Turning off the E11 at junction 13, bearing West and pointing my nose towards the Arabian Gulf, serves up a beautiful dose of deja vu. Having lived in the UAE for 11 years, this is a well-travelled road for me. While few signs of life exist between Jebel Ali Power Plant and the environs of the Abu Dhabi border some 100-kilometres away, there’s a special little enclave, just off the frenzied freeway of Sheikh Zayed Road, that has a compass setting all of its own. The JA Beach Hotel, which opened in 1981, has been a firm favourite of mine, as well as residents, locals and tourists for the best part of four decades - its inauguration just shy of the UAE’s union itself. Here, visitors flocked for understated luxury, its beachside locale and, over the years, its prominence as one of the Emirates’ finest heritage hotels.  

Its reputation, still intact all these years later, has also seen the hotel grow into a 128-acre resort, welcoming the all-suite JA Palm Tree Court into the family in 1997, undergone a full hotel refurb which completed last month and, the reason for my road trip, the opening of its brand new sister property, JA Lake View Hotel, completing 
the triptych.  

Where JA Beach Hotel’s heartbeat is in its history and heritage, and JA Palm Tree Court’s essence is of pure luxury, JA Lake View Hotel holds all the cards for cool and contemporary elegance. Citing itself as a design-driven property that 
is dedicated to sustainable style, its distinction 
lies in its subtlety, its sleekness, and its understated image.  

On arrival, with desert plains on one side, 
and the Arabian Gulf simmering on the horizon, the avant-garde lines of JA Lake View Hotel appear almost like a mirage snaking up from the sand — the tiered effect of its over-laid balconies recalling a wedding cake or perhaps mille-feuille. Its lines are angular but soft — a gentle juxtaposition.  

What I note most on my approach is JA Lake View Hotel’s lack of ostentation… There’s nothing gaudy, nothing gold, nothing shouting ‘look at me’. The entrance is simple, the impression subtle. 
As I walk towards the hotel, past an 800-year-old olive tree that stands on sentry duty, I ponder the reasoning behind this understated exterior. 
The answer comes by way of the lobby. And, oh my... What a lobby. There’s light, lashings and lashings of light. From the revolving door, through the reception, down to the restaurant and out to the golf course beyond, there is nothing to break the eye-line. It allows for a sense of freedom and ensures distraction is at a minimum. Two things catch my eye… Firstly, the atrium’s mashrabiya-effect architectural detailing in the skylights, that casts intricate shadows over the internal organs of the hotel, the light dancing off the conspicuous glass-cased balconies and the floor-to-ceiling metal beams that seem to act almost like gills breathing air into the atrium. The second thing I notice is the onyx, a beautiful Italian-made plateau that glows a sanguine amber. It’s quite mesmerising and I’m told becomes even more so after dark.  

The standing room-only reception area promotes the notion that your check-in will be 
a swift transaction, so no need to sit down, which I take note of because often it’s the small things that count. The water I request also comes in a big, beautiful glass bottle, because there’s no such thing as plastic bottles here, and bar the little card-wallet my room-key comes in, it’s a completely paperless transaction. With an eye on environmentally-friendly travel and the desire to support sustainability wherever I can, I’m heartened by these steps, and I find out later that the property goes further too, using solar panels on the roof to help power parts of the hotel, using completely compostable coffee capsules in the rooms, working with cutting-edge technologies to minimise food waste and partnering with Enable, a UAE social enterprise based in Dubai that empowers young Emiratis with cognitive disabilities. When hotels are as abundant as they are in the UAE, a brand that makes visible strides to ‘do good’ is only going to future-proof itself all the better.  

Amid it’s 348 rooms, I’m checked into one of the hotel’s Luxury One-Bedroom Suites on the fourth floor. Beautifully positioned on the South-West corner of the hotel, the suite is furnished with a wrap-around balcony that affords me sweeping views of the swimming pool, 9-hole golf course, JA Beach Hotel in the distance and 
a beautiful sunset later that evening. While there’s gentle chatter from the pool below and the odd chink of a golf club striking it rich, the quiet humdrum of the hotel is incredibly calming. 

The Suite itself is magnificently unfussy. With 184-sqm to play with, the furniture is uncluttered and allows the space to breathe. All oak-wood in sleek symmetrical lines, the monochromatic combination of wood and crisp white linen is only interrupted by subtle colour bursts from the chairs and traditional Emirati dresses framed on the walls. There’s a vast dining table, lounge area and sunbeds on the balcony for indoor/outdoor hosting, whilst the bedroom keeps things equally minimalist with a king-size bed, bureau, walk-in wardrobe and a Volara-Alexa to provide instant virtual assistance to any need or demand. 
The bathroom is small enough to not waste space yet the bi-folding shutters that open up into the bedroom invite in the balcony view, immediately letting that glorious sense of light pour in once more. It’s an easy space that feels elegant and unimposing – just what a bedroom should be, in my mind. 

Back along the corridor, lined with a coral-motif carpet that nods to the Arabian Gulf that hugs the nearby coastline, I head for lunch at RePUBlik. One of the hotel’s three eateries, it’s an Australian/British-inspired gastropub that lays on a casual affair, perfect for a straight-from-the-pool lunch or, by night, a laid-back lounge restaurant/bar complete with DJ. Here, I have it on good authority, the drinks take centrestage, where headliners include a Guatemalan daiquiri and a cocktail called ‘Speak No Italiano’.  

While my afternoon entails little more than a lap or two in the hotel’s kidney bean-shaped pool, for those feeling more intrepid, part of 
JA Lake View Hotel’s beauty is its attachment to the wider JA The Resort (all 1 million square metres of it), meaning over 40 activities are at your disposal. There’s a Bio Garden, tennis courts, horse riding, clay pigeon shooting, fishing trips, sailing, a spa and so much more. Whilst it’s a well-used cliché, there really is something for everyone. I, instead, amble over to the golf course in order to view the property in all its glory from afar. Something you can’t fully appreciate, lest from this vantage point, is the hotel’s architectural structure. From where I’m standing, my imagination conjures up the idea of a falcon, where the outer sides of the building look like the beating wings of 
a bird as it takes flight across the desert. However you see it, the view from the golf course allows one to really drink in the exaggerated lines of the exterior, with its tiered balconies silhouetted beautifully against the azure sky.  

As dusk draws in and the hotel illuminates, another focal point is unveiled – the intricate lighting fixtures, by Nulty+, 
with their minimalist East-meets-West nuanced designs complementing each space of 
the hotel. Asymmetric rings mirror the curvature of the hotel’s façade in all-day dining restaurant 81, while suspended ‘glass fish’ appear to swim down from the ceiling in Indian restaurant, Kinara by Vikas Khanna – it’s a functional but sensuous element that 
adds another dimension to the design-driven 
ethos of JA Lake View Hotel.  

With the lights leading the way, I end my evening at Kinara by Vikas Khanna, JA Lake View Hotel’s unique Indian dining concept by Michelin-star chef, Vikas Khanna. Shrouded in rich red fabrics, 
the interior is dark and sumptuous, with baskets of spices dotted around to arouse the senses. There’s an energy to the restaurant that in part can be attributed to the open-kitchen which creates a visual connection between the menu and its preparation, and in part to the animated staff, who brings so much knowledge and passion to the table that their aura is infectious.  

Vikas Khanna’s reputation precedes himself (he’s an internationally-lauded chef having earned a Michelin-star and authored over 34 award-winning cookbooks) as does that of Kinara (which means ‘shore’ or ‘bank’), of which I’ve heard early murmurings on the cirucuit about the exceptional quality and taste of the food. With a vision to tell a story through the food, Kinara’s menu pays homage to both the raw beauty of home cooking and the richly diverse regions of India and South Asia, with classic dishes and modern twists on regional highlights.  

I’m expertly guided through the menu, 
with special care taken to cater to my vegetarian requirements. Following a divine amuse-bouche of five lentils, mozzarella, labneh and roasted cumin, for starters I choose a delightfully crisp roasted beet salad with yuzu dressing, and the much-talked about Dahi ke Kebab (yoghurt kebab). The light and crispy kunafa shell encases a heavenly mix of medjool dates, 
all drizzled with turmeric aioli to cut through the sweetness and bring a little zing. It’s so good I almost order another, but I restrain. Next, I choose the Badami Khumb – a creamy mix of kashmiri morels, shimji mushrooms and almond-mace sauce, alongside some aloo ghobi mattar and garlic naan. I won’t lie, 
it’s a lot, but it’s a meal worth taking your time over, as the flavours seem to punctuate more and more and, when there’s such exquisite food in front of you, there really is no need to rush.  

I resist the urge to partake in dessert – though I did have my eye on the coconut rice kheer with pomegranate poached pears and saffron cream – and seek my back to my suite via the lobby to catch a glimpse of the onyx in full-effect. 
The plateau burns bright and golden, almost like a sunset pulsating with heat as it hovers over the horizon, and it casts a rather magical spell over the lobby. 

From this, I take my cue and retire to my suite to dream about dahi ke kebab and kunafa. 
To end your day feeling both filled and fulfilled 
is something to be grateful for, and as I slip between the crisp cotton sheets, I look forward to what tomorrow might hold in a hotel designed to keep you coming back for more.