of any Royal Residence stay — is Al Mazrouei’s final piece: a bold interpretation of the Maldives’ natural beauty.

All of this adds a bit more luxury to an already decadent venue. The Royal Residence is designed for large groups of friends or families, with its bedrooms extending across 3,500 square metres of tranquility. It offers two private swimming pools, a private beach, a dedicated island grill restaurant that serves up teppanyaki, a decadent dining room and a lily pond. As the sun sets, guests can indulge in drinks at the over-water bar and sundeck. The overall effect is magic.

Al Mazrouei puts it another way: “I am so fascinated by God’s creation and all the components that you see when exploring the island.”

For more information, visit jumeirah.com/jumeirahvittaveli

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lifestyle: MaHa al Mazrouei

ExPLOrINg JumEIrAH’S ArT Lobby, Jumeirah Franfurt

rokni Haerizadeh painting in Jumeirah Creekside Hotel

Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai should be an art gallery in its own right. Nearly 500 pieces of work hang throughout the venue, curated by Camelia Esmaili, founder of l’Atelier Camelia. The collection features old and new, sculptures and videos, mixed media and paintings. It allows you to experience the beauty of a refined gallery Pieces by Hartwig Ebershbach hang

without ever having to step outside.

throughout Jumeirah Frankfurt. The largest collection of the Leipzig artist’s pieces worldwide, the paintings appear in rooms

Lobby, Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel

and public spaces. They tease with the idea of dreams, tales and legends, exploring a theme of changing society.

Library room, Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah

In the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai, art plays an important role throughout the property. There are many feng shui elements to the hotel’s design and there’s an extensive art collection. Highlights include an impressive African rosewood dragon boat, which took two years to complete and represents power, strength and good luck, symbolising the spirit that will help protect the hotel from negative energy.

Classic paintings hang in the Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah. This timeless hotel, built

The 1,000 character Chinese poem which

originally to serve passengers on the Orient

circumnavigates the lobby ceiling is another

Express, embraces the old world. In its

stand-out work. Originally written by a

library room, you can find striking pieces

monk 1,200 years ago, it proffers important

like this one.

lessons on culture, empire and life.

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A look inside How do you create the perfect ambience? We ask the team behind Jumeirah Al Naseem’s sophisticated elegance just what goes into making the ideal hotel — and how to recreate that atmosphere in your own home

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hen it came to designing a luxurious, modern hotel in glimmering Dubai, Trevor Julius, the principle director at Dsgn, had one big challenge: the weather.

For eight months a year, Dubai is the ideal beach setting with blue skies and balmy temperatures. It was how to maintain that vibe during the hotter months of summer that preoccupied Julius.

So when it came to creating Jumeirah Al Naseem’s contemporary, fresh interiors, Julius and his team got creative.

Throughout it all, he focused on bringing the outdoors in.

We have been given a wonderful opportunity to marry a spectacular beachfront location with a contemporary architectural twist on our sister properties, both in the interior and exterior design

“The bedrooms have an enclosed balcony that acts as a full lounge,” says Julius when talking through the outdoor-in idea and the nuances created by Dubai’s temperatures. “It can be closed off during the mild weather and opened to the elements.” This means the room can stay crisp and cool while guests recline in the balcony area on the sleeper couch, with windows thrown open to catch an ocean breeze.

“From the onset, the vision was one of merging interior and exterior spaces in an effortless manner,” says Julius. He points to the property’s many framed views and vaulted colonnades.

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“They draw the guests’ eyes ever outward to the surrounding context of the building. The interior draws inspiration from traditional Arabic architecture in terms of proportion, simplicity, pattern and design repetition.”

In the bedrooms, colours are kept deliberately neutral while walls are ‘de-materialised’ to blur spatial boundaries. Of course, adds Julius, there’s the option for privacy whenever a guest wants it. “[It exists] through sliding shoji screens, creating rooms within rooms.”

It’s easy to understand the appeal of the property’s outdoor area. Jumeirah Al Naseem is nestled on a 2km stretch of beach. The other Madinat Jumeirah hotels and the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah are all nearby.

“We have been given a wonderful opportunity to marry a spectacular beachfront location with a contemporary architectural twist on our sister properties,” says Richard Alexander, general manager of Jumeirah Al Naseem, when talking about the new venue. “Both in the interior and exterior design and in the creation of the guest experience, we have been led by our concept of al bayt baitak, meaning make yourself at home.”

lifestyle: jumeirah al naseem

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The idea of being at home was important to Julius’s team as well. “The key was breaking up public spaces with furniture settings, screens and lighting.”

This meant spacious spots like the lobby could take on a cosy, intimate feel, more like a residence than a standard hotel environment.

Art displayed throughout the venue only adds to this feel. In the lobby, a striking sculpture of camels running on water draws the eye. It was created

by Emirati artist Mattar bin Lahej. His other pieces appear throughout the hotel, including a sculpture of a poem in swirling Arabic calligraphy.

“We didn’t just want to create a 430-room beachfront hotel — we wanted to bring a wave of vibrancy that matches the energy of Dubai,” says Alexander.

Hence there are interior touches that suggest Dubai’s heritage, from its pearl diving history to its sand dunes.

The venue is also close to the ground rather than towering to the sky — a deliberate step, says Julius. “It’s quite low-rise and low-key, which is a bold move in a city where the raison d’etre is ‘the bigger the better’.”

He praises the decision to create a property focused on understatement and restrained glamour without the glitz or over-the-top opulence, adding: “And despite having 430 guest rooms, it never feels overcrowded, thanks to its extensive gardens.”

With seven restaurants, 12 family suites, one 500-square-metre royal suite and a turtle lagoon to protect endangered turtles, Jumeirah Al Naseem had a lot of area to design. Julius wasn’t daunted by the challenge.

Yet when it comes to designing a private home, the task is slightly different.

“If [a home] is too perfect, it’s usually boring,” says Julius. “Nobody wants to live in a showroom. Interiors are layered environments which should reflect the individual, becoming an extension of the person who resides within.”

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lifestyle: jumeirah al naseem

Things you mighT noT know abouT Jumeirah al naseem • Al naseem is Arabic for sea breeze • A turtle lagoon has been built specifically to help rehabilitate endangered creatures • Abayas specially created by the Dubaibased brand Slouchy’z are worn by the hotel’s Emirati staff • Traditional chai and karak tea are served in the Al Mandhar Lounge as a nod to land explorers of old • There are three large swimming pools, including one that’s adult-only • Wild Wadi Waterpark™ is located nearby • The oceanfront gardens were designed by acclaimed architect Bill Bensley

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liFestyle: Style

set sail Chanel's new fine jewellery collection Flying Cloud takes a nautical turn with beautifully crafted diamonds, white and yellow gold and sapphires

Words: Gina Johnson, Compiled by: Cecilia D'souza

All pieces from the Chanel Flying Cloud collection

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Endless Knot ring in 18k white gold set with a pear-cut diamond, 26 Japanese cultured pearls and 22 brilliant-cut diamonds Endless Knot bracelet in 18k white gold set with a pear-cut diamond, Indonesian cultured pearl, 165 Japanese cultured pearls and 99 brilliant-cut diamonds

LifestyLe: Style

Endless Knot necklace in 18k white gold set with a round-cut diamond and two pear-cut diamonds, 2,637 round-cut diamonds and 106 rose-cut diamonds

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lifestyle: Style style

Above: Sparkling Lines necklace in 18k white gold set with 49 round-cut diamonds and 2,823 brilliant-cut diamonds

Left: Sapphire Stripes earrings in 18k white gold set with two pear-cut blue sapphires, 14 marquise-cut blue sapphires and 296 brilliant-cut diamonds; Sapphire Stripes watch in 18k white gold set with 11 marquise-cut blue sapphires and 248 brilliant-cut diamonds; Sapphire Stripes bracelet in 18k white gold set with an oval-cut blue sapphire, 22 marquise-cut blue sapphires, six round-cut diamonds and 765 brilliant-cut diamonds

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LifestyLe: Style

Above: Sunny Rope ring in 18k yellow gold set with 177 brilliant-cut diamonds; Sunny Rope bracelet in yellow gold set with 321 brilliant-cut diamonds

Right: Sapphire Stripes necklace in 18k white gold set with two pear-cut blue sapphires and 1,778 brilliant-cut diamonds

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LifestyLe: Style

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Arab heritage timepiece from Frederique Constant

EastErn timE Luxury watch and clockmakers are paying homage to the East with limited edition timepieces. Tahira Yaqoob reports

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lifestyle: watches Qlocktwo from Biegert and Funk

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hen Canadian aerospace engineer Luis Gardeazabal decided to create a wristwatch with eastern Arabic numerals, he had no idea whether there would be a hunger for it. To his surprise, his Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 to design the product took just weeks to top its target. With more than 90 backers, he raised nearly $20,000 and within two months of launching on the crowdfunding site in 2014, his limited edition Vertice by Santis and Berg was in production and being shipped to eager customers. The $189 watch now comes in four styles, from rosecoloured stainless steel with a white ceramic dial, brown leather strap and blue anodised alpha hands to stainless steel with a blue ceramic dial, matching leather strap and an engraved deploy clasp.

Gardeazabal is not alone in realising there is a taste on the international market for clocks and watches with a distinctly eastern flavour. Once a rarity, they are now becoming increasingly popular. Luxury watchmakers like Rolex, Tag Heuer and Hublot have all come up with Middle Eastern versions of their watches with eastern Arabic markings on the dial, models which have proven popular globally and not just in the Arab world. Then there is the modernist German clockmaker Biegert and Funk: the creators behind the slick Qlocktwo, where a matrix of letters cleverly spell out the time, were inspired to come up with a whole new Arabic version to satisfy demand. Even the British Museum in London got in on the act with the creation of a men’s and ladies’ wristwatch with the special numerals, launched in conjunction with its Shah Abbas Iranian heritage exhibition in 2009.

Traditionally most watches and clocks come with either Roman or Arabic numerals (rather confusingly, the term Arabic numerals refers to the most commonly used numbers 0 to 9, sometimes called western Arabic, HinduArabic or European numerals, because they were invented by Indian mathematicians and first brought to Europe by Arab merchants in the 10th century). It is pleasingly circular, then, that luxury manufacturers in the western world are increasingly realising there is a hankering for modern clocks and watches with a hint of the exotic — which simultaneously give a respectful nod to the past — with eastern Arabic markings on the dial.

“If you have ever looked for a watch with eastern Arabic numerals, you know that they are few and far between,” says Gardeazabal. “Even though these numerals are beautiful and highly sought-after, finding one is a different story. Bringing a watch like this to the market was so exciting. It brings variety and something new into the market. I launched the first model by Santis and Berg with much success. We partnered with a top-rated manufacturer who was just as dedicated to quality and retail as we are. What you get is an iconic watch in your collection, a unique timepiece that stands out from the rest.”

Similarly, the Gerald Genta Octo Mosaic always causes a stir when it comes on the market. Made in Switzerland, it has plenty of touches for an eastern market, including a compass to locate Mecca but it seamlessly bridges the traditional and contemporary. Water-resistant to 100 metres, it comes in a

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The Vision III for men from Hublot

The Vision III for ladies from Hublot

Portugieser timepiece with eastern Arabic numerals, IWC Schaffhausen

presentation box with its own winder and was made in a limited edition of 100. The 18-carat white gold watch is octagonal with a automatic perpetual calendar, dual time function and a leap year indication. A stunning rare model with a green dial, complete with a delicate white rosette and metallic engravings on the watch face, 26 jewels, black pearl-set crown and magnified windows for the date, sold for $20,000 in a Christie’s Important Watches sale in Dubai in 2015. Abu Dhabi-based enthusiast Faisal al Khoori has one in his 50-strong watch collection and says: “With the presentation and display, I think it is more like art.”

Rolex has always had a strong affiliation with the Middle East and first began making customised pieces in the 1950s. Some of its most exquisite Day-Dates have been created specially for the Arab region - among them the 1960s Scheherezade, a solid platinum watch which featured an eastern Arabic day and date wheel as well as regional indexes to mark the hour and the platinum Lone Star, which featured in Day-Date The Presidential Rolex

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by Pucci Papaleo. A dazzling Day-Date in platinum and yellow, white and pink gold with a bezel set with 44 diamonds and a white gold relief featured in the book 100 Superlative Rolex Watches and was described as “one of the most desirable objects in the world of collectable Rolex”. One sold for more than $190,000 at a Glamorous Watches auction in 2015; another ultrarare pink gold, platinum and diamond Day-Date from 1974 with white gold solid eastern Arabic numerals, centre seconds and bracelet fetched $171,600.

Modern versions pay homage to the vintage Arabic Day-Dates of that era, with a modern twist, such as last year’s platinum Day-Date 40 with 31 jewels, a President bracelet and a distinctive ice blue 40mm-wide dial.

Hublot partnered with Dubai-based watch specialists Ahmed Seddiqi and Sons to create a limited edition titanium Classic Fusion watch in 2013, complete with a grey dial and rose gold-plated eastern Arabic numerals. Adel al Rahmani, the founder of Dubai Watch Club, blogged: “The series was limited to 100 pieces and disappeared quicker than a dozen unattended Hermes Birkins on a shelf.” The customised sale was followed by similar creations from Zenith, Bovet, MB&F and De Bethune. Just five pieces were made of FP Journe’s Chronometre Bleu Byblos with eastern Arabic numerals.

Frederique Constant’s Arabic Heritage edition launched earlier this year featured a striking midnight blue face with a six o’clock opening for the moonphase and was powered by an FC-715 calibre. Then there was the Portugieser Chronograph edition watch launched in November last year by the Swiss luxury brand IWC Shaffhausen in conjunction with Seddiqi and Sons. The limited edition timepiece was the first watch ever to be manufactured by

lifestyle: watches Platinum Arabic Day-Date from Rolex

the series was limited to 100 pieces and disappeared quicker than a dozen unattended Hermes Birkins on a shelf

Clocktower of Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul

IWC with eastern Arabic markings and only 200 were created, with a portion of proceeds going to the medical research charity Al Jalila Foundation.

When Biegert and Funk came up with the Arabic version of their popular Qlocktwo wallpiece, which comes in more than 20 languages, they had to think outside the box. “There is a different mechanism for the Arabic version,” says spokeswoman Nicole Herbst, who adds it was created in collaboration with Dubai-based distributor Omar Mohsen Alshtaewi. “One of the main challenges was to have [whole] words being displayed and illuminated by LEDs instead of having a matrix of 110 single letters in the nonArabic version. It has a slightly different interior set-up and manufacturing and programming procedure. The front cover cannot be changed like other language versions.”

But, unusual as it is, the Qlocktwo is just the latest in a number of highly prized eastern Arabic clocks - and another example of a fascination with them from western manufacturers. The Dolmabahce Clock Tower in Istanbul features highly stylised eastern Arabic numerals and was created more than a century ago on the orders of the last Ottoman sultan, Abdul Hamid II and manufactured by French clockmaker Jean-Paul Garnier. Similar numerals also appear on the ancient clocktower of Our Lady of Saidnaya convent in Syria and the Ottoman Column in Mexico City. A rare but sought-after find on the market is one of the stunning Ottoman pocket watches from Serkisoff and Co with Billodes mechanisms, issued to soldiers in the late 19th century and delicately encased in silver.

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rise of the superbike

Words: Damien reid

Collectibility and credibility are driving demand for a new era of luxury on two wheels

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lifestyle: exotic bikes

F

or most of us, motorcycles are a cheaper alternative to get about or maybe a weekend recreational toy for about the same price as a modest sports coupe.

But a new breed of ‘bikie’ is emerging — the investor/collector who thinks nothing of dropping the same amount they might typically spend on a highend prestige sports car or even a house on a handbuilt, limited edition motorcycle which is more like a museum sculpture than two-wheeled transport.

To get into the highest realms of exotic motorcycle ownership in the region, you’ll need to whip out the platinum card for the uber exclusive Ecosse Founders Edition FE TiXX. Priced at $300,000, it’s the most expensive motorcycle on the planet. It was built in North Carolina by Ecosse Moto Works, a company founded

by Donald Atchison in 2001 to build bikes that resemble his two main passions of Aston Martin cars and fighter aircraft. It takes his team of 15 engineers nearly 1,300 hours just to make the chassis for the Founder’s Edition titanium model.

Then it’s another 3,000 hours to finish the hand-brushed sculpture, which houses a supercharged, intercooled 2.1-litre V-twin engine that develops 225 bhp and 285Nm of torque complete with Ohlins MotoGP-grade gas forks with titanium front axle and carbon ceramic brakes.

Still in North America but for about half the price is the Confederate G2 P51 Combat Fighter that retails for $125,000. If that looks a bargain compared to the Ecosse, you need to be quick as they claim there are only six left on the production line and you’ll need $30,000 up front to place a deposit.

Inspired by the 1960s rebel, anti-hero and the P51 Mustang aircraft, the Combat Fighter emerges from Alabama and is the bike of choice for the likes of Baron de Rothschild, David Beckham, the Crown Prince of Bahrain and Bruce Springsteen. The company claims it’s the world’s first vehicle to be carved entirely from solid billet blocks of aerospace grade aluminium, including the engine block and heads, while each one take between 400 and 500 hours to build.

Confederate G2 P51 Combat Fighter

The Lazareth LM 847 Bike uses a 4.7 litre Maserati V8 Engine and leaning quad chasis

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Like the Ecosse, it features a 2.2-litre, air-cooled V-twin engine which produces 145bhp and 217Nm of torque, good enough to get it to 263.88kmh on the Bonneville salt flats during the annual land speed week last year.

However, if it is outright muscle you’re after, no one can surpass the ridiculous Ludovic Lazareth LM847. Technically it’s not a motorbike as it has four wheels but it’s clearly evident it needs the extra traction to put its power to the ground.

Somehow these mad geniuses squeezed a 4.7-litre Maserati V8 engine into the space between the riders’ hands and knees.

So far just three of the 10 scheduled have been built and while no speeds or acceleration times have been published, company owner Ludovic Lazareth claims it will get to 160kmh “in just seconds”.

Packing a punch is Ducati’s 1299 Panigale R Final Edition

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The awe-inspiring Honda RC213V-S

lifestyle: exotic bikes The brutal Confederate G2 P51 Combat Fighter

The 470bhp French-made beast debuted at the 2015 Geneva motorshow and shows some similarities in its design with the new Ducati Panigale, including its exhaust collectors and tail section. It has four wheels, each mounted on their own swingarm, individual shocks and floating eight-piston, 420mm Nissin calipers up front while the rear wheels each get their own chain drive and a connected single TFX shock.

Priced at $217,000, it’s considerably more expensive than the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale it borrowed its engine from and with 620Nm of torque, it doesn’t need a gearbox, just a direct drive as it’s guaranteed to pull away from any speed rather rapidly.

Speaking of the Panigale, Ducati has just released what will be the ultimate collector’s Duke with the 209bhp, 1299 Panigale R Final Edition. This will sadly be the last V-Twin Ducati as the company admits that in order to keep up with its Japanese competitors in World Superbike Racing, it has to go four-cylinder, so the next model onward will use a V4. For the relatively bargain basement price of $46,000, these should be snapped up fast by loyal Ducatisti.

Painted in the race team’s tricolour livery, each model is numbered and features a lighter crank, a larger crank pin and tungsten balancing pads com-

pared to the regular 1299 Superleggera while the con-rods, like the intakeexhaust valves, are made of titanium, just like the race bikes.

From the mainstream manufacturers, the Panigali seems like the buy of the century compared to the $200,000 Honda is asking for its RC213V-S. But then again, this is virtually the same MotoGP bike which won the 2013 and 2014 World Championships.

The RC213V was built exclusively for racing and won consecutive world titles in the hands of Spaniard Marc Marquez so Honda changed some of the specs and released it for the road.

The only mechanical changes from the race bike was a switch from pneumatic valves to a more reliable coil spring system for the 999cc V4 while the camshaft gear train remains untouched and it produces 156bhp and 102Nm of torque. The only other major change was replacing its race-bred seamless transmission with a conventional gearbox.

Cosmetically, it adds a headlight, taillight, licence plate holder, turn signals, speedometer, mirrors, horn, starter button and side stand, which add 12kg over the Grand Prix-winning race bike.

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I DISCOVERED JUMEIRAH AL NASEEM H AV E YOU ?

Now you can too. Stay from AED 1,170. Photo by @louisenichol

jumeirah.com/discover

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TRAVEL 64 The insiders' guide to...Istanbul Home is where the art is: artists and collectors give their take on the city they call home

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The InsIders’ GuIde To…

istanbul

Interviews by Gareth rees / Images: Getty

Get the inside track from Istanbul’s most talented tastemakers

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Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, Istanbul

travel: istanbul

bige Orer

Director of the istanbul biennial

I was born in Fenerbahce, a neighbourhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, well known for its lighthouse. It used to be a summer retreat but in the 1960s apartment buildings started to replace the summer villas.

In the last 10 years, Fenerbahce has changed drastically. Those small apartment buildings have been replaced with high-rises and the neighbourhood is unrecognisable.

My childhood is full of good memories though. We spent a lot of time outside, in the garden of our apartment and our friends’ gardens in the same neighbourhood. There were fruit trees from which we would pick snacks when we got hungry from playing. Our parents wouldn’t call us for dinner until just before sunset; it gave us the feeling of freedom. The elder children used to look after the younger ones. The neighbours trusted each other and there was a feeling of solidarity.

Now I live in Tevikiye. It is a nice, old neighbourhood that is home to Greek, Jewish, Armenian and Levantine communities. The diversity of the city and the memory of the existence of multiple cultures and civilisations make Istanbul unique. We decided to live in Tevikiye because of this diversity and because it is close to the city centre, work, our friends and one of the biggest parks in the city centre, Macka Park.

I am director of the Istanbul Biennial, which has become the hub in Istanbul for the introduction, debate and assessment of current paradigms in both the theory and practice of local, international and transnational contemporary art.

It is a passion to work with artists to create exhibitions that I believe can trigger a transformation in people’s perception of the world and create new languages. There are many artists in Istanbul who do great work and it is a great pleasure to see how their artistic careers are evolving over the years. More

and more artists from Istanbul – not only established artists but also young and emerging artists – are acknowledged on the international art scene.

If I want to escape from the city, I travel to the Princes’ Islands.

After an hour-long boat ride, I can step into another world.

Pioneering Turkish contemporary artist Fusun Onur and Nurdan Gurbilek, one of the country’s foremost cultural critics and a great author, have both inspired me. If you’re looking for a good book about Istanbul, seek out a copy of A Mind at Peace by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, one of the pioneers of literary modernism in Turkey, or Constantinople by Edmondo de Amicis, a vibrant portrait of the city in the 19th century.

When it comes to films, you should watch Crossing the Bridge: Sound of Istanbul, a great documentary about the music scene in Istanbul, directed by Fatih Akin and Cats, a homage to the thousands of cats that roam the city, directed by Ceyda Torun. Something that only an Istanbul resident would know is that in 1954 the Bosphorus froze due to the joining of ice masses from the Black Sea and people could walk on it. Check out Gulsun Karamustafa’s Bosphorus 1954, a series of photographs collected from newspaper archives.

Yeni Lokanta is my favourite restaurant in Istanbul. The chef is amazing and the staff always make you feel at home. If you’re looking for traditional Turkish cuisine, I recommend trying the meze at Karakoy Lokantasi or Asmali Cavit or the fresh fish at Balikci Sabahattin. The city is full of surprises, multiple stories, histories and identities. You can always discover something new.

Library, Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, Istanbul

Caption here

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become famous. It perfectly reflects how the city and culture changed due to the huge wave of migration.

There are many delicious dishes in Turkish cuisine. Yoghurt is a very important ingredient so I would suggest people try manti, dumplings in a yogurt sauce. Ficcin would be a good spot to try manti and other traditional dishes. gOzde ilkin

artist

I was born in Kutahya in the west of Turkey but growing up I lived in several Turkish cities. I would describe my childhood as a time of displacement. I had the chance to experience different traditions and lives in every city we moved to. I have never felt that I belonged in a single place. I moved to Istanbul in 1999. Every neighbourhood I have lived in since then continues to change rapidly.

BurCak BingOl

Visual artist

I have lived in Istanbul for nearly seven years. In 2011, I was planning a move from Ankara to New York. Beforehand I had to spend a couple of months in Istanbul and something told me to stay. It was an intuitive decision and I’m very happy I made it. Ankara, where I grew up, is the capital and quite formal and homogenous in a way. Compared to Ankara, Istanbul is very unpredictable and irregular, which gives it its special character. I connect to Ankara through my own personal memories.

In Istanbul, I’m able to connect to the city through centuries of collected memory. I live in Beyoglu district, in Tarlabasi. I like its cosmopolitan feel and the fact it is in a constant state of transition. As an artist it is also important for me to be close to the art galleries and museums, which are mostly located in the neighbourhood. Lately history has inspired me a lot. I’m exploring the creative individuals who lived and shaped the culture before me. Their interpretations of Istanbul have strengthened my connection to the city. I’m interested in cultural identity and experimenting with material, form and image. My works are psychological landscapes that employ memory both materially and socially through ironic juxtapositions.

Growing up in Ankara, I wasn’t exposed much to Turkey’s Ottoman past.

Istanbul is living in different times at the same time. I’m interested in exploring the deeper meaning of localities and how knowledge shifts through time and place, especially in arts and crafts. These are very loaded subjects in a country where the past is either glorified or ignored. Istanbul is still a place that has a lot of mysteries for me and I really enjoy learning about it and reflecting on what I learn in my work. Taking a ferry to the Asian side of the Bosphorus is the perfect way to relax and think.

The people of Istanbul might not look that friendly at first but if help is needed they will surprise you with how much they care. Many artists and writers have brought meaning to Istanbul but lately historian and curator Ekrem Isin’s thoughts, expressed both during our occasional chats and in his writings, have inspired me. His Everyday Life in Istanbul, which inspired the title of my recent solo show Mythos and Utopia, is my favourite history of the city. The more you know about the cultural past, the better you understand the deeper social codes of the city.

Muhsin Bey by Yavuz Turgul is a 1980s film about the interaction between two characters, Muhsin Bey, a decent, principled Istanbulite and Ali Nazik, who has travelled to the city from southeast Turkey to release an album and

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When I started living in Istanbul, I realised that the city was constantly changing and has a self-resettling structure. I live in the Beyoglu neighbourhood, which I chose because of its central location, its proximity to Istanbul’s arts venues and its kinetic atmosphere. I am an artist and I work with fabrics that reinforce a sense of home, such as curtains, tablecloths and linens – fabrics that are part of traditional cultural structures and lifestyles. Istanbul is a city I meet anew every day – a place of encounter and discovery that provides opportunities for dialogues and collaborations.

I like to spend time in Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Museum, the Archeology Museum and Suleymaniye Mosque. If I want to escape from the crowds, I visit Istanbul Modern, Sakip Sabanci Museum, Pera Museum or Arter Art Space. Istanbul University’s botanical garden is one of the quietest places I have ever visited. Classical Turkish musician and composer Zeki Muren influences me with his costumes and stage performances. I would recommend reading Vapur, a story from Leyla Erbil’s collection Gecede and Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar’s novel Huzur. In Vapur the Bosphorus becomes a central character and in Huzur, Istanbul becomes the central character. I would recommend watching Atif Yilmaz’s 1994 film Gece Melek ve Bizim Cocuklar.

If somebody was visiting Istanbul for just 24 hours, I would recommend a stroll around Eminonu, Sultanahmet, Balat and the surrounding area. For food, visit Aret’s Place. You should also try the mussels and fish bread sold in Istanbul’s fishmarkets.

TRAVEL: ISTANBUL in other countries. Today my family and I live in Gumussuyu, an old neighbourhood on the Bosphorus. We enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere in the heart of the district of Beyoglu, where people from various cultures reside, and where we can watch the sun set over the Bosphorus. Istanbul is a unique and spectacular city where East meets West. I feel lucky to live here.

My father taught me how important art and culture are to our lives. I was born into a world of architecture and I had the chance to meet many of the leading architects from Turkey and the world. I didn’t study architecture but after I graduated, I went to Paris to finish my MBA. It never happened. In the 1980s and 1990s, Paris was still the capital of art and established and up-and-coming artists from all around the world were living and producing art there. I made many friends in the art world and that is how my art journey started.

ALI GURELI

Founder and chairman of Contemporary Istanbul art fair

My family is from Istanbul but I was born in Ankara, where my father, an architect, was designing government buildings such as hospitals and universities. We lived in Ankara for more than 20 years. Many of Turkey’s leading academics and creative personalities were born and raised in Istanbul and I count myself lucky that I still meet many of the friends I made in my youth.

Most of my extended family lived in Istanbul so we spent almost all of our holidays here and I remember my parents and grandparents having friends and neighbours of different origins and religions. I started living in Istanbul two years after I graduated from university and I have lived here ever since.

I have witnessed a beautiful city become a huge metropolis but I must admit that sometimes I miss the old days. My generation followed the generation of 1968 — the generation that produced philosophies and theories the world has discussed for decades. I witnessed Berlin with and without the wall and also the biggest and most important technological development the world has ever seen — the internet. Living through these changes, my generation found itself in a very creative but at the same time confusing environment.

In my country, we were the first generation that had the chance to travel and observe political, cultural and sociological cultural changes taking place Golden Horn view, Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah Istanbul

When I returned to Istanbul, I started purchasing my friends’ artworks. I also started visiting some international art fairs and when I first visited Art Basel, I immediately thought that Istanbul should have such an event. In 1992, I founded a company specialising in large conventions and in 2006 I founded Contemporary Istanbul (CI). We didn’t make a profit for the first five or six years, but thanks to my wife Rabia, who is vice chair, CI is now a major international art platform and central to Turkey’s thriving contemporary art scene.

There are many different ways to escape in Istanbul. My father’s preferred method was a leisurely cruise around the picturesque coastline — from short circuits on the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn to full-day excursions along the coast up to the Black Sea, having a wonderful meal on the boat or visiting one of the fish restaurants on the way. My favourite book about Istanbul is Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk. Its pages are filled with illustrations and photographs, some from Pamuk’s personal collection and others by renowned photographer Ara Guler.

A blend of three empires, eight bordering countries, four neighbouring seas and myriad ethnicities go into our cuisine. This food lovers’ city is crazy about seafood. Many seafood restaurants in Istanbul are lined up along the Bosphorus shore. I would also recommend Balikci Kahraman, which is famous for its delicious kalkan tandir (turbot tandoori). For traditional Turkish dishes, I would recommend Borsa for doner and Hunkar for karniyarik (stuffed aubergine). Located just steps from the Egyptian Bazaar in Eminonu, Hamdi restaurant is the best place to try fistikli kebap (kebab with pistachio).

Orient Terrace, Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah Istanbul

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You really won’t want the summer to end this year. We have 90 exciting ways to fill your summer days with so much fun!

Whether you prefer eating out at some of Dubai’s most iconic locations, learning to cook with award-winning chefs, working out in amazing surroundings or just lazing by the pool and relaxing, you’ll have a lot of trouble saying no to all 90 Ways! No matter what you decide, it will be the most exciting summer ever – and all with Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts.

DON’T COUNT DOWN YOUR DAYS M A K E Y O U R D AY S C O U N T

For more information, visit jumeirah.com/90ways

F

rankfurt is a slick city with museums, business buzz and a high-end foodie scene. But head just beyond its edgy skyscrapers and you’ll find a different world: one filled with lush green countryside, the massive Rhine river, vineyards and dozens of historic palaces and castles.

Here are five stops worth a visit:

1. Rheinstein Castle - Trechtingshausen Drive: One hour

Words: Danae Mercer

With sweeping views over the Rhine river, this pretty hilltop castle makes for a great afternoon visit. There’s a knights’ hall filled with impressive stainedglass windows, a chapel and a manicured garden filled with roses. Don’t be surprised if you spot a wedding here — the place is popular with brides looking for a fairytale ending.

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It also comes with a wealth of history. The castle was built in 900AD as a customs port for the German empire. It eventually fell into ruin, was bought by Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1832 and has a host of famous guests, including the British Queen Victoria and the Tsarina of Russia.

You can climb the steeply spiralling external staircases to enjoy the best views of this restored venue. On the second landing, be sure to look left.

Burg Reichenstein, another castle, is close enough to see.

travel: castles

the castles of Germany the countryside surrounding frankfurt is dotted with striking, romantic castles — some besieged by tourists, others not as well known. here are some of Germany’s finest castles, ideal for a magical day trip

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2. Biebrich Palace - Wiesbaden Drive: 35 minutes Filled with lush forests and 14 hot springs, Wiesbaden is the perfect place for a day trip from Frankfurt. In its heart, the scenic city is full of neoclassical buildings and charming markets. Go into the hills and you can discover one of Europe’s most historic spa towns, with parkland and tree-lined paths.

Amid all the charming greenery is Biebrich Palace. This three-winged baroque building has faced across the Rhine river since it was built in1702. For a while this historic structure served as the home to the dukes of Nassau.

Today its fountains and facades are protected, making it the ideal place for a postcard-perfect stroll.

3. Schlosshotel Kronberg - Taunus Drive: 25 minutes This is a castle with a long history of lovers. Queen Victoria's daughter, also called Victoria, reportedly met her future husband, the German emperor Friedrich III, on this spot when she was 11. They later married in 1858, although he did not live long after their union.

Schlosshotel Kronberg was designed as a homage by the widow to her late husband. Today it is stunning, filled with oil paintings, velvet couches, amber lights and a wealth of history.

For a treat, reserve a table for lunch. The castle’s five-star restaurant, which spills onto a terrace overlooking the golf course, is resplendent with romance.

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TRAVEL: CASTLES

4. Vollrads Castle - Oestrich-Winkel Drive: 48 minutes While Vollrads Castle might have a pretty manor house, an impressive turret from 1330 and flower-filled grounds, travellers don’t stop here simply for a lazy stroll — they come for the wine. This charming spot in the Rheingau region is home to Schloss Vollrads, one of Europe’s oldest wineries. From the 14th century, the Greiffenclau family ran the castle and vineyard. Tragedy struck in the 1990s when after nearly 800 years, the estate fell into severe debt and was taken over by a bank.

Today the protected castle is open to the public. Guests can roam the vineyards while sipping a dry Riesling or book into the kavaliershaus (previously a place where nobles stayed) for lunch.

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travel: castles

5. Neuschwanstein Castle - Schwangau Drive: 4.5 hours This castle might not be the easiest to reach in a day but as Germany’s most famous fort, it’s definitely worth a visit.

Its turrets should be familiar. The castle’s striking design served as inspiration for Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park. With an artificial cave, an inner garden and the stunning surroundings of the Alps, it’s tempting to get lost in the castle’s external beauty. The interiors are no less impressive.

Many of the rooms are inspired by composer Richard Wagner’s characters, rich with lavish charm.

If you do visit, be prepared to battle with crowds. Every year more than 1.3 million people travel to Neuschwanstein.

Deluxe room in Jumeirah Frankfurt with the city's stunning skyline as a backdrop

a MODerN PalaCe There’s nothing nicer than sinking into a sumptuous bed after a long day spent exploring castles. Book into Jumeirah Frankfurt, a sophisticated hotel in the heart of the city. The property is a great place to sample some of Rheingau’s fine Rieslings — or if you prefer bubbles, the elegant lobby lounge serves Veuve Cliquot.

The concierge can help you organise a trip to any of the castles mentioned above or anywhere else. If you’re in the hotel, visit the front desk or to book a stay, see jumeirah.com or email jfinfo@ jumeirah.com.

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COMFORT OF HOME IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

Experience effortless living in the heart of Dubai at Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residence.

Enjoy the finer things in life with our stylish and spacious apartments, in-room dining and services & amenities individually tailored to your needs. Take advantage of the prime location close to financial and central business districts as well as some of the city’s most notable sights and shopping malls.

Stay with us and also enjoy complimentary access to our private beach and Wild Wadi WaterparkÂŞ.

For more information, visit jumeirah.com/worldtradecentreresidence or call +971 4 511 0000.

swiss delights

Words: Rachel silvestri & ines Zangger/ images: getty and supplied

the italians might know all about la dolce vita but it’s the swiss who have perfected it with sumptuous chocolates and rich cheeses. Jumeirah samples a taste of pure swiss indulgence

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food: swiss

The soaring peaks and rolling hillsides of Switzerland

s

witzerland is a fairytale country of soaring peaks, rolling hills and storybook castles perched atop quaint towns. It’s unapologetically twee to the point of cliche, from the gingerbread-like chalets that dot the countryside to the candycoloured streets of Zurich’s financial capital. The country’s storied highlights trip off the tongue like fables – the romance of the Matterhorn, St Moritz’s glittering glamour and the combination of flair and precision that defines Geneva’s watchmaking pedigree.

ing experience, proving there is so much more to Switzerland than just its dairy delights. “As in watchmaking, lace and paper-cutting, also emblematic of Switzerland, the making of chocolate and cheese requires precision and precision leads to quality. I think this meticulousness symbolises Switzerland. I feel the most happy when sitting in front of my chalet after a delicious cheese dinner, listening to cowbells with a piece of chocolate in my hand while watching the sun go down over the Alps. That is my ideal Switzerland and the one I want to share with the world.”

But it’s in the details – the earthy richness of getting back to basics – that the true Swiss story can be found.

It's no coincidence that in the story of Heidi, she first expresses her affection for her grandfather over a creamy bowl of milk and rich, oozing cheese on toast. These moments of simple pleasure whisper deeply to the Swiss soul – and there are those who are taking steps to preserve the magic of this simplicity.

Only the Swiss could combine the very best of their neighbours' reputed national characteristics – French artistry and creativity, German precision, Italian passion – and transform these qualities, with the addition of some native je ne sais quoi, to make their own distinct culinary magic and come up with Swiss cheese and Swiss chocolate. It’s no coincidence that both rich dairy and a refined attention to detail are at the heart of both disciplines.

“Switzerland is a very small and mostly alpine country. There is only room for small-scale farming and cattle rearing. Every herd of cattle, every square metre of land, every patch of grass is precious and has to be preserved and maintained at all costs, requiring precision work,” says Marianne Dubuis, a master of yet another traditional Swiss art, decoupage, or paper cutting.

In fact, Dubuis’ intricate designs appear on the packaging of Cailler’s Swiss chocolates, a company with nearly 200 years of bean-to-bar chocolate-mak-

Giants of Swiss chocolaterie like Cailler and the biggest regions in cheesemaking such as Emmental and Gruyere keep the profile of the country’s dairy delicacies high. But it’s small-scale artisans who are preserving the industry’s soul, to everyone’s benefit.

Independent chocolatier Blondel, with its tiny atelier tucked into one of Lausanne’s tumbling streets, produces the absolute classics of the Swiss chocolate-making canon, including a mind-boggling array of pralines and truffles and huge slabs of hammered chocolate filled with dried fruits, nuts and a wide variety of flavours. Blondel credits “the continuity of the recipes and the ingenuity of the people who work in the field of chocolate” with

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Maison Cailler

the excellence of its products while also giving a tip of the hat to “the clean mountain air, Swiss grass, quality feed and the welfare of our animals” as the source of the superlative dairy in Switzerland.

If it’s a lungful of clean mountain air you’re after, a trip to the Alpine region of L’Etivaz will give you just that, plus a glimpse of how cheese is still made in the taxingly traditional way. Cheesemakers Joel and Laure Zulauff are a husband-and-wife team – again, the most traditional way to make cheese – who painstakingly produce the AOP (protected designation of origin) delicacy of L’Etivaz cheese by hand. With their chalet nestled in the Vaud Alps, just north and east of Lac Leman, they graze their cows on fragrant wildflower pasture before milking time as evening falls. In the morning the cream is skimmed from the evening milk, which is then placed in a huge copper cauldron, combined with the fresh morning milk and carefully heated to the precise temperatures needed over a wood fire. The process is continued by hand and by years of experience until the Zulauffs carry the curds from the pot in a giant muslin before pressing, turning and branding the cheese rounds. The cheeses are aged for up to seven days in the chalet before being transferred to the L’Etivaz caves where they will mature — but first the cheesemaker initials each round so L’Etivaz can always be traced back to its producer.

This labour-intensive and meticulous work is repeated by independent cheesemakers in more than 100 chalets in the L’Etivaz area and has remained unchanged for generations. L’Etivaz cheese was named in the 1930s, when a group of families producing Gruyere felt government regulations were causing a compromise of quality. They formed a cooperative in 1932 and founded their own cheese cellars in 1934 before naming the cheese after the village their chalets surrounded. That was when they first began to make cheese in much the same way Gruyere was produced 100 years ago — and they continue to do so today.

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food: swiss As in watchmaking, lace and paper-cutting, also emblematic of Switzerland, the making of chocolate and cheese requires precision and precision leads to quality.

I think that this meticulousness symbolises Switzerland

It is this obsessive search for purity and quality that hallmarks the very best of Swiss produce.

“It’s savoir-faire. The Swiss have the reputation of being ‘propre en ordre’: clean and tidy, meticulous, accurate, hardworking and always on time,” says Dubuis. “With cheese, you have to have precisely the right amount of rennet, the correct temperature, the right firewood, the right storage conditions. For chocolate, only the best ingredients are used, the whole process is [controlled] by time, everything has to be [perfectly executed]. It is a point of Swiss pride to be a perfectionist.”

SwiSS Time Try these Jumeirah indulgences for a little slice of switzerland wherever you travel La Prairie swiss Bliss treatment, Talise spa in Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

Even large-scale producers use their local dairies as much as possible. Cailler’s chocolate is only produced in Broc, an alpine community in the canton of Fribourg, with milk that comes from cattle grazed within 30 kilometres of the manufacture.

Switzerland might look like a fairytale land but its delicacies are the real thing.

Whether cheese or chocolate is your preference, you can enjoy your Swiss treat safe in the knowledge that it has been produced to the most meticulous standards — plain and simple.

Take 150 minutes to renew your whole body the Swiss way. Using renowned Swiss brand La Prairie’s products, including the renowned skin caviar, relax and be rejuvenated from top to toe.

Belgravia Experience, Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel

This shopping break in the heart of London begins with a full english breakfast before hopping on your bicycle with a takeaway picnic to enjoy in Hyde Park, a book chosen by Belgravia Books and a $26 voucher for either The Fine Cheese Company or Rococo Chocolates in montcomb Street. it’ll be Swiss treats all round. sLicE of HEAvEn Here’s where to find the delicacies and arts mentioned in the feature: L’Etivaz cheese: etivaz-aoc.ch; Cailler chocolate: cailler.ch Blondel chocolate: chocolatsblondel.ch Cheese trolley at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Marianne Dubuis’s decoupage: mariannedubuis.ch

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Words: Meryl D’Souza

travel

featured SpaceS Shang-high CuiSine, Jumeirah himalayaS hotel, Shanghai The Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel is a sight to behold. The 401-room hotel in Pudong, Shanghai, which sits just across from the exhibition centre, is hard to miss — especially at night, when the building designed by Arata Isozaki is a giant sparkling red cube.

The artsy feel doesn’t stop with the architecture. Inside, the hotel features a 40ft-tall lobby complete with 1,000 backlit Chinese characters on the walls and an LED screen on the ceiling. The lobby showcases the owner’s Chinese art collection.

Located on the sixth floor, Shang-High Cuisine stays true to its name with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer unobstructed, breathtaking views of the city. You will turn friends green with envy with Instagram snaps of the honey-coloured wooden dining room furnished with rows of hanging lanterns, wooden screens and scholar-style chairs.

But let's not forget why you're there. The hotel’s signature restaurant focuses on taking authentic local and regional flavours and elevating them to new levels of sophistication through the use of premium organic ingredients and contemporary presentation. We recommend the jumbo crystal river shrimp from the Yangtze and any one of the nutritious Cantonese double-boiled soups on offer.

Shang-High Cuisine serves lunch from 11.30am to 2.30pm and dinner from 6pm to 10pm daily. Call +86 21 3858 0728 or email JHSrestaurants@jumeirah.com to book a table

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The high life:

NAYA, JUMeiRAh BeACh hOTel, DUBAi

THE LOWDOWN: Authentic Indian food is the focus in Naya in the Jumeirah

to non-meat eaters, options such as tadka dhal (spicy lentil curry with

Beach Hotel. Under the expert guidance of head chef Pravish Shetty, the

caramelised garlic) and Amritsari chole (slow-cooked chickpeas in roasted

north Indian eatery promises traditional street-style cuisine served in a

coriander gravy) will please even the carnivores.

five-star environment.

Visit on Friday to experience the Maharaja Feast. Offering an alternative THE ATMOSPHERE: Vibrant and colourful, the family-friendly restaurant

to brunch with an all-you-can-eat meander through Delhi and the Punjab,

is warm and inviting from the moment you step through the door. Book

this is a banquet fit for a king and not to be missed.

a window seat for a spectacular view of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and watch its multicoloured light show as night falls.

INSIDER’S TIP: Order the signature dessert platter for a sweet experience straight from the back streets of India. You will sample the chef’s homemade

Words: Nina Catt

THE FOOD: From imaginative recipes to twists on old classics, Shetty

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treats for an authentic taste of India in the heart of Dubai.

brings every dish to life with his creativity. Signature dishes include butter chicken (chargrilled, served with a creamy tomato-fenugreek sauce),

BOOKING DETAILS: Naya is open seven days a week from 6.30pm to

masala lamb chops (char-smoked) and sarson lobster masala (where the

11.30pm. Friday lunch is served from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.

seafood is braised with potato, mustard masala and carom seed pulao).

Vegetarians needn’t miss out. With a large selection of the menu dedicated

Call +971 4 432 3232 or email restaurants@jumeirah.com

Tel: (+971) 4 337 7000 Email: ahmad@ahmadkurdi.com www.ahmadkurdi.com https://www/facebook.com/ahmadkurdifinejewellery | https://www.instagram.com/ahmadkurdifinejewellery

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