Dubai

After an enjoyable 6½hr flight from Heathrow in Premium Economy on Virgin we arrived at Dubai airport and were very impressed as it was easy to navigate. Baggage reclaim was speedy and we were through immigration in minutes, entered the huge Duty Free areas and stocked up with wine and spirits for our stay.

We had pre booked a private transfer and our driver was waiting for us. Within 30 minutes we arrived at our hotel.
We stayed at Le Royal Meridian Beach Resort & Spa on Jumeirah Beach in a Sea View Deluxe Room. Even though our arrival was early morning, the room was ready and we were taken straight there after we had checked in. Being on the 7th floor we enjoyed a panoramic view of the immaculate manicured gardens leading down to the white powder sandy beach. Golf buggies were on hand to transport you through the gardens down to the beach.

The sea is like a warm bath with hundreds of small fish swimming around you, but they do not bite. The attentive staff could not do enough for you. A supply of ice cold flannels was brought to your bed at regular intervals and a sample of fruit slushy around midday. The first few days we just relaxed and tried to become acclimatised to the heat.

We had booked half board and ate in the Brasserie restaurant which was a buffet, with a huge choice of excellent food. If you wanted to eat in one of the 10 specialty restaurants you were given an allowance towards the cost.
The celebrity chef Gary Rhodes was there to open his second restaurant in Dubai called Twenty20.

Most nights we had a stroll along The Walk, a long beach side street with many coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants on one side and a few hotels on the other side. The Jumeirah residences tower above with a few more shops and a supermarket scattered among the skyscrapers.

The hotel operates a shuttle bus to the nearby Mall of the Emirates. Apart from the huge array of Designer shops there is Ski Dubai, this is a very popular attraction where you can ski on real snow and the glass walls offer a magnificent view of the slopes.

Getting around is easy. There are hundreds of taxis which are cheap enough. For longer journeys we used the new Dubai Metro, a driverless monorail, easy to use and very cheap. We bought a Noi card for 20 dirhams (£3.30) and used it like the Oyster Card in London.

We travelled on the metro to Dubai Mall a few times. This is the largest complex (so far) with 1200 shops, a huge walk through aquarium, a full size ice rink and cinema. In the evening the Dubai fountain, the largest in the world, displays a spectacular free show every ½ hour to classical music.

The tallest building in the world The Burj Khalifa is also here. If you have a head for heights you can experience the ‘At the Top’ which takes you up 124 floors to the observation deck. This is reached by 2 high speed lifts which are so smooth you do not know you are moving. The views from here are amazing, floor to ceiling glass walls give you a 360° panoramic view of Dubai. The outside terrace is best for those amazing photos. Tickets are best booked in advance 100 dirham’s (£17) or for immediate entry 400 dirham’s (£68).

We booked on the 2 day Big Bus Tour. The double decker bus is air conditioned and has a part open top. There are 2 routes, blue and red, where you can hop on hop off at the major sites in Dubai. You also get a free Dhow cruise and entry to the Dubai Museum. After a long day sightseeing we loved nothing more than sat on our balcony with a cold drink watching the sunset over the sea.

Dubai is striving to have the biggest and best attractions in the world and new attractions are opening all the time. The biggest being built is Dubai Land which will be twice the size of Disney in Florida. It will have 7 themed areas with shops, restaurants, bars and hotels as well as state of the art attractions.

Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world with little or no crime and friendly locals. We had a wonderful holiday in Dubai and would have no hesitation in returning very soon.