When one thinks of Africa, imagery of sun-burnt plains, gritty safaris and big cats often feature prominently in our minds. So when I heard the words ‘wellness’, ‘spa’ and ‘Namibia’ in the same sentence, I was intrigued to find out more.

Bliss… GocheGanas outdoor massage

GocheGanas Wellness Village is just 25 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek, and yet this place could be a million miles away. Beautifully poised on a hilltop with stunning views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

GocheGanas - a descriptive Damara name meaning Place of Camel Thorns, abounding with Candle-Pod Acacias – is luxury lodge of 16 chalets, designed with thatched roofs and local arts and crafts for an authentic feel. Featuring four-poster beds, outdoor showers, sunken baths and timber decks overlooking the Nature Reserve.

The spa retreat has 11 treatment rooms, a gym, yoga studio and a heated indoor swimming pool under a cathedral-style masonry vault,  not to mention an outdoor swimming pool offering breathtaking views.

Absolutely exceptional is the cave sauna built from the nature reserve’s own granite stones; these are heated by fire and immersed into fountain water to release their energy. A prolific spa menu offers outdoor massages, nutritional consultations and its signature massage, the Golden Dune Awakening Journey, which is named after the Namibian sand dunes. It begins with an exfoliation using dune sand, followed by a mineral-rich clay wrap, a facial using quartz stones and a calabash back massage using massage tools made from a dried-out indigenous plant. Bliss.

Of course, game drives are also offered, with 25 different wildlife species on the estate’s 6000 hectares, including a local family of rhinoceros.

www.gocheganas.com

Lauren Arena

With piracy costing the global economy upwards of $10 billion a year it might be time to consider engaging and killing pirates on sight according to a world leading defence analyst.

Executive Director at the Australian Defence Association, Neil James says piracy was only crushed in the 19th century because pirates were killed and becoming a pirate was like signing a death sentence.

"International rights do-gooders have essentially created more pirates and recreated a very serious international problem.

Out of control... Somali pirates

James was commenting in response to maritime security company Typhon's announcement that they will attempt to tackle the spread of piracy across the Indian Ocean with the world’s first private navy in almost 200 years. 

Typhon's offering is a tailor-made navy escort service to the commercial market, allowing ship operators to safely cross the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. Armed vessels, including a 10,000-ton mother ship and high speed armoured patrol boats, will be led by a former Royal Navy commodore along with 240 former marines and sailors as part of Typhon’s integrated protection model.

James, says this modern twist on a Letter of Marque is only a quick fix. 

“It’s purely a case of the commercial market filling a vacuum because the United Nations have their arms tied,” says James.

“A private security convoy is a reactive measure, they’re operating as a guard force and can't proactively engage with pirate vessels in order to address the problem and really make a difference in the long term.”

The company’s CEO, Anthony Sharp, says, “The areas we will protect are too vast for current naval resources to monitor effectively and this will be an even bigger issue when Operation Atlanta comes to an end”.

Winding down... Operation Atlanta

“With millions paid out in ransoms to pirates and much more money lost by businesses in fuel costs avoiding pirates, it is important that businesses are granted a safer passage with their cargo through dangerous waters.”

But safe passage doesn't come cheap. A private navy escort will cost between $5000 and $10,000 dollars per day.

Under current United Nations Security Council (UNSC) laws a person engaged in piracy must be taken into custody to undergo a fair criminal trial before being charged. According to James, this is at the heart of the problem.

He suggests Somali pirates have become more flexible, adaptable and better organised and have more modern weapons and communications. Western naval analysts also say they are extending their range to the Oman sea.

“Pirates are operating across enormous distances and Somalia has become a 20th century Tortuga,” says James.

Piracy is spreading rapidly from its Somali roots across the Indian Ocean as far as the Gulf of Guinea, Bangladesh and Indonesia, yet the EU naval presence in the Gulf of Aden is due to end in 2014.James says the UNSC needs to revise its laws in order to stamp out piracy for good, but doubts whether the necessary changes will ever occur.

Humble beginnings... Typhon's fleet

“An international agreement would require a pirate atrocity to take place in order to concentrate international minds on the issue,” he says.

Typhon is set to escort its first convoy of oil tankers and bulk carriers in April, but there's still a lot of work to be done before then.

The first of Typhon’s intended fleet of 10 ships, a 130-foot container vessel, is currently being retrofitted in Abu Dhabi and the crew of ex-Royal Marines and sailors is yet to be hired.

To-date the company has acquired three container vessels, only one of which is expected to be ready in time for the inaugural voyage in April, while Sharp and his management team attempt to finalise an insurance deal with Lloyd's of London. 

Mark Eggleton

Dripping with sweat and on the verge of hallucinating I sit and squirm on a heat conducting marble slab in the Oriental Hammam inside Dubai’s One&Only Royal Mirage resort. Underneath me is the heat source for the steam room and I shift uncomfortably while wondering when I’ll begin to fry through my rather fetching paper y-fronts.

One&only... the best Hammam in the Middle East

Across the small room on the cooler timber bench are two largish chaps who could be gorillas in the mist due to my current hallucinatory state. They are in fact two expat Libyans who sense the pasty, sweating white man can only speak English so they change languages for my benefit.

Dropping their intense Arabic conversation the larger well-waxed chap says: “Gaddafi’s son, Saif Al Islam, he threw the best party in Monaco a few years ago on the biggest yacht in the harbour. He spent $40 million US and there were so many beautiful hookers for all of us – more than one each.”

They both looked across at me hoping to elicit some sort of response and I didn’t disappoint … “Was each one more beautiful than the last,” I enquired.

“Ah yes … all models … supermodels. He knew how to throw a party. So much money and many women and drugs. Very good for Libya. He was a good ambassador for the country. Everyone went to his parties – princes, politicians and celebrities.

“Any women guests?” “No just the hookers,” my newfound Libyan friend replied.

I was about to ask where Saify-boy might have acquired the coin to throw such a monstrous party when my masseur returned to take me further inside the hammam for a solid scrub. I’d had my pineapple, mint and apple juice and was keen for a vigorous rubdown.

Time to relax... One&Only spa

A massage is one of my favourite rituals after a flight. An hour or two of complete bliss while stiff muscles and tight joints are slowly worked back to their prime. I’d been in Dubai for around 24-hours and had just interviewed the tennis player Roger Federer. He had exuded the detached bonhomie of the truly disinterested as I asked about his career, passions and love of Moet & Chandon.

As a reward for not doing a whole lot I had decided a traditional Moroccan massage might be in order and it was proving to be quite an excellent experience.

The One&Only spa is a complete oasis – a haven of winding corridors turning this way and that with dramatic archways leading into the Hammam. Once inside the calming sound of running water echoes from the ornately tiled walls and a richly scented fug of steam blurs the vision as sweat pours out of every pore. It’s oddly invigorating because of my deluded belief that every bead of sweat was a toxin being forcibly escorted from my inner being.

I’m led into a small room and lie down on a pleasantly warm marble slab where the attendant slowly washes me with cool water. He then applies with gusto a covering of Moroccan black soap and scrubs rather vigorously with an exfoliating glove that draws away dead skin. There’s plenty.

He holds up the glove at regular intervals to show me the thick layer of ooze I happily seemed to wear every day. A lot seemed to be coming off and I wondered if so much of my skin was dead, maybe I was too. Maybe I’m a zombie – it would certainly account for my pastiness.

Exotic... One&Only spa

When I’m reduced to a few vital organs contained within a skeleton the masseur stops. It’s back to the steam room. Unfortunately, my Libyan friends have gone. I’m alone and slowly start to construct a political thriller in my head. Yes it involves Libyans, hookers, drugs and a couple of nuclear weapons and it’s all set in Dubai – a city designed by spoilt billionaires who never grew up.

Just as my thriller gets to the interesting bit my masseur beckons. He ushers me back to my private slab for a eucalyptus ghassoul body wrap and a black Yemen honey facial before a massage and final cool hand wash.

From there I was led back into a chillout area and served Moroccan tea with dates. I had never felt so calm, clean and relaxed. All I could hear was the sound of running water and the gentle slap of flip-flops on tile.

While sipping the tea and slowly sliding into a daydream, a gentleman from Abu Dhabi suggests a game of chess. We share tea and dates while chatting about Dubai and the state of its finances and construct a good mannered diplomatic stalemate on the chessboard.

After he took my Queen he remarked that this was the “Best Hammam in the Middle East. I fly from Abu Dhabi to come here every Saturday.”

There was no argument from me as long as he didn’t mention the progeny of despots or hookers or super yachts and blow. I just wanted to be in my happy place.

royalmirage.oneandonlyresorts.com/

Amy Hughes

Like so many of the Arab nations, Egypt’s tourism sector has been hit hard. Gone are many of the tourists who swoop to Cairo to take in the pyramids. And, even Sharm el Sheikh, the popular dive and snorkel resort on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, known for being a safe haven, is now suffering.

Time to kick back... the Ritz Carlton

With weekly protests over President Mohammed Morsi’s sweeping legislative changes removing a check and balance system, Britain’s foreign office has issued warnings to tourists. 

As a journalist, I tend to like to fly into places just as others are hoping to get out. But there’s no reason to bail on a vacation to Sharm these days. If anything, now is a great time to go, with no crowds to battle for towels on beach loungers. Protests are held away from the big hotel areas and tourists are not at all under threat. The Egyptians in the tourism sector are friendlier than ever, and keen to strike good bargains.

So after we negotiate a price for the ride to the Ritz Carlton, we sit back and enjoy the view before making it through the ultra-secure entrance gates.

Bliss... Sharm el Sheikh

The “wow” factor is in the sweeping, full-length windows that hit us with a view of the endless pool and beach as soon as we enter the lobby. It’s the rocking chairs I spot first – a few of them out on the terrace near the bar, looking out at the sea. I’m already saving my spot for happy hour.

The pool is like a series of 20 metre tiles snaked together, a perfect training ground for enthusiastic swimmers, myself among them. And just a few steps beyond, is a wonderfully non-manicured beach. That’s right. No one comes along and combs the beach at the end of the day. This, is the real thing. Natural sand dunes create five separate coves along the edge of the Red Sea. Straw umbrellas look like slanted sombreros in this very authentic setting.

And there are those rocking chairs again. This time a few are dotted around private sun decks nestled in the sand. There’s something about a rocking chair that’s instantly soothing, even without sitting in one. It’s a symbol of calm and peacefulness. The rockers, and an even better version – the hammock, all invite casual lounging. I stare out at the sea, falling into a timeless reverie.

For more deliberate relaxation, massages are done on the beach, in a small tented pavilion right out on the edge of the dunes with the sound of waves providing a hypnotic soundtrack.

Intimate and tranquil... Sea Front Villa Room

Set on a coral reef, the Ritz attracts non-residents for its fish tank; an enclosed swimming area where masks and fins aren’t required to see beautiful, finned creatures in technicolour. It’s this ease of use that really works at the Ritz. Everything one needs to unwind, from the views, to the rockers, to the instant underwater gratification, is instantly accessible.

There’s no faffing, no equipment needed, no organising to do. No long walks from one place to the other, just a few steps, and you’re there.

When we finally pull ourselves up from the horizontal state, we jump in the pool for water aerobics. Yes, water aerobics. We’re both sceptical we’ll be able to burn off breakfast, but Mohammed gets us going and has us doubled over in fits of laughter. He’s just one of many friendly and attentive staff members who all seem eager to please.

Several rooms, including ours, have direct access to the pool. Beds are comfy, linens soft. One of the best parts about this hotel is the one we don’t even notice until we’re ready to leave – the location of the Kids Club. Seemingly by design, it’s perfectly located at the front of the hotel, divided by the large reception building, from the rest of the resort. It’s an ingenious way of allowing both kids and adults have their own space without disturbing one another. The little ones have everything they need: a water park with a sandy beach, connected to a lazy river where they can cruise in small canoes. There’s even a bar and cafe at hand for parents who want to chill out with their children.

And for those of us without kids, the popular nightlife of Na’ama Bay is just a short cab ride away. There, it’s easy to find bars, restaurants, and a maze of local stalls to weave through.

Ritz Carlton Sharm el Sheikh

www.ritzcarlton.com

Amy Hughes 

The best seafood in Sharm el Sheik ... Fares

“What’s the best seafood restaurant in town?” I ask a trusted friend and British expat who moved to Sharm el Sheikh five years ago. Without pausing, she answers “Fares. The one in the old market is busier, but the one in El Mercato is slightly better – either way, it’s the best.”

Egypt isn’t known for its food. In fact, its cuisine is known as an amalgamation of other flavours and recipes from around the region, with no stand-out dish. A typical breakfast is foul medames, a heavy bowl of broad beans in a thick sauce. It’s tasty, but one serving is a bit like swallowing a brick. So my rule when in Egypt is generally to stick to Lebanese food. After two nights at Fairuz, a good, but expensive Lebanese restaurant in Sharm el Sheikh’s busy Na’ama Bay, I’m desperate for fresh seafood away from the tourist zone where men call out, “Hey spicy baby.”

A taxi driver drops us off just outside the old market where business is suffering from a steep drop in tourism. The Arab Spring has had a knock-on effect, with a new president limiting checks and balances, and instituting controversial laws, causing protests twice a week even in this seaside town known for its diving. Here, the men hawking jewellery and embroidered shirts do the soft-sell, instantly discounting prices to lure the handful of tourists.

We spot Fares instantly on a brightly lit corner. Tourists and locals crowd the place and two steps in, I’m eyeing up dishes.

Great variety... fresh seafood at Fares old market

I see aubergine salads but none on the menu. “Behind the counter, at the back,” directs the waiter. My companion knows better than to stop me as I make a bee-line for the back. There are trays of soft, slow-roasted eggplant mixed with garlic, parsley, onions and tomatoes, and plum tomatoes stuffed with garlic and parsley, chickpeas, and a beetroot paste. I order the eggplant and tomatoes and head back to choose the fish.

The salads are the kind one expects to get in Israel or Italy – places known for juicy, ripe tomatoes, and a judicious use of fresh herbs. This is not the kind of food that springs to mind amid the desert.

I start browsing the classics – grilled calamari, and baked sea bass, but I have to try the fish tagine. And then I spot the red herring – lobster fajitas. Yep, lobster fajitas, in Egypt, and we’re not even at a Western restaurant. At $16, the bargain is too hard to pass up, never mind the “wow” factor.

After our second round of aubergine, a small, deep crock brimming with chunks of white fish, calamari, and prawns in a light tomato sauce riddled with translucent diced onions is set down on the table. The waiter turns it upside down to fill the plate, and I can’t even wait for it to cool before trying it. One bite reveals the uniqueness of the sauce – the saffron. It’s enough to be present, but not overpowering. It’s a sauce I could eat by the spoonful, and indeed, attempt to. I’d never have expected it, nor thought of putting the two together, but it’s a brilliant pairing.

The lobster fajitas arrive in typical fashion, on a sizzling platter of caramelised onions and peppers. While the actual lobster portions are fairly small, I can’t fault the veggies. It’s as if the chef did time in one of the local TGI Friday’s restaurants long enough to master the American/Mexican favourite.

Stuffed and sated, we finish with a typical Egyptian glass of lemon juice, topped with strawberries. We think we’ve ordered Fares’ best, and are already plotting what we’d order again, or try on our next visit. Our only regret is it’s our last night and with no idea of our return to Sharm, we may have no choice but to try these recipes at home.

Fares Seafood Restaurant

Old Market +2 069 366 30 76

El Mercato +2 069 366 35 55

Town in heaven... Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi

Dusit International, one of Asia’s leading hotel brands is set to open its first luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi early next year.

Located in the city’s new business and government district, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi features 402 lavish guest rooms and suites and 131 serviced apartments. 

“Abu Dhabi is emerging as one of the most sought-after business hubs in the region and we see enormous potential for a world-class business hotel in the capital,” says General Manger Scott Mawhinney.

“We are confident that with its superb strategic location, the new Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi will prove a major attraction to local, regional and international business travellers to the UAE capital seeking comfort, security and convenience.”

The hotel, whose Thai name means ‘town in heaven’, blends modern architecture with innovative design. Each room in the 37-storey glass tower features a mix of traditional Thai influences and contemporary luxuries.

The hotel also offers a spacious conference centre with a variety of function rooms, including a 785 square metre ballroom that can host up to 2,000 guests.

www.dusit.com/dusit-international

Kenya is one of few places where Mother Nature still reigns supreme. For me, it’s the wildlife – those wondrous beasts we gawk at with equal amounts of fear and admiration – that makes a visit to Kenya truly worthwhile.

Majestic... Laikipia Plateau

The Laikipia Plateau is one of the country’s lesser-known wildlife areas.

Stretching from the foothills of Mount Kenya to the shores of Lake Baringo, the plateau is divided into huge wildlife conservancies, and is home to more endangered species than anywhere else in East Africa.It's the place to see Jackson’s hartebeest, Beisa oryx, Waller's gazelle, and Somali ostrich. 

But in amongst the various wildlife populations are a plethora of ranches and camps where luxury travellers can get up close and personal with Kenya’s rare desert species.

Luxury eco-lodge... Borana

Borana Lodge, the inspiration behind Disney’s The Lion King, is an obvious choice. 

Home to the Dyer family for three generations, the lodge houses eight cottages within the vast Ewaso ecosystem and overlooks the Samangua Valley and lake, where large elephants populations often enjoy a quick dip.

Whether you’re on the lookout for the endangered black rhino, or searching for Gravy’s zebra,  a bush dinner on Pride Rock at sundown is a must.

Lemarti's Camp is another gem – a little-known designer camp established by Anna Trzebinski and her Samburu warrior husband Lemarti.

Situated on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river, Lemarti’s camp takes camp-goers off the beaten track – literally. There are no safari vehicles or armed guards here and guests walk through the jungle with Samburu warriors who only carry traditional weapons.

In the wild... Joy's Camp

Five stylish safari tents with ensuite bathrooms open to the skies as Lemarti encourages cultural interaction with both the local tribesmen and the land.

Like Lemarti's, Joy’s Camp is in amongst the arid lands of the Samburu. The ten chic canvas bedrooms have breathtaking views of the surrounding hills and overlook a large natural spring where elephant and lion jostle for watering rights with herds of buffalo. 

Each tent has its own private veranda, ideal for game viewing, and is uniquely decorated with handmade glass and vibrant fabrics of the local nomadic tribes.

The camp is built on the site of Joy Adamson’s tented home in Shaba National Reserve, the same place Penny the leopard, the herione of Joy's last book, called home.  

Tented luxury... Richard's Camp

Set amongst a grove of enormous African olive trees, Richard's Camp overlooks the open plains characteristic of the Mara, where local wildlife is a frequent addition to the campsite.

At night, guests can dine in the bush alongside the hippo pools and then head back to camp on a night safari with the chance of spotting the elusive zorilla or genet cat. 

www.magicalkenya.com

In Sydney, executive chef of Patisse, Vincent Gadan and Out of Africa chef and owner Hassan M’Souli rolled up their sleeves for a unique sweet flavour of Morocco demonstration.

“We are so excited to have Fabrizio visit Australia to promote his beautiful property, its cooking school and Morocco as a very exciting and exotic  holiday destination,” say Prior, whose company can arrange a myriad  of customised luxury experiences to Morocco.

“It’s the first time Fabrizio has visited Australia, and judging by our urge to learn more about Morocco’s cuisine, it won’t be his last.  Food and travel, of course, complement each other very well.” says Carol.

The family background of Fabrizio Ruspoli is as fascinating as the hotel the family owns in Morocco – La Maison Arabe. His parents were Prince Mario Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa, an Italian aristocrat and important filmmaker in the 1950s-60s, and Claude Delmas, from a prominent French shipping family.

In the late 1950s, Fabrizio fell in love with Morocco when he and his brother began spending their summer holidays at their archaeologist grandmother’s home in Tangier, Morocco.

After graduating from La Sorbonne, and before becoming a hotelier in Morocco, Fabrizio had his own headhunting firm, and was later an antiques dealer in Paris, specialising in 18th century French furniture. He moved to Morocco in 1992, and three years later bought La Maison Arabe, which had been a famous restaurant in the medina of Marrakech, started by two enterprising French women in the 1940s.

After two years of renovation work, he re-opened La Maison Arabe in January 1998 as the first boutique hotel in town.

In 2001, Fabrizio launched the first cooking school in the Kingdom of Morocco. A half-day cooking workshop at La Maison Arabe has become a “must do” activity for visitors to Marrakech. Fabrizio has a passion for music, and is actively involved in organising important classical music and piano recitals in Marrakech.

The story of La Maison Arabe began in the early 1930s, when two enterprising French women, Hélène Sébillon-Larochette, and her daughter, settled in Marrakech.

In 1946, the pasha of Marrakech granted them the right to open the first restaurant to foreigners in the medina, and provided a servant from his nearby palace to teach them the intricacies of Moroccan cuisine. Winston Churchill, who came often to Marrakech in his later years, would dine regularly at La Maison Arabe.

In 1995, the property and an adjoining riad were purchased by a descendant of a noble Roman family, prince Fabrizio Ruspoli.

After three years of renovation, during which time he was responsible for every detail of the craftsmanship and decoration, Fabrizio reopened La Maison Arabe in early 1998 as the first riad-hotel in Marrakech. The hotel has grown over the years, and in 2008 doubled in size by adding an adjoining property that had been the stables of the pasha’s palace.

Since 2000, guests can take advantage of the hotel’s Private Casbah Gardens, 15 minutes outside the city by complimentary shuttle, and reserved exclusively for guests of La Maison Arabe.

Today, La Maison Arabe has grown to boast 26 guest rooms and suites, two restaurants, two swimming pools (either on-site in the medina or at the Private Casbah Gardens), a new spa/hammam, and a world-renowned cooking school.

Despite a rapidly changing hotel landscape in Marrakech, La Maison Arabe remains among the most prestigious and sought-after hotel and restaurant addresses. Both the hotel and its cooking school have been praised in the international travel, design, and food & wine press.

In 2009, it was included by the prestigious L’Officiel Voyage magazine among “The 110 Most Beautiful Hotels in the World”, and is described by Frommer’s as “the epitome of Moroccan elegance”.

www.moroccobypriorarrangement.com  
Morocco by Prior Arrangement
LUXURY CUSTOMISED TRAVEL
+212 5 24 42 24 91
+212 6 61 42 24 90
info@moroccobypriorarrangement.net

La maison Arabe

1 Derb Assehbé
Bab Doukkala
Marrakech Médina
Maroc
Tél : (+212) 5 24 38 70 10
Fax : (+212) 5 24 38 72 21
reservation@lamaisonarabe.com
maisonarabe@menara.ma

Nowadays the wind is used to power Bahrain’s megaskyscrapers, like the mighty turbines between the gleaming sails of the 290m World Trade Centre. 

But for thousands of years wind towers were an ancient architectural technique used in Bahrain to cool buildings.  They’re now coming back into fashion, and it’s less about substance, and more about style.    

The old city of Muharraq is filled with traditional Bahraini homes and buildings.  Everywhere you look, there are structures with the signature chimney, divided into four parts like an X, revealing the wind tower.  My guide is restoration builder Khaled Shoaibi.

The wind tower, or catcher, is an architectural device designed thousands of years ago to help create ventilation, acting as a sort of air conditioner. It functions by catching cooler breezes at higher levels and directing them into the interior of buildings.  We’re headed to a historical house to see how it works, as Khaled explains why wind towers aren’t actually practical these days.

“Usually they are used in a family setting.  Like to make coolness for the place they are sitting.  But now, they are doing just like a design, like a facade, but it’s still working.  They make it decorative to show this is part of the tradition.  Because of the weather and the luxurious life, people now have air conditioning so they don’t need wind towers now.  Our temperature is reaching 45-48 [degrees celcius] at the summer and here in Bahrain we have a lot of humidity. “

Khaled says that in this extreme humidity people often feel like they are unable to breathe. It’s for this reason that the “badgir” has been trumped by more efficient, cost-effective cooling systems. In spite of this however, there has been a resurgence in traditional Bahraini design, says Khaled.

“People still love the traditional style of architecture. I feel it more now than before.  A lot of people are trying to make their own houses reflect Bahraini design.”

Khaled and his partners are the only builders in Bahrain constructing traditional wind towers.

“The idea came from me and my partners to create a company that can repeat that traditional building and we should teach the Bahraini people or the Bahraini youth how we can build a Bahraini building.  We started to search for these people who have proper experience like the masons.  It was very difficult to find somebody with experience in that kind of building, but we found an old mason, the youngest is 60 years old, but they are in good health.  We brought young Bahrainis and gave them the concept of what we are doing. We want to repeat our tradition because you cannot find this even in a lot of Gulf countries.”

Khaled explains that places like Iran where there’s a big difference between daytime and night time temperatures, are better suited to the wind catchers which reduce the actual temperature by 5-7 degrees. We arrive in Muharraq to tour one of Khaled’s projects …a new large, modern restaurant.  They’re building a wind catcher for a small outdoor patio where guests can smoke shisha.  In search of the traditional, we turn a few corners and head down some old alleyways until we arrive at the sight of Muharraq’s historical wind tower.

"Windcatchers" in Yazd, Iran. Photo: N. Kasraian

We enter an old home built of coral stone and in the family sitting room we feel the breeze come down the X-shaped chimney, swirling cool air around.   The coral stone they brought from the sea and cut like thin stone.

 “See, you feel it.  It’s coming straight down.  That’s why they call it wind catcher.  They build it in the X-shape and keep it open in four directions so anywhere they can catch the air, and it drops down the chimney.   Usually we sleep on the roof in summer because it’s too hot.  We have wooden shutters and recesses in the roof to act as wind catchers, too.    It’s another type of wind catcher used as a parapet in the roof. “

The recess and parapet literally create a ricochet effect, directing the wind and cooling the space.   Khaled explains not every Bahraini family has wind towers…something he’d like to change.

“Not all the houses are building wind towers, only people who can afford it.  We are coming back to these things and trying to develop these traditional things to be suitable for modern buildings. It will take time, but for now people are interested at least to do something in the facade.  This is the beginning.”

Khaled is already working on wind towers in other parts of the Gulf.  If the revival catches on, the ancient tradition could prove more than a rich facade.

Bahrain’s capital city, Manama, is a sea of shopping malls.  There’s high end, low end, and lots in between.    

The hotel landscape isn’t as vast.   A handful of chain hotels dot downtown Manama, but few can boast free wi-fi and large rooms, which is where Fraser Suites excels. 

 Everything about this hotel, with its 90 suites and penthouse apartments, is easily accessible. The hotel is directly attached to the Seef Mall, I’m told the first in Manama, and now, sadly out-glitzed by a number of other newer malls. 

But there are still plenty of boutiques and restaurants to keep one entertained for at least an afternoon or evening.  And the hotel will happily provide a shuttle service to the nearby City Centre Mall, where there’s a French hypermarket to fill the fridge. 

Even if you’re not into shopping, these malls boast 20-screen cineplexes, which , frankly, I wish I had time to indulge in.  Films are shown in Arabic, Hindi, and English. 

As with all hotel rooms, the key to a good one is the layout, even more so for a hotel appealling to the corporate and family market.  I’m staying in a one bedroom and it really does feel like the kind of place I’d like to live in. 

I’m spoiled for choice about a work location – there’s the desk in the living room, or the fantastic L-shaped couch (my preference).  The decor is modern and stylish, with lots dimmable lights and not a single drop in the broadband line. 

Apartments are fitted with microwaves, washing machines and ironing boards, if you’re so inclined.  And the Phillip Thomas Roth toiletries are worth taking.

The business centre is a delight for its ease of use: computers, printers, and no key needed for entry.  Attached to it is a small, darkened room with a big screen TV, two Lazy-Boys and a video game console.  I’m not sure the location inside the business centre is ideal, but it’s a great feature for stir-crazy kids.

The gym is no broom closet, equipped with CV machines, weights, and even machines that do the stretching for you, which is how you know you’re in the Gulf.   And the outdoor pool is a decent size for a city hotel.

Breakfast was a buffet of Anglo-Arabic treats.  I look forward to the spicy eggs every morning, a combination of scrambled, with green chillies, tomatoes and a green vegetable similar to spinach. 

Eggs are cooked to order, on request, but it’s not really necessary with all the options on offer … there’s the classic Egyptian breakfast of foul, a mixture of beans, tomatoes and spices, and very American pancakes. 

There’s a wide selection of cheeses, hummus (yes, for breakfast), and plenty of sweets – from the local nut-filled baklavas, to good old fashioned doughnuts.

Most important of all, is the helpful staff.  

Of particular note is Theresa, who’s been a fantastic navigator through the local taxi system.  Anyone who’s been once knows Manama taxis rival London on price.  It generally winds up cheaper to hire a car and driver for a half or full day, but even that will tax your expense account.  Theresa has pulled out all the stops and negotiated a rate with her personal driver, a lovely Indian expat, to cart me around.   She’s even phoned me on her day off to make sure the arrangements worked out OK.

 Olivier, the manager, has ferried me to the mall when no one else was around to do it, before knowing the reason for my stay.

All in all, it’s been a great stay at the Seef Suites. If I’m honest, I’m thankful the Seef Mall is a mini-version of the rest in town.  It’s a perfect break from the workload, but avoids becoming a serious distraction. The Fraser may not have flash, but it’s got something even better – a low key, relaxing place to work and stay.

Fraser Suites – Seef Mall

Road 2825

Block Al Seef 428,

 Building 2109
+ 973 17569333