Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort set for December 2002 opening

The flagship property of a major new tourist development on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort will open for business and leisure this December.

Located on a two-kilometre beach fronting the Indian Ocean, the hotel is a joint venture between Emirates Airline and the Hotel & Resort Investment Company.

The new resort is expected to establish the UAE's Indian Ocean coastline as a new tourist destination, offering year-round sunshine, excellent beach and water sports facilities, diving and snorkelling opportunities and a range of mountain, coastal and heritage discovery tours.

According to Sami Zoghbi, managing director of Le Meridien, Middle East & West Asia, it will complement the group's highly successful resorts in Dubai, providing a new holiday alternative that will attract repeat visitors wishing to explore farther afield. 

"For most overseas travellers, the UAE east coast is a new destination and this will be part of its appeal - in addition to the facilities available at Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort where a resort ambience will be combined with value-for-money luxury," he said.

Designed to cater to both the leisure and MICE sectors, the 20-storey hotel features 218 spacious rooms of at least 48 sq metres in size, all enjoying beach and Indian Ocean views, with facilities including air-conditioning, satellite TV, IDD telephones, computer ports, mini-bar, walk-in wardrobes and bathrooms with separate showers.

Focus of the grounds is the UAE's largest free-form swimming pool, while other leisure amenities range from a dedicated Penguin Village for children with its own pool, to a Wellness Centre featuring the Cleopatra Beauty Rooms, tennis and squash courts, water sports and dive centre, and facilities for beach volleyball on a private 250-metre beach.

For meetings and receptions, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort boasts the largest ballroom on the east coast with capacity for 400, three additional meeting rooms, business centre, space for up to 1,000 at outdoor events, plus three Royal Club executive floors, 10 Junior suites, a 600 sq metre Presidential suite, and private dining area for groups.

Dining options are extensive too, including Views, a 24-hour brasserie; the Victory fun bar, Astro's rooftop bar, Tea & Dates lounge, Baywatch Village with outdoor restaurant, swim-up pool bar and beach bar, plus a speciality fusion restaurant opening in March.

According to hotel manager Patrick Antaki, this mix and range of facilities will help to establish Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort as a quality destination for operators in established markets such as the UK, Germany and other European countries, as well as for the regional leisure and business sectors.

"We are offering something for everyone - an idyllic beach for relaxation; opportunities for diving, watersports or pampering in our spa; cultural, heritage and mountain tours in the local area plus shopping trips to Dubai, and dining options to meet every taste, plus professional meeting and banqueting facilities, all backed by the stamp of Le Meridien quality," he said.

"This represents a Dh160 million investment by the owners, and Emirates-owned Arabian Adventures has backed this commitment by launching a dedicated tour brochure for the destination, fine-tuning the tourism product on offer here."

The 218-room Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, a joint venture between Emirates Airline and the Hotel & Resort Investment Company, and managed by Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, is the first international flag to fly in the emerging leisure destination of Fujairah for more than two decades.