Review of Lemongrass in Al Kasbah, Sharjah (4 of 5 stars)

Here is the first of USA2UAE.com’s video restaurant reviews. Lemongrass is a new Thai restaurant recently opened in the now rebranded Al Kasbah along the corniche in Sharjah, UAE. It was well-deserving of 4 out of 5 stars and now takes over the slot as best Thai food in Sharjah from Bangkok Town. However, both restaurants are better (and have better prices) than any of Dubai’s Thai offerings. Both restaurants are well worth the trip to Sharjah.

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Emirates to fly to Los Angeles

Emirates, the Arab world’s biggest airline, said it will start flying to Los Angeles from September.

“Los Angeles represents Emirates’ commitment to the American market. We have evaluated the US for expansion opportunities and have carefully examined our existing services in Houston and New York- both of which have been very successful…MORE

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Nakheel to build four theme parks on Palm Jebel Ali

Orlando: Nakheel on Thursday announced an agreement with Busch Entertainment Corporation (BEC), the family entertainment division of US based Anheuser-Busch Co to develop four theme parks under the name Worlds of Discovery.

The theme parks will include SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove.

BEC president and chief operating officer Jim Atchison announced the deal with Nakheel’s CEO, Chris O’Donnell, and The Palm Jebel Ali’s Managing Director, Marwan Al Qamzi, at SeaWorld Orlando yesterday.

Agreement

Nakheel and BEC reach-ed an agreement earlier this month for the construction of four theme parks on the second of Nakheel’s three palm-shaped man-made island developments. Orlando-based BEC operates 10 Worlds of Discovery parks across the US. The Worlds of Discovery will be built on a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as ‘the Crown’.

“Dubai has fast become one of the world’s leading tourist destinations and a key part of the strategy has been attracting world-class entertainment brands to the emirate. We have already agreed partnerships with major brands such as Trump, Cirque du Soleil, and Atlantis, and the partnership with BEC is a further example of Dubai’s growth as a city of global prominence,” said O’Donnell.

The first phase of Worlds of Discovery is expected to open in 2012. Besides the four theme parks, the project will also include a variety of other family tourist attractions such as resort hotels, spas, shops and restaurants, O’Donnell said… http://gulfnews.com/business/Real_Estate_Property/10193605.html

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Wadi Wurrayah Images

www.flickr.com JCMach1’s wurrayah_2007 photoset

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Time For Too Much Modhesh: Surprise themes to run simultaneously at DSS venues

The sales have started and Modhesh has been officially unleashed as the 10th annual Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) got underway yesterday.Dignitaries, members of the press and media, sponsors and youngsters packed the Dubai Airport Expo - home to the famous Fun City - for the launch of the annual extravaganza yesterday night.

Unlike previous years where themed surprise weeks have run separately over the period, to celebrate 10 years in style, this year the 10 surprise themes will run continuously across the city for the entire 10-week initiative.

Dubai Summer Surprises is the most prominent family entertainment summer event in the Middle East and since its inception the globally-renowned event has redefined the concept of shopping and entertainment.

The celebration will include raffles, promotions, shows and activities for people of all ages and much, much more.

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‘Dubailand’ aims to be Middle East Orlando

by Ali KhalilTue Jun 19, 12:28 AM ET

Widely touted as the Middle East’s very own Orlando, Dubailand, a cluster of mega-billion-dollar projects, is gradually emerging across the desert sands of the booming Gulf emirate.

Faced with a dwindling wealth of oil, Dubai has taken on a new challenge of larger-than-life projects in line with its ambition to become the region’s main business and leisure hub.

Already primed as a holiday destination, it is fast executing plans to build a host of new hotels, golf courses, malls and leisure facilities in order to more than double the number of tourists to 15 million by 2015.

Initially planned to cover an area of two billion square feet (185 square kilometres), Dubailand, billed as the “world’s most ambitious tourism, leisure and entertainment project,” is expected to be a sprawling three billion square feet. This would make it larger than the entire city of Orlando, Florida — home to Walt Disney World, Universal Resort, Sea World and a variety of other attractions and hotels.

“Dubailand is going to be a city within a city,” said Mohammed al-Habbai, chief executive officer of Dubailand, a subsidiary of the government-owned Tatweer.

“We are very confident in what we are doing,” he told AFP. “I would say that most of our projects are on time.”

Western-oriented Dubai’s bid to position itself on the world tourism map has propelled it way ahead of its oil-rich conservative Gulf neighbours.

It already prides itself on the sail-shaped Burj Al-Arab hotel and building three palm-tree shaped islands off the coast, where the ambitious island project in the shape of a world map has fast become yet another landmark.

On Monday, Dubai also announced its 100-million-dollar purchase of the Queen Elizabeth 2, one of the world’s most majestic cruise liners, which it plans to turn it into a luxury floating hotel berthed at one of the palm islands.

A model version of Dubailand still shows its vast barren surroundings, which in three years time will be awash with even more golf courses, theme parks, mega-malls and residential towers.

“This area will definitely be completely different by 2010,” when three million visitors a year are expected to Dubailand alone, said Habbai.

The entire 24-project venture, not scheduled for completion before 2025, is estimated to cost 235 billion dirhams (64 billion dollars, 48 billion euros), 60 percent of which is expected to come from private investors.

This does not even include the mammoth ‘Bawadi’ project, announced in 2006 as the world’s largest hospitality and leisure development consisting of more than 50 themed hotels with 60,000 rooms, almost double the number currently available in Dubai.

In May, the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, seen as the driving force behind Dubai’s phenomenal economic growth, announced doubling the value of Bawadi to 54 billion dollars.

One of its hotels, AsiaAsia, tipped to be world’s largest with 6,500 rooms, will be developed by Tatweer, with 45 percent of Bawadi already agreed upon with private investors, Habbai said.

Tatweer is part of Dubai Holding, a conglomerate owned by the government of Dubai which oversees mega-projects in the emirate, currently experiencing a burgeoning property boom.

In the throes of constructing the world’s highest building, whose ultimate height remains a closely-guarded secret, Dubai also plans to house a Great Wheel, whose size will rival that of the London Eye observation wheel.

Dubailand will also house the world’s largest transparent snow dome and a Universal Studio theme park, announced in March by Tatweer.

The latter will be part of a 2.2-billion-dollar Universal City Dubai, comprising 4,000 hotel rooms and some 100 restaurants.

Along with Tiger Woods Dubai — a 25-million-square-foot golf course and community featuring palaces and mansions by September 2009 — Universal City will be the only Dubailand projects funded by Tatweer.

Taking it one step further, the Falcon City of Wonders will boast replicas of the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Aqua Dunya is also expected to be one of the world’s largest water parks.

Several stadiums are being constructed in Dubailand’s Sports City and a comprehensive Motor City is taking shape around the currently operational Dubai Autodrome.

Despite the frenetic expansion, Habbai dismissed fears of saturation in the market, which currently faces a hotel room shortage in peak periods.

“Dubailand is going to create a new segment in the market for leisure and entertainment,” now mainly focused on beach and shopping holidays, he said.

Grandiose shopping malls are also well in the making in Dubai, a member of the seven-strong United Arab Emirates.

Tatweer announced in May a 2.7-billion-dollar deal with Al-Ghurair Investment to develop a four-million-square-foot mall in the Bawadi retail zone.

And the Mall of Arabia, expected to open its first phase in early 2009, aims to extend to become the world’s largest at 10 million square feet.

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Dubai firm buys QE2

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Images from Wadi Wurrayah (Winter 2007)

Here are more pics from our visit to Wadi Wurrayah.

Wadi Wurrayah

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