A magical European experience awaits guests when the Portofino Hotel opens on The Heart of Europe, a cluster of six islands on The World project in Dubai.

Kleindienst Group, the UAE’s largest European property developer and creator of The Heart of Europe said it will soft launch the first hotel on Main Europe island in December.

This is the first five-star family-only hotel in the region and is a concept Kleindienst has imported from Europe, with every aspect tailored to a family’s needs.

The first concrete was poured in January 2018 and it is now at roof level. The Heart of Europe team is planning to scoop the Dubai record for the fastest hotel to soft launch less than a year after first construction commenced, with the soft opening set for December 2018. More than 1,000 people are working on the site to ensure the property is delivered on time.

The exceptional Portofino Hotel will offer a magical experience for families with 489 Princess suites including the exclusive Villa Adriana on the top floor, named after the famous Roman Emperor who is known for his influence on architecture across Europe.

No longer will the GCC’s residents need to fly to Europe to experience the best of Italian culture. Guests will be transported to the idyllic world of Portofino inspired by its Genoan counterpart, the tiny fishing village and summer playground of the rich in Italy.

Guests will arrive at the hotel’s own fully-serviced private marina (known as Paraggi Bay), either by their own vessel or hotel-shuttle service, where they will be greeted with a warm Italian welcome. The whole front-of-house team will be Italian, bringing impeccable European hospitality. Even the time zone and currency will be European, with visitors able to pay in Euros.

Every detail has been meticulously planned to enable mothers, fathers and children, from just a few days old to teenagers, to enjoy time together and also relax in their own space and privacy, the group said.

Portofino Hotel will provide magnificent facilities for the whole family to ensure complete relaxation. There will be five swimming pools, including a large pool - designed especially for water sports and showcasing regular water ballet shows throughout the day. Entertainment will also include the Castello Theatre, with family shows, concerts and movie screenings.

For dining, there will be a choice of four restaurants and six bars – all serving organic-only, Mediterranean-inspired food, which will be a key feature across all 13 hotel properties on The Heart of Europe.

There will be a choice of options including a Queen’s Club for women only. Mothers will be able to relax in the Beauty Box with a range of services available such as massages and nail bar, yet be in close proximity to their children at the kids’ club. There are two infinity pools, one inside and one outside with views of Dubai and four islands offering treatments inspired by the natural elements of air, fire and water. A 24-hour concierge, babysitting services and chauffeur will ensure all requests are catered for. There will also be a host of personal shoppers, beauticians, nutritionists, therapists and personal trainers to provide the individual touches for a perfect vacation. The unisex fitness centre and yoga terrace will ensure guests can stay healthy and active during their stay.

Children will be entranced by the Kingdom of Portofino Kids’ Club from the moment their parents book their stay, creating curiosity and confidence before they even set foot on the island. Specialists from European family-only hotels have been hired to create this enchanting and safe atmosphere where children and their parents will learn about marine ecology and experience, first-hand, coral fragmentation that will help build new coral beds to attract many of the 514 species of marine life in the Arabian Gulf.

Through these techniques, Kleindienst Group aim to create the biggest coral nursery in the world, producing 100,000 corals by 2020, and ensuring children play a part in the survival of the region’s marine species. In keeping with the sustainable approach, the lobby area will host 514 aquariums representing the 514 species of marine life to educate and delight guests by bringing the ocean to life.

Guests and day visitors will also enjoy the new surge in marine life due to the coral reef programme providing an excellent seascape for snorkelling, a pastime that has not been available on this coastline before. People will be able to experience hours of enjoyment swimming with exotic fish and turtles and even diving to catch their own pearl oysters. During the day, families will be able to take time together to stroll along two exclusive beaches and landscaped gardens with Mediterranean flora and flowering plants. Furthermore, the beach area will provide access to a fully-equipped water sports centre.

The Portofino Hotel is also conveniently located near the awe-inspiring climate-controlled streets covering 1 km, where it will snow and rain whilst maintaining a temperature of 27 degrees, 5 km per hour winds and 60 per cent humidity mirroring the climate in southern Europe during the summer.

As part of the Kingdom of Portofino Kids’ Club, there will be a snow-play area, where children from the Middle East can experience the novelties of building a snowman or creating snow angels for the first time.

Josef Kleindienst, chairman of the Kleindienst Group, said: “At Kleindienst, we were inspired by the Dubai leadership’s Vision 2020 to broaden the Emirates’ offering to attract 20 million visitors and make Dubai a world-class leisure and entertainment destination. The Heart of Europe has been carefully designed to serve this vision sustainably and bring the best of Europe to this great city.

“The soft launch of the exceptional Portofino Hotel at the end of this year marks an important and exhilarating stage in the construction of The Heart of Europe. This is our first hotel and it demonstrates how we will cater for each visitor demographic tailoring the hotel and experience to their needs – family-only, 24/7 entertainment or romantic. It will all be curated for guests’ pleasure. At the Portofino Hotel, we look after families who will encounter no distraction from singles, couples or party-goers, offering a safe and luxurious haven for the perfect family holiday.”

Kleindienst Group recently announced major progress on The Heart of Europe with the completion of the first Sweden Beach Palace on Sweden Island. The developer’s ultimate objective is to develop Dubai’s first luxury freehold second home market in an idyllic island location in which UAE residents can own a holiday property in their own country. The project is breaking the boundaries of innovation, with the first Floating Seahorse villas (the world’s first luxury underwater residences), set to be handed over by the turn of the year.

For investors interested in the Portofino Hotel, the island mock-up suite is now open. Visitors can take a trip to The Heart of Europe, to witness the project and will be able to visualise the beautiful environment the property will create for its guests, the statement said.