Dubai
We stayed at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. The room was very spacious with a lovely balcony and equipped with everything you need for your entire stay; slippers, robes, dvd player and even an expresso machine.
As my first day in Dubai was a Friday it is tradition that they hold a brunch, which unites most people in the city. The brunch at the Westin was called ‘Bubbalicious’ and I now know why the name came about; Laurent Perrier champagne flowing endlessly! I have never seen anything like it; this really was the most impressive brunch I have ever seen. In addition to the champagne there were various cocktails being made, a Bacardi cocktail bar and soft drinks all available as well. The restaurants on the ground floor opened up and you could literally eat anything you wanted from fresh lobster and fish to roast meats and to steaks, and of course Asian Food - the choice was immense! The desserts were to die for and the presentation of everything really was outstanding. There was no limit to what you ate and drank at all. The cost for this was approximately £85.00 per person and I would highly recommend this.
After brunch I managed to get a few hours of relaxation in on the hotels private beach. The beach beds were perfect with thick mattresses and there was also a waiter service too. Due to the time of the year the weather was extremely hot nearing 45 degrees but there were plenty of shaded areas on the beach and around the pool and grass areas for you to escape to. The pool area at the Westin was very nice; there was a separate childrens pool and a meandering pool up to the swim up pool bar.
In the evening we went to the Armani Hotel, which is situated in the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. The hotel is the world’s first hotel developed and designed by Giorgio Armani. In addition to seeing the rooms at the Armani hotel we also went to the Armani Prive bar for cocktails and canapés, which is very exclusive.
Le Meridien Mina Seyahi is located next to the Westin hotel and you can use the facilities of both hotels and charge anything back to your room. I can highly recommend the Barasti bar, which is the beach bar at the Le Meridien and seems to be one of the places to ‘hang out’.
Whilst in Dubai we also went to the Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa for dinner, which is situated in the heart of the desert. We dined in the Al Hadheerah desert restaurant – a great place to experience traditional fare. There was 1001 culinary delights from the live cooking stations, wood-fired ovens with spit roasts, live entertainment, belly dancers, camels - it was truly and Arabic experience!
I also visited the Jumeirah Beach hotel which has a superb location on Jumeirah beach and is ideal for families and you get unlimited access to the Wadi Wadi water park next to the hotel. In addition to this I visited the Burj Al Arab, which is voted the world’s most luxurious hotel.
I also got to look around the Madinat Jumeirah, which is made up of 3 hotels, Mina A’Salam, Al Qasr and Dar Al Masyaf. I loved this resort as it really had a true Arabic feel.
Our awards celebration was hosted by the Atlantis hotel on the Palm. This is a beautiful hotel and ideal for families as it has a loads of marine life and waterpark! The hotel truly looked after us the food was exceptional.
A visit to the Souks is must. If you are looking for ‘genuine fakes’ then a visit to Al Karama Souk is recommend; it’s great fun to barter with the locals and some great items can be purchased. If you are looking to purchase gold then there is an abundance of Gold Souks in Dubai. If you want more traditional shops then you have the Mall of the Emirates, which is the biggest shopping mall in the world.
Dubai is a great place to go, guaranteed sunshine - it only rains about three times a year! There is loads to do for everyone, from relaxing on the beach or shopping to even skiing at Ski Dubai.
If you would like any more information on Dubai then please do not hesitate to contact me.