The Mandarin Oriental Doha is a hotel that seemingly took forever to open. First announced in 2005, its construction began back in 2006, only for the global economic downturn of 2008 to put a spanner in the works, halting the project until a little after Qatar had been awarded the…
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Amanresorts currently boasts 34 properties around the world, but for Aman Junkies looking for a getaway in Europe that’s got most of the flavour of the original Amanpuri of Phuket, then there’s only one place to go – the Amanzoe in Greece. Why? Because the group’s other two properties in…
Monaco is one of those places that I’d imagine most of you readers know rather well. I certainly thought I did, but – after a recent visit at the invitation of SBM – I realised there was still much for me to learn. For example, did you know that Monaco…
1. Flamingo Room is the brainchild of Natasha Sideris, a South African of Greek descent whose rapidly growing group now owns 25 restaurants and cafés, including 17 in South Africa and eight in Dubai (six Tashas Cafés, a Greek taverna called Avli, Galaxy Bar, and its most successful concept –…
Artists gathered from across the globe in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh this January for the beginning of the annual Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium, a month-long creative residency in which the participants create large-scale works in a public setting. Previously, the event was a competition with only one winner. However,…
What makes a hotel great? Clearly space, design, service and amenities all play their part but given the top tier of the industry is all too aware that they’re competing on these points, the difference – more often than not – comes down to details and the coalescence of all…
Going to Disney World is a childhood rite of passage, no doubt about that. And you’re reminded of this as you drive in from Orlando’s international airport because there’s a huge and colourful gateway spread across the motorway that reads: “Walt Disney World, The Most Magical Place on Earth” –…
The second edition of Noor Riyadh (part of the Riyadh Art programme), ran from November 3rd to the 19th last year, transforming Saudi Arabia’s capital into a glittering gallery without walls. This festival, which was three times larger than the inaugural one, gathered over 130 artists from more than 40…
No other sporting event can compete in significance to the FIFA World Cup. It is by far the most-watched programme in the world today with over half the globe tuning in to catch their favourite footballers and teams vie against one another. But there’s something about the game of football…
When The Mercer opened in Manhattan on the corner of Prince and Mercer, 25 years ago – as the sister hotel to Hollywood’s legendary Chateau Marmont – it was groundbreaking in so many ways. Not only was it the first luxury hotel to open in SoHo, it also offered a…