AustralianGourmetTraveller-June2018

22 GOURMET TRAVELLER

Form Hotel DubaiNeed a private yoga

session? A sneaker-cleaning kit? Guests have

access to a range of handy items and services

–frombabysittingtoskydiving–atthisnew

136-room hotel in Al Jadaf Culture Village,

on the bank of Dubai Creek. The hotel’s stark

white façade references traditional Dubai

architecture, while guestrooms are sleek and

contemporary. A rooftop pool and gym have

viewsoverAlJadafboatyards,andguests

can explore the neighbourhood on a range

of special-interest tours.designhotels.com

The Retreat Palm DubaiView the Gulf

and Dubai’s glittering skyline from an

airconditioned beachfront cabana at this

“holistic wellbeing” resort on Palm Jumeirah’s

East Crescent. Guests in 255 rooms and suites

can follow customised programs in the hotel’s

wellness centre, stafed by nutritionists, lifestyle

coaches and a “wellness chef”. There’s a fitness

centre, too, and a spa featuring a hammam and

treatments such as the Arabian 1001 Night Ritual:

a desert-sand scrub, massage and camel-milk

and date-extract facial.theretreatpalmdubai.com

Zabeel House Mini by JumeirahThis is

the smaller of two sister hotels in Al Seef,

a two-kilometre promenade of shops, cafés

and pop-ups along the south bank of Dubai

Creek. The no-frills mini version (pictured)

has 150 brightly coloured “pocket”-sized rooms

with Pop-Art maps of Dubai on ceilings, street

food-inspired restaurants and free bikes.

Next door is the more upmarket Zabeel House

by Jumeirah, which opened last month with

200 rooms, four restaurants and bars, and a

rooftop infinity pool.zabeelhouse.com

Downtime in Dubai

These new hotels focus on design, wellbeing and rooftop views.

THREE OF THE BEST

This new Portofino 126-litre-capacity oven from Smeg channels the

glamour of the Italian Riviera, imbuing it with high-tech on its way to your

kitchen. It has a Thermoseal cavity, triple-fan interior heat distribution

and is the most energy-eicient model of its size. Its 16 cooking functions

and 20 set-and-forget menus will make the after-work dinner rush

a lot easier. The only tough question: will it be sunshine yellow, olive

green, coral red or burnt orange?smeg.com.au/portofino

Add Greg Malouf into your cooking by the

perfumed spoonful with the chef’s signature

range of spices and pastes at The Essential

Ingredient. It includes chermoula ($14.95),

Turkish baharat ($8.25), Jordanian za’atar

($8.95), ras el hanout ($6.75) and red harissa

($12.95).essentialingredient.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL BOUD (BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE), CHRIS JANSEN (SPICES) & ALICIA TAYLOR (KNAFEH)

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