We walked the Walk

JA Ocean View is modern sleek 4 star hotel on the The Walk at JBR minutes from the beach, shops and many restaurants.

I did look at the hotel on the website before we travelled and I honestly can’t believe it looks exactly like the pictures in real life. The bright white reception is just immaculate and the air conditioning is so welcoming when you step through the front doors.

Our room was 1507 Connors birthday, so we never forgot it. We walked in and again we were amazed to see it looked just like the pictures. The bright colours are great. I was drawn to the doors at the far end of the room that led to a small, but big enough balcony. The view was perfect. I could see the beach, the pool and the busy walk. Even though JA Ocean View is a city style hotel it doesn’t feel impersonal, the staff are happy friendly and always there to help. The breakfast is impressive with everything you can think of whether you are looking for a healthy or the full on naughty option it’s there waiting to be chosen.

The pool is on the third floor, it’s a rooftop area with great views. It is open until 9pm so we got to swim with the pool lit up in the dark with the city sounds in the warm night air. There is a cocktail bar here and you can also get a beach pack with a towel in if you want to visit the beach. There is a lift from here to go to the beach without having to walk through the main hotel which is great. This part of Dubai has a completely different feel to the quiet relaxing pace we had just left, this is a night owls paradise and also a noisy place. We swapped the peacocks for the sound of sports cars, but that didn’t put us off.

Getting around Dubai is easy and cheap by public transport and taxis, but even so JA Ocean View offers free shuttle buses to the Malls which can be pre-booked by guest services.

We had big plans for this part of our stay which was going to make it a full on few days and put my step count up a lot.

Here are some of the things we did that you might like:

Mall of the Emirates

We came her purely to see the penguins and the ski slopes. The rest of the Mall didn’t thrill me if I’m honest.

Dubai Mall

Now this is my favourite, I could spend days here shopping, but when you take your 15 year old son with you, that’s never going to happen. We did however spend a lot of time here. It helps when it’s open very late into the night.

The first time we visited the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater zoo. This is a must for families who like the Sealife Centres at home. There are few different ticket types, we opted for the one that included a boat trip. We can book these tickets in advance for you, so please ask.

Burj Khalifa

A trip to Dubai isn’t complete without ascending to at least the 124th floor. You really can’t believe how high you are. Now for someone that feels queasy at the top of the Blackpool Tower, you have to be impressed that I was brave and went up the stairs to the 125th floor. You can go higher, but to be honest the price goes up massively for those extra 23 floors.

Dubai Fountain

This is something to see. The World’s largest performing fountain. It happens every 30 minutes in the evening from 6-11pm and you wouldn’t believe how busy it gets. If you want to get away from the people though you can set sail on a traditional Abra ride on the Burj lake and enjoy the sights and sounds from there.

While we were in Dubai there when quite a few good films were coming out, so we thought lets go to the cinema.. It was strange experience and it certainly wasn’t like being at the Odeon. They have usher to show you to your pre-booked seats, from what I can gather this is mainly because people take each other’s seats. The film was good, but I can say the next time we go to Dubai we won’t be going to the cinema unless the film is on in one of the posh screens with the reclining seats and blankets.

IMG Worlds of Adventure Indoor theme park.

This place in a way is in the middle of nowhere if you are a tourist without a car, but good news they now run a shuttle bus once a day from lots of hotels including JA Ocean View.

The highlight of this place is getting to be Iron Man. Yes, I really said that. The experience has to be seen to be believed. Connor stood in a room that looked just like the film and the next minute he was Iron Man and fighting the bad guys. Have a look at the picture and it will all make sense I promise.

What I hope you have picked up from what I have said is that Dubai has something for everyone. I have only talked about two hotels and a few things that we did. I haven’t talked about the water parks or Legoland and Dubai Parks. These are all things we will do on our next visit to Dubai.

For more information please pick up the phone or drop me a line, I will never tire of talking about this amazing place.