Amazing Dubai

Wow - what a trip! I feel completely honoured to have been on such an incredible educational trip to find out more about this amazing destination. Where do I start? Firstly I Love Dubai! We were very fortunate to experience the Emirates Club Lounge at London Heathrow which was enormous and served a very hearty breakfast. We were also upgraded to Business Class, which was just brilliant. We arrived into Emirates brand new terminal 3, which is very large and impressive. We landed at around 8pm and when we left the terminal building the temperature was still at 28 degrees - heaven. The first hotel we visited was The Desert Palm located only 15 minutes from the airport - a pure haven. Although some 30-40 minutes from the beach the hotel is in a class of it's own, once just a polo ground which has now become a beautiful hotel and gives guests a privileged view of any major Polo Cup games. It would also make a superb relaxing stop over in Dubai - a great combination with Maldives, Mauritius or Sri Lanka. We were then whisked to the Al Maha, and I have to say this is one of the most unique and romantic places I have ever visited. It is a good 40 minutes drive from Dubai - but WOW - in the middle of nowhere, we were literally in the Desert. This has to be one of the most perfect honeymoon/couples destinations ! All private villa's set amongst foliage and sand dunes with breathtaking sunsets and an infinity pool in each villa, hence this place is not child friendly. No children allowed but then again there is nothing for them here. Coming back down to earth we then visited the Park Hyatt in Dubai Creek, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. For a city hotel it had a very calming feel about it, with lots of grounds, fantastic views of the creek and a superb location for a waterfront bar which housed 40 premium vodka's. The hotel is also right next door to the Golf Club. Another hotel that would be a great stopover, as it's only 5 minutes from the Airport. We then visited the Gran Hyatt - this hotel must have the biggest lobby I have ever seen, with 674 rooms and houses 14 food outlets. Then we headed for the beach. The Jumeirah Beach Hotel was our first stop. I personally would choose to stay here purely for the great children's facilities i.e. beach and complimentary access to the Wild Wadi Park, plus the rooms are a good size able to accommodate a family of 4 with children under 12. We then visited the very palatial sister property The Burj, a hotel with a fantastic location and an enormous fountain, which sounds as though you are arriving to a round of applause. Although the lobby is quite brash the rest of the hotel is very serine. We then viewed the Madinat hotels, again this has to be one of my favourites. It is a large resort spread over 3 hotels surrounded by 3.8km of venetian waterways and the hotels are connected by a souk housing 44 outlets. With a superb beach location, it is a resort you would not need or want to leave. I would certainly holiday with the family here. We also viewed the following properties which were all very lovely, The Harbour, The Ritz Carlton, The Westin, The One & Only Royal Mirage ( my favourite) a true Arabian style hotel. Then the amazing Atlantis which makes a most suitable family holiday with it's own water park, shopping and stunning views from all rooms. We also visited 2 of the newest properties The Address and The Palace in Burj Dubai. Dubai has got the biggest of everything - the World's tallest building, biggest fountain, largest shopping mall and will soon have Dubailand - another Epcot but bigger and better. We also visited a resort called Fujarah which is on the Indian Ocean and stayed in the Le Meridian. This is a resort that I can see turning into a very popular and affordable All Inclusive destination - not as plush as Dubai but a great family holiday. I could tell you so much more as the whole trip was exquisite. This fantastic destination really does have something for everyone.