The welcome
From the coastal road that runs most of the length of Sharjah city, it’s not difficult to spot the new Sheraton, which dominates the skyline. Access to valet parking is up a quite narrow, steep driveway. The valets whisk luggage to the room while check-in is completed. I’m then pointed in the direction of one of two main sets of lifts.
The neighbourhood
About as far east as you can travel in Sharjah before crossing into Ajman, the immediate area is mostly residential, apart from the neighbouring four-star Coral Beach Resort. Road links are as convenient as they get in Sharjah, although avoid arrival or departure during rush hours, when traffic snarls up through city-centre exit routes. Luckily, you won’t need to leave during your stay, with beach, pool, restaurants and spa all self-contained within the resort.
The room
My seventh-floor premier deluxe sea-view room is at a perfect height to enjoy views of the pool, beach and Arabian Gulf. Everything conforms to Sheraton’s colour palette of browns, beiges and creams, just skimming on the classy side of bland. There’s a matching two-berth sofa and armchair, a sitting chair with footstool and a work desk with chair and TV, as well as built-in wardrobes with copious storage. Lighting includes nifty fold-out bedside reading spotlights, although a master switch near the bed would be a smart addition. There’s an alarm clock/iPod dock next to the enveloping king bed, embellished by a towering headboard with a dome-shaped mashrabiya section. The bathroom is spacious, with a bath, plus separate cubicles for the shower and the toilet/bidet.
The service
Excellent, if a little overzealous at times in efforts to impress.
The scene
You start to see the same faces throughout a weekend here, which lends a reassuring familiarity. The Sheraton is popular with families, although perhaps unexpectedly for a dry hotel, the piped music in the hotel corridors is distinctly party-ish – I hear everything from funky dance tunes to Kanye West. It lightens the mood and seems to catalyse friendly interactions between passing guests. The games room, with foosball, pool and table tennis, proves a popular social hub, too. A free electric shoe-shining machine near the lift is a handy all-hours touch.
The food
Dinner on the first evening is at the Middle Eastern outlet Arjwan, which wields a real flair for updated Arabian dishes, most notably Bedouin spiced camel (Dh50) – accompanying green dill rice, pomegranate and pine nuts complete a hearty main in UAE national colours. Breakfast (Dh75) at all-day-dining spot Gusti offers most standard options, from pancakes to omelettes and fresh juices, while the dinner buffet (Dh150) at the same venue isn’t a huge spread, but throws in more unusual Indian desserts, including seviyan and watalappam. My favourite, though, is Al Qubtan, a sea-view restaurant that majors on oceanic delights such as crab cakes with curry aioli (Dh60).
Loved
The room, Al Qubtan, the pool and a 60-minute Balinese massage (Dh350) at Shine Spa.
Hated
Some stale bread in Arjwan.
The verdict
A family-friendly five-star with tip-top, value-for-money rooms.
The bottom line
Double rooms at the Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa (www.sheratonsharjah.com; 06 563 0000) cost from Dh420 per night, including Wi-Fi and taxes, but excluding breakfast.
This review was done at the invitation of the hotel.
aworkman@thenational.ae
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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Company%20Profile
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Elina Svitolina (UKR) [3] v Jennifer Brady (USA)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]
Not before 7pm:
Sofia Kenin (USA) [5] v Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) [7]
Court One
Starting at midday:
Karolina Muchova (CZE) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) v Dayana Yastermska (UKR)
Petra Martic (CRO) [8] v Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)
