Destination Guides
Near+Far black books of the the leading cities of the GCC, and our favourite global destinations
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We have never been to Aleppo. After 90 minutes at Orfali Bros, we’re pricing flights. There’s no menu and there are no choices, just three brothers from Syria cooking their childhood at full volume. It’s the boldest modern expression of Middle Eastern cuisine in the Gulf
The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia
For centuries, the Red Sea was known only to fishermen, divers, and those who lived along its untouched coastlines. Now, it is being transformed into one of the most ambitious travel destinations the world has ever seen – a constellation of luxury resorts, wellness sanctuaries, and desert icons designed to open up a region that until recently was little more than myth to travellers.
Sri Lanka
Thick mashed potato sands on its southern coast give way to landscapes carpeted in tea plantations and jungle, and its towns and cities are steeped in culture and colourful history – the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonised the island itself. Bigger names like Aman, Resplendent Ceylon, Anantara and Cinnamon have dominated the hotel scene for decades, but recent times have seen a flurry of independently owned boutique hotels open
