Monaco set for ‘soft’ opening in June as $5bn Heart of Europe project progresses

Grand Azur – which translates as ‘big blue’ – has a perimeter of more than 1km and contains 14,000 cubic metres of sustainably-desalinated water.

Grand Azur is clever as well as big, using solar energy to illuminate, recycle, heat and cool the eco-friendly water, developer Kleindienst said in a statement.

The epic pool will form the watery heart of the Côte d’Azur Resort and includes four connected blue water lagoons, shaped as rolling waves, with a white edge that emulates the Mediterranean’s natural froth.

While Olympic-sized pools are 50m in length, Grand Azur is eight times larger, dwarfing every leisure pool in the Middle East. Water temperature will be maintained at 28° Celsius courtesy of solar-powered pumps.

It is complemented with lush rain forest landscapes comprising 100 exotic plant species, trendy floating sunbed cabanas and DJ pods, plus a pool bar.

The pool can operate a ‘standard’ set-up for regular daily use, but can be ‘re-modelled’ for different seasons, such as providing peak summer shaded areas, and special events, including exclusive sets from top DJs and challenging water sports events.

Grand Azur lagoons link and weave between Côte d’Azur’s boutique hotels – each named after picturesque French Riviera hotspots Monaco, Nice, Cannes and St Tropez.

Kleindienst Group, developer of the Heart of Europe mega-project, confirmed that the fit-out of Côte d’Azur’s five-star hotels is underway.

Monaco will set the tone when it welcomes guests during a ‘soft’ opening in June, subject to government Covid-19 restrictions. All four upscale Côte d’Azur hotels are scheduled for an official public launch in October, in time for Expo 2020 guests, adding 893 keys to the Dubai hospitality portfolio.

Kleindienst chairman Josef Kleindienst (pictured above) said: “This incredible, epic pool is both innovative and sustainability-orientated, like everything else at The Heart of Europe, we have long been known for normalizing the unexpected and the future mega trends in the tourism industry. Grand Azur follows trend in that regard.

“We have evolved a new way to build swimming pools, not from wall to wall with set areas, but an adjustable concept that is a world first.”

Grand Azur is the eighth largest pool in the world, he added.

Part of a 15-hotel portfolio of upscale hotels within The Heart of Europe’s six island offering, Côte d’Azur guests will be able to select from eight food and beverage venues, including a classic French bistro, Mediterranean restaurant, champagne and piano bar, La Boulangerie all-day dining, a pool and beach club/lounge and a French Riviera influenced café.

Gyms will complement prime spa facilities, complete with snow room, offering signature treatments with authentic rituals from the French Riviera, based on aromatherapy to promote health and well being.

Kleindienst added: “We have taken some of Europe’s most dynamic, prestigious and appealing destinations as inspiration and the cultural template for our entire destination project – and Côte d’Azur will be a stunning realisation of that vision.

“We are coming thrillingly close to delivering a destination that once might have been the stuff of dreams, but is soon to be revealed as a stylish and carefully curated reality – accessible to everybody, all year round.”

The Heart of Europe is a sustainable island destination in Dubai comprising of seven islands, 15 hotels and resorts, 4,000 holiday homes, boutique hotel suites, in addition to the iconic Floating Seahorse Villas and white sandy beaches.

Phase one of the project incorporates five key projects in a Maldives-style setting, including Sweden Island’s multi-level Beach Palace mansions and Bauhaus-inspired waterfront villas on Germany Island. Honeymoon Island is home to the revolutionary Floating Seahorse villas and Portofino family hotel, while Marbella Hotel and the Côte d’Azur resort are on Main Europe island, largest of The Heart of Europe’s six islands.