Back with Trudy to a post Christmas visit to my old stomping ground, The Arabian Gulf. Two weeks of business, relaxation, and catch-ups with friends old and new.
In Dubai, Aaron Kaupp – a friend for over 20 years, spoilt us at his beautiful Raffles on The Palm. And new friend Yazan Latif – five months into his labour of love running the magnificent haven of Raffles Al Areen Palace in Bahrain.
We caught up with Fouad Es-Said and Hani Kiwan from the best distributor in the world – Transmed, Vinesh Bhimani and Jesal Asher – entrepreneurs extraordinaire, Debbie, Mark and Rolf from Omer’s Raffles Leadership Team – and held six days of leadership meetings with Malek and his Averda team, and Mohamed and the BB Energy Transformation Team.
Despite the tensions with Iran, Israel (and Air France / KLM halting flights to The Gulf), life goes on at full speed as Dubai replaces Singapore / Hong Kong as a financial force, whilst becoming the No 1 holiday destination globally. The pace of change remains turbo-charged and the entire region feels buzzy and alive.
(Except Bahrain, which remains a haven of calm above the fray – shelter from the storm, apart from the Saudi Football’s league stars WAGS who live there as their husbands commute every day via The Causeway.)
I’ve been coming to The Gulf for over 50 years. And I still love it.
