Eye-catching: the car door is opened by a smiling doorman who, in his fitted white T-shirt and "W" belt, has clearly been employed because his strapping good looks complement the pretty Ottoman building that houses the hotel. Out of the sun's glare, the lobby is dark and cocooning, with floating grey silk curtains, glowing purple crystals and mirrored cubes. Check-in is quick, easy and informative and within minutes we are whisked off down a ground-floor corridor to our room.
Just a kilometre or so from the Taksim area, home to some of Istanbul's most lively nightlife, the hotel is the centrepiece of the Akaretler Row houses, which were originally built in the 1870s to house high-ranking workers from the nearby Dolmabahce Palace. The Row has been redeveloped recently into upmarket shops and offices, which makes it an easy temptation for rampant consumerists. Just a step away, the shops include Jimmy Choo, Catherine Malandrino, Sergio Rossi, Marni, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and more. Behind the Row, a warren of busy little streets packed with bakers, cafes and clothes shops gives an insight into the life of the locals, while further along the banks of the Bosphorus is Ortakoy, a fashionable little square where a waterside Rococo mosque and the popular House Cafe preside over the cool locals, intrepid tourists and teenage boys diving into the water.
Couldn't be bettered: intimate, friendly, cheerful and unperturbable. Within minutes of arriving in the room, the W's "Insider" called to place herself at our service. "I'm the Insider," she said, which dispensed with any awkwardness over remembering names. She's the person to call if you need any help with anything at all within the hotel.
Compact but beautifully decorated in dark woods and white linens. The washbasins are in the main room but hidden behind a folding door, while the shower room is separate (with a super-powerful shower). There was an iPod dock, TV, DVD player and Wi-Fi, and a back door leading out to a pretty little private back yard, with a wicker sofa and table - perfect for a spot of breakfast or a light lunch when the weather's good. The first-floor rooms have little bridges leading to their own private terraces one tier higher. Best of all, though, are the beds, which gave us the best night's sleep we'd had in years. Literally. The W Signature bed is made especially for the hotel, and the sheets, at 410 thread count, are just as good.
Where to go to see the real Istanbul, the best local city walks, which are the new restaurants and which are the overrated tourist traps.
The hotel's ultra-cool restaurant Spice Market plays host to the suave hipsters of Istanbul. Many a well-tailored suit, a chic designer dress and a cigar are to be seen here, understandably: the Asian-fusion food is exceptional, the mood is intimate and the carved-wood design details are fabulous. The lobby and the Living Room lounge area also attract go-getting media and design types.
They spotted on my passport that it was my birthday and delivered a huge, delicious chocolate cake to the room, together with a glass amulet (against the evil eye, of course) and a card signed by all the staff. Now that's service.
Scraping the barrel here, the only quibble was that the room was a tad dark, even with the terrace door open.
Cosmopolitan, hip, hassle-free and comfortable, and all the conveniences you expect from a high-end international chain, but with enough charm and design details to make it definitively a Turkish hotel. Superb.
W Hotel, Suleyman Seba Cad No 22, Akaretler, Besiktas, Istanbul 34357, Turkey, +90 212 381 2121. @email:www.whotels.com Doubles from Dh1,160 per night (excluding breakfast and VAT).
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
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Company%20profile
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date