This summer, Anantara Retreat Santorini Abu Dhabi, operated by Minor Hotels, invites guests to discover a different side of its serene coastal sanctuary as it celebrates its annual Date Harvest Season. From July to September, the luxury retreat’s 450 date palm trees bear around six varieties of dates, inspiring curated guest experiences that celebrate the UAE’s treasured fruit through farm tours, culinary creations, botanical beverages and wellness.

At the heart of the season is the Date Farm Tour, led by in-house Retreat Date Storyteller, Nadia Bouassia, where guests explore the palm farm, learn about the harvest and taste freshly picked dates. In the lobby, a curated date display extends the experience with a seasonal tasting station on arrival.

Guests can experience the harvest beyond the palm farm through a curated selection of optional culinary and beverage offerings, including culinary classes featuring the retreat’s signature date pudding and Jewel of Al Jarf, a botanical drink made with dates, tamarind and honey. At breakfast, date seed coffee offers a thoughtful expression of the season, with seeds carefully air-dried, roasted, ground and brewed to showcase the harvest in a distinctive new way.

The season’s most distinctive wellness highlight is the Tamr Al Nakheel Ritual (Dates of the Palm Ritual), a 90-minute spa journey featuring dates harvested from the retreat’s own palm trees. The ritual celebrates the fruit’s natural richness in antioxidants, vitamins, and essential minerals. Designed to hydrate, soften, and revitalise the skin, the experience begins with a nourishing body wrap made with freshly harvested dates and milk, accompanied by a relaxing head massage. Following a refreshing shower, guests continue with a soothing full-body massage using rich shea butter to deeply moisturise and replenish the skin. The ritual concludes with the retreat’s signature Golden Harvest Elixir, crafted from its own dates for a naturally energising finish.

“It is amazing to see how the fruit of these precious trees has inspired experiences across the retreat, from arrival and dining to beverage and now spa and wellness,” said Rachid Bakas, General Manager of Anantara Retreat Santorini Abu Dhabi. “Every summer, we harvest more than 3,200 kilograms of dates, and this has become an integral part of our sustainability initiatives. Beyond creating meaningful guest experiences, the harvest also allows us to give back to the community. While we are a Greek-inspired luxury retreat, we are deeply connected to our setting in the Emirates, and celebrating the date harvest is a beautiful way to honour the destination we proudly call home.”

Inspired by the effortless elegance of the Greek islands, Anantara Retreat Santorini Abu Dhabi is an adults-only luxury retreat set along the coastline between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Home to just 22 keys, including a royal suite, the retreat offers an intimate escape defined by sea views, curated dining, wellness experiences and personalised hospitality. Blending Mediterranean-inspired design with the warmth of its Emirati setting, the retreat is a soulful hideaway where privacy, tranquillity and destination-led experiences create a distinctive coastal sanctuary in the UAE.

Atlys, the travel technology company enabling travellers to apply for visas across 120+ destinations, has opened its first experience centre at BurJuman Mall, Dubai. The walk-in space offers expert, in-person visa guidance and marks Atlys’ first physical presence worldwide.

The UAE is Atlys’ largest market outside India. International markets, including the US, the UK and Australia, now account for nearly 50% of the company’s business, with the UAE being the top contributor. Home to one of the world’s largest expatriate populations and a global hub for business and leisure travel, the UAE has been central to Atlys’ global strategy since the company entered the market in 2024.

The experience centre is designed to bring confidence to a process that often carries uncertainty. A visa application can hold the weight of the trip itself, and the ability to walk into a customer-first space, meet an expert, have documents reviewed and see exactly how an application is handled offers a level of assurance that matters most when the stakes are high. The store will also strengthen Atlys’ presence in the region, making the brand more visible and accessible to travellers across the UAE.

Commenting on the launch, Mohak Nahta, Founder and CEO of Atlys, said “Our mission has always been to remove friction from international travel, and the visa is where that journey begins. The experience centre gives travellers another way to engage with Atlys: expert guidance at the store, with the same speed and transparency as the app. The UAE sits at the centre of global travel and of our own growth, and that made it the right home for our first store.”

The launch follows Atlys’ $36 million Series C round earlier this year, led by Susquehanna Asia VC, with participation from existing investors Elevation Capital, Long Journey Ventures and Peak XV Partners. MakeMyTrip also joined the round as a strategic investor. The funding is being deployed to expand into new international markets, consolidate the company’s leadership in regions where it already operates, and accelerate its AI roadmap across the visa lifecycle. Atlys is on an annualised run rate of more than 700,000 visas and has grown 11x since its Series B in 2024.

Located on the 3rd Floor of BurJuman Mall, the experience centre is a relaxed, travel-focused space. Travellers can walk in to discuss their travel plans with expert advisors, have documents reviewed and understand their approval chances before applying. The team also provides guidance on demanding applications where preparation matters most. Applications can be completed in-store, with everything after that managed through the Atlys app.

Dream of the Desert, Saudi Arabia’s first ultra-luxury desert train, has reached a significant milestone with the opening of its permanent headquarters in Riyadh and the appointment of Raffaele Breschi as General Manager. As the project enters its delivery phase ahead of its debut at the end of 2026, these developments reaffirm a long-term commitment to building the experience from within the Kingdom, in close collaboration with Saudi institutions, partners and talent.

More than a luxury rail journey, Dream of the Desert has been conceived as a new way of experiencing Saudi Arabia. Designed as a moving sanctuary, it invites travellers to slow down and discover the Kingdom through its landscapes, heritage, craftsmanship and hospitality. Every journey is designed to reveal a different side of Saudi Arabia, creating meaningful encounters that extend far beyond the train itself.

The establishment of Arsenale’s first international headquarters outside Italy reflects this vision. Located in Riyadh, the headquarters will serve as the operational and strategic hub for Dream of the Desert, placing the project at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving tourism ecosystem and reinforcing Arsenale’s long-term investment in the Kingdom.

Rooted in the Kingdom

Operating from Riyadh enables Dream of the Desert to work hand in hand with the national entities shaping the Kingdom’s tourism and transport future, including the Ministry of Culture, Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), the Transport General Authority (TGA), the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and the Tourism Development Fund (TDF). Together, these partnerships are supporting operational readiness while ensuring that the cultural and tourism experiences along the route are developed with authenticity, quality and long-term impact.

Spanning more than 1,300 kilometres of Saudi Arabia’s existing railway network, Dream of the Desert will connect travellers with landscapes and regions that remain largely undiscovered by international luxury tourism. Rather than simply linking destinations, the experience has been designed to reveal the Kingdom progressively through carefully curated moments both onboard and beyond the train. Storytelling, local craftsmanship, cultural encounters and refined hospitality come together to create immersive journeys that encourage travellers to engage more deeply with the places they visit.

A New Chapter for Saudi Talent

Dream of the Desert is more than a luxury travel product. It is an investment in Saudi Arabia’s people and its long-term economic ambitions. The project will create direct employment opportunities with a strong focus on Saudization, introducing Saudi nationals into a new and specialised field, rail-based luxury hospitality, that does not yet exist in the Kingdom. It will enable skills transfer across guest experience, service design, and rail operations, building a workforce with the expertise to sustain and grow this sector for decades to come. Local supply chains will be stimulated, and the project’s reach across multiple regions will contribute meaningfully to the experiential tourism ecosystem that Vision 2030 is working to build.

Leadership for the Next Chapter

Appointed to lead this next phase, Raffaele Breschi brings a strong track record in international expansion and luxury hospitality development. He joined Arsenale Group in 2023 following senior roles focused on growth across the Middle East, and previously served as Partner at McKinsey & Company, advising sovereign entities and global developers on large-scale tourism and hospitality strategies. In addition to his role as General Manager of Dream of the Desert, Breschi has been appointed CEO of Arsenale International, overseeing all Arsenale projects outside Italy, with Dream of the Desert as the flagship.

“Establishing our headquarters in Riyadh reflects our commitment to building Dream of the Desert from within the Kingdom,” said Raffaele Breschi, General Manager of Dream of the Desert. “Working alongside our national partners enables us to shape a rail experience that is globally distinctive yet deeply rooted in Saudi culture, one that celebrates the Kingdom’s landscapes, heritage, and hospitality while setting a new benchmark for experiential travel in the region.”

Designed to redefine what luxury rail travel looks like in the 21st century, Dream of the Desert supports Saudi Vision 2030’s ambition to position the Kingdom as a leading destination for high-value, culturally rooted travel. As travellers increasingly seek journeys defined by authenticity, connection and meaning, Dream of the Desert introduces a new way of discovering Saudi Arabia. Rooted in Saudi culture and elevated by world-class hospitality and design, it is not simply a luxury train, but a moving sanctuary that invites guests to experience the Kingdom through its landscapes, stories and people.

With its headquarters established, its national partnerships in place, and its leadership focused on delivery, Dream of the Desert moves steadily toward its end of 2026 debut, one of the most significant additions to the global luxury travel landscape in years, wholly rooted in Saudi Arabia and shaped by its culture and its people.