Five Hotels and Resorts is synonymous with Dubai’s party scene, but Five Luxe JBR – the latest offering from homegrown brand Five Holdings – aims to strike a middle ground, offering a more balanced atmosphere than its JVC and Palm properties.
Opened in April last year, the beachfront property is meant to be the most premium offering of the three, hosting an impressive line-up of bars and restaurants, including the Ibiza-famous Pacha brand, acquired by Five Holdings in 2023.
Located in a quieter part of the vibrant Jumeirah Beach Residence area, the hotel offers sweeping views of Ain Dubai, Bluewaters Island, the Arabian Gulf and Palm Jumeirah. Plus, it can be easily accessed by taxis and the tram in the neighbouring Dubai Marina.
It houses 222 rooms and 222 residences and, I'm told, is already frequented by celebrities, from sports stars to movie producers and DJs.
The National checked in to find out what you can expect from this glamorous resort.
The welcome
As we drive in, there are supercars parked in front, a signature of the Five brand, before luggage porters whisk away my bags.
Once inside the lobby, the first thing I notice is the triple height glass window that faces out to the swimming pool on the other side. A massive glass chandelier resembling a school of fish and bubbles hangs above the lounge.
The staff are friendly and welcoming, helping me seamlessly change my restaurant reservations for my two-night stay.
The room
We stay at the city-facing Luxe Spa Suite. At 235 square metres, it is generously sized – one of the largest I’ve ever stayed in – and comes with a lavish bathroom, an in-room steam and sauna, jacuzzi, a shower, his and her faucets, a walk-in closet and an outdoor terrace.
All the drapes and lights are electronically controlled.
But the highlight of staying in the Luxe Spa Suite is having our own personal VIP butler, Khalid, who offers to unpack our luggage. He even escorts us to all our dinner, spa and beach club reservations during our stay.
The food
The ninth floor of the hotel houses most of the culinary action, and the variety of food and drink offerings make it stand apart from other Five hotels.
We have dinner at Ronin, the Michelin Dubai Guide 2025-recognised Japanese restaurant, where the chef welcomes guests by theatrically firing the teppanyaki. Although the air conditioning was not optimal, highlights of the night include the melt me Wagyu sandwich with caviar and 24k gold leaf (Dh160), kimchi bob chicken fried rice with sunny side up (Dh95), Wagyu tenderloin toban yaki (Dh280), BBQ yuzu miso black cod (Dh220) and Japanese doughnuts with salted miso caramel (Dh55) for dessert.
After dinner, we head to Paradiso Dubai, a Barcelona export and former winner of the world’s best bar, which opened its first international outpost at Five Luxe JBR. The Dubai outpost has a circus feel thanks to balloons and merry-go-round horses hanging from the ceiling and a carousel bar outside on the terrace overlooking Ain Dubai. Expect to be served some theatrical drinks, a tapas-style menu and groovy music.
Five Luxe JBR food - in pictures
My favourite dining spot, however, was Tete-a-Tete, a Monte-Carlo-inspired, fine-dining restaurant with a lavender-filled ceiling and glass jewellery boxes for private dining rooms. A perfect date night spot with ocean views, this venue also hosts the Bisou Bisou brunch on Saturdays.
For our meal there, chef Daniel Welna recommends several dishes, but my favourites include the grilled prawns (Dh105) and seared foie gras toast (Dh110) for starters, roasted duck (Dh200) and beef short ribs (Dh220) for the mains, and creme caramel (Dh45) and chocolate fondant (Dh45) for dessert.
I didn’t have the opportunity to dine at sports bar Goose Island Tap House. On Sundays, this venue also hosts a roast brunch.
Breakfast scene
Breakfast is served beachside at Cielo and offers plenty of choice. There’s something for everyone, including an Arabic spread as well as Indian fare. There's also a live station for pancakes, waffles and French toast, cereals and milk, plus a bread station. There is also an impressive pastry selection and an a la carte menu for eggs. The hummus on toast was a personal favourite. A selection of detox shots is also on offer.
Avoid going too late in the morning as it gets very busy and it’s hard to get a table indoors.
Spa and wellness
My husband and I try the 60-minute rebalancing massage at the ReFive Spa. Our masseurs Phat and Loppy work magic with their hands and put us to sleep during the treatment (Dh675), which is for deep relaxation. We are offered a detox water before and a fruit tea after the massage.
Guests can unwind further in the sauna and indoor pool, while those hoping to keep their fitness on track can work out in a 24/7 indoor or outdoor gym with skyline and sea views.
Hotel facilities
Playa Pacha, a pool and private beach club, offers Ibiza party vibes. It was a tad too hot for us to indulge in a pool party, but we spot several guests at the spot, where the service is quick.
The beach club offers three pools – one at the top reserved for in-house guests and families, one in the middle and one at the bottom right in front of the DJ booth. There are light bites available – think pizzas and Wagyu beef sliders.
Despite the party vibes, the property is home to a club and pool for children near Cielo restaurant.
The hotel also houses a flower shop, a rent-a-car kiosk and a boutique, while the concierge desk arranges tours to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as a range of water sport activities.
Accessibility and sustainability
Five Luxe JBR offers wheelchair-friendly rooms. The hotel is taking steps towards sustainability by reducing plastic use and installing solar panels to complement water-saving and recycling systems.
Our spa suite houses a recycling bin and refillable glass water bottles. No fresh flowers are used at the property.
Value for money
Room prices start from Dh1,800 ($490), while a Luxe Spa Suite is priced Dh1,950 per night, inclusive of taxes. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is at noon.
As part of a summer promotion, guests can avail of either an early check-in from 10am or late check-out until 4pm and a 20 per cent discount on treatments at ReFive Spa for bookings through the hotel website, valid until September 30.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the hotel and reflects hotel standards during this time. Services may change in the future
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
FIVE%20TRENDS%20THAT%20WILL%20SHAPE%20UAE%20BANKING
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20digitisation%20of%20financial%20services%20will%20continue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Managing%20and%20using%20data%20effectively%20will%20become%20a%20competitive%20advantage%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digitisation%20will%20require%20continued%20adjustment%20of%20operating%20models%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banks%20will%20expand%20their%20role%20in%20the%20customer%20life%20through%20ecosystems%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20structure%20of%20the%20sector%20will%20change%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
SQUADS
UAE
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice-captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Nepal
Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohara, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Basant Regmi, Pawan Sarraf, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh
