Fashionable Retreats

UAE executives have several stylish new resorts to check out this winter which are ideal for bleisure or clocking off from work entirely

- Dominic Ellis

I don’t know where to look on entering the first Bulgari resort in the Middle East. In the space where most hotels would have car parks is a luxurious marina and as I’m sweeping round in a buggy for the launch press conference, I could be walking into a five-star hotel rather than a yacht club.

Even by UAE standards, this is some property, where luxury starts at the entry level Superior rooms (AED3,500 a night) and keeps rising. I thought the four flagship Bulgari suites on the end of each corridor, each spanning 120sqm, couldn’t be eclipsed (AED9,000 a night) but that’s before I stepped into the 20 villas with their vast lounges, abundant light and terrace pools – one of which covers a mind-boggling 540sqm and can host up to 100 people. You’re looking at AED22,000 a night for a stay in the villas although if you want a luxury-budget option (if such a thing exists) you can rent out the cabanas for AED2,000 a day.

Walking through the grounds, enjoying the pleasant temperatures and lush landscaping, I could have been in any high-class Indian Ocean resort. Bulgari CEO JeanChristophe Babin gushed that it will be the “third landmark” in Dubai after Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab and whether you agree or not, it’s certainly distinctive with classy Italian residential furnishings and vintage celebrity photos.

F&B looks every bit as sharp as the fixtures with an attractive Lobby Lounge, waterside Il Café, La Spiaggia (beach) and Il Ristorante by Nik Romito which features a striking steel and bronze oval bar. A seafood Italian restaurant is located in the yacht club, which also contains a 360sqm ballroom, and Il Cioccolato boutique serves up branded chocolates. Naturally Bulgari jewellery and watches are on display in another boutique.