Dubai’s Heart Of Europe islands will be opening this year – with a Floating Venice island and a fake rainy street
LIVING in the UK, it's hard to imagine that anyone would want to create an artificial rainy street - but 2020 has been full of surprises so far.
The street is going to be one of many 'world's firsts' in Dubai's Heart Of Europe islands, the first phase of which will be completed by the end of the year.
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The phase one development will include a Honeymoon Island, Floating Venice and a Main Europe Island, featuring a Cote D'Azur Resort and a Portofino Hotel.
It will also feature the world's first underwater hotel, the world’s first artificial rainy street and the world’s first outdoor snow plaza.
The Heart of Europe is a cluster of islands located 2.5 miles off the coast of Dubai, masterminded by the Kleindienst Group.
The six islands are connected by bridges and accessible by boat, seaplane and helicopter, and they will house fifteen unique hotels.
A statement on the Kleindienst Group website reads: "We are bringing the best of Europe’s party scene to Dubai with beach clubs and bars that will become top international destinations in their own right.";
A 250-room Monaco de Dubai hotel, incorporating elements of the French Riviera, will be built on the Côte d'Azur beach on the Main Europe Island.
A Venice Hotel, offering seven-star accommodation and dining experiences both above and below the water will be built on Monaco Island and aims to, "bring the charm and culture of Venice to the seas of Dubai."
A Portofino Hotel - a five-star, family-only hotel on the Main Europe island - will feature 514 aquariums, one for every marine species found in the Arabian Gulf.
Then there will be a Maldives-inspired resort, with white sandy beaches and a Hygge Hotel designed to promote happiness, based on the Danish approach to life.
There are also numerous other hotels planned for the development, including a St Tropez hotel, a Cannes hotel, a Marbella hotel, an Ibiza hotel, a London hotel and an Amsterdam hotel.
In addition, the development features a range of villas and flats that are being bought by members of the public.
The Kleindienst Group said of the hotels: "We are dedicated to delivering European-style luxury hospitality experiences to the world’s most discerning clients.
"Each of our fifteen hotels will have their own unique signature aesthetic and range of sophisticated amenities, to take sustainable vacation experiences to the next level."
According to the company owner Josef Kleindienst, the first homeowners will move in this year - into a range of villas and flats that are currently under construction.
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Mr Kleindienst told Dubai's The National: "“I guarantee you by the end of 2020, people will have moved into our villas, floating villas and hotels.
"[Coronavirus] has only increased productivity here".
"Nobody was allowed on or off the islands, so we were able to get people to work longer hours and pay them overtime.”