I visited Dubai for the first time and loved my time there. However, there were a few things I wish I had known before I went on the trip.
29.07.2024 - 22:07 / cntraveler.com
Born in Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley, surrounded by the ethereal beauty of the Himalayas, Ayesha Depala’s early years were spent immersed in nature; swimming in rivers, climbing mountains and rafting in nearby Ladakh—a far cry from the frenetic energy of Dubai, the city she has now called home for over two decades.
Well-known in the Emirates as one of the country’s most successful fashion designers, Ayesha launched her eponymous label in Dubai in 2002 with a standalone store in Jumeirah’s Village Mall, after moving from India with her husband. Her brand of feminine balloon-sleeve blouses, high-waisted harem pants, and elegant embellished gowns caught the eye of regional celebrities and socialites, cementing her status at the top of the local fashion scene.
“From the outside it appeared as though I had what I needed to sustain a beautiful life, and yet I felt unfulfilled,” she says. Following a particularly challenging time in her personal life, she began to question the path she was on, eventually finding herself drawn to the remote jungles of the Amazon where she spent time rediscovering herself under the guidance of shamans.
The experience and the years of exploration since helped to reawaken her spiritual side, reminding her of her Indian heritage by revisiting the myriad ancient practices she had been exposed to as child. “My curiosity for the world and its mysteries started when I was in my early teens,” she says. “I had the privilege to be born into a lineage where I was exposed to meditation, astrology and the healing arts very young, thanks to my aunt Nandita.” Now a certified reiki healer and breathwork practitioner, as well as learning a multitude of other disciplines including hypnosis and herbology, Ayesha’s focus has turned to healing, this year launching a wellness brand in collaboration with her longtime master and tutor Paramguru, who she met in Dubai seven years ago. “I have been his disciple ever since. Traveling with him to spiritual sites in India, like Vrindavan, where he imparts his deep wisdom on ancient texts and scriptures. His wisdom is infinite.”
Named DiviNom, in homage to the “divine potential that plants hold to heal us,” the first product in the new line will be Rose Healing Water, the composition of which is derived from ancient texts and is charged with energy from the full moon. “It’s great for restoring the pita, or heat, in the body, assisting with concerns with eyesight, dry eyes, insomnia, calming your nervous system… its benefits are endless,” she says. The line will be available by subscription in July 2024.
The fashion is still there, but taking on a more simplified, sustainable, and much slower approach. “My perspective as a human being is now to be of
I visited Dubai for the first time and loved my time there. However, there were a few things I wish I had known before I went on the trip.
Dubai is a welcoming city. It has, after all, gladly received upwards of 85% of its population from overseas with open arms. The metropolis that has risen from the sands of the desert spans just 13.5 square miles (for now), but within its gilded confines, you’ll find a city with many sides, created by people from many places, who each bring a piece of culture from their homeland. But for all its hospitality, many visitors to the city still arrive with some common misconceptions. Below, the editors of Condé Nast Traveller Middle East round up the top advice they want everyone to know before visiting Dubai.
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As the Olympics take over Paris, the hospitality scene is expanding in the city — and beyond — with a handful of new hotel openings worth bookmarking for a visit once the crowds have died down. Le Grand Hôtel Cayré opened in the Seventh Arrondissement earlier this month with 123 rooms, all with handcrafted wooden beds and mustard yellow velvet chairs, some with balconies and views of the Sacre Coeur or Eiffel Tower. In Carry-le-Rouet, a seaside village outside of Marseille, L’Hôtel Bleu’s design follows its name with 44 harbor-view rooms decorated in shades of blue. The property’s restaurant offers three seafood-heavy, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus, while a private cinema room can be reserved when the weather calls for some indoor time. Further east toward Cannes, in the commune of Mougins, Hôtel Le Mas Candille was recently redesigned by the architect and decorator Hugo Toro, whose hand-painted patterns appear on the curtains and carpets in the 46 rooms. Its Glow House spa has four treatment rooms, each with its own terrace, and a private swimming pool overlooking Provence. In Nice’s old town, Hôtel du Couvent opened last month within a 17th-century convent surrounded by two-and-a-half acres of gardens. The former nuns’ herbal shop has been revived and now offers personalized remedies, some made from herbs grown on the property. There’s also a bathing area with pools of varying temperatures inspired by the nearby Roman baths.