Diverse Dubai

A whistle stop tour of Dubai - and did I see a lot! I stayed near to the Marina - which is developing at such a fast rate - it will be finished in no time! There is already Marina walk with cafes and restaurants, and more areas are planned which will be fantastic! Added to this when Dubailand and Universal are up and running this will be a destination to be reckoned with!

The Burj Dubai which opens 9th September 2009 will be the highest building in the world, and will house various types of establishments including the first Georgio Armani Hotel! The building is surrounded by a lake and features a huge fountain that displays to music and lights - belittling others of its kind! There are hotels around here that have restaurants over looking the fountain and up to the Burj Dubai - fabulous!

Everything here is five star - they think of the finest of details - communication masts for example sitting on the roofs of buildings are disguised by a huge dome - that looks rather like a golf ball, and those on the Palm are disguised as palm trees!

The beaches - especially those along the Jumeirah area are lovely white sand and the water is clear and gentle. If your hotel does not have its own beach club - then there are private beaches where you can pay to visit, that have washroom facilities etc. or there are public beaches that you can use - but there are no facilities here.

Most of the beach hotels have their own private stretch of beach.

I visited the Aquaventure park (Not that I am much of a dare devil!) on the Palm. There are some good rides here though - especially 'Shark attack' and 'Leap of Faith' (Apparently just as many get to the top and don't go down as do!) There are a couple of pool areas and good areas for small children. There is also beach access and a chance to have a dolphin encounter at 'Dolphin Bay' There are loads of staff and overall the organisation is great. You can get lockers here and towels.

And if one water park isn't enough you can go for more fun at ‘Wild Wadi' water park - Jumeirah Beach.

So I went from the 5 star luxury hotels on Jumeirah beach to the hustle and bustle of the boats crossing the creek to the souks of Gold and Spice - small chugging boats cramming people on each side, full of the loud noises of chatter laughter and wood against wood as boats tussled for their space along the pier! Definitely an experience to be had!

The souks themselves are something to behold - especially the gold souk - I have never seen so much gold. It was draped over everything made into large belts and necklaces I am sure no one has the strength to wear!

The people were so friendly wherever we went - and I felt very safe!

There are bus tours of the city that will take you to the souks and to the Dubai Museum - or you can arrange in advance through Arabian Adventures or similar excursion companies. I loved the Dubai Museum - it gave me a real sense and understanding of how Dubai has come about and what it aims to be! This really is a unique place.

A shopper I am not, but if you are then in Dubai you can shop till you drop! The Dubai Mall, The Emirates Mall to name just two give you London shopping and more! And on top of that in the Emirates Mall you can ski! Yes ... Ski! There is an indoor ski run with chair lifts, drag lifts and ski instructors, as well as a toboggan run and a sledge run for the kids - a great day out to escape the heat for a day!

To end our trip we jumped in the back of 4x4's and hit the dunes! A wild and hair raising ride but very funny! We were taken to a camp in the middle of the desert for a fantastic barbeque with belly dancers and music, henna tattoos and bongs! A great excursion, and a great way to see the sun set over the Arabian desert.

I really enjoyed Dubai -a great place for a luxury and romantic short break, a perfect family holiday, or a fun time with friends.