A Weekend in Dubai
On arrival on Saturday morning, we were taken to our hotel - The Palazzo Versace. This hotel is amazing, and our rooms were huge (a Grand Suite!) It's in the Cultural Village area and at the moment everything around it is being developed. This does mean there is nothing you can walk to but the hotel itself is a resort style hotel on the Dubai Creek. The breakfasts were great, pool facilities good and service outstanding.
Soon after lunch, we were taken to La Perle (currently the only Las Vegas style show in Dubai). It was truly astonishing, I'd highly recommend it and until this trip not something I would have mentioned to clients beforehand. The stage is set up really well and the seating is wrapped around a large part of the stage. The seats are quite steep too, so the view is pretty good wherever you are. After this we were treated to a 'Taste of Persia' at the Palazzo Versace's Enigma Hotel. The food here was fantastic and quite theatrical - we had dry ice and they made the ice-cream in front of us. Definitely one to remember if you would like a special meal.
On Sunday we had the thrill of a Yellow Boat RIB Tour, which started in the Marina. The last time I visited Dubai (2006), this area was a building site and I hadn't realized at the time it would eventually form the Marina. It's now a lovely area and although we didn't see it in the evening, I am told it has a great atmosphere for a wander around. Sailing through the marina at slow speed was a great experience before making it out past the "world's largest Ferris wheel" (or at least it will be when it's finished!) We then sped up and enjoyed the bouncing and spray as we went along the coastline in the direction of the Palm. We stopped at the iconic Atlantis The Palm hotel for photos before going off again. We made it to the Burj Al Arab for some more photos and then whizzed back to the Marina. Overall, it was around an hour and a half and it's not recommended for those who get sea sick! I'd love to take my family on it though, I'm sure they'd love it. Of course, the weather helped too, it was around 25-28 degrees most days (a stark contrast to what we had left behind in the UK!)
After the RIB Tour, we were taken to Nikki Beach Hotel for lunch (amazing) and a very quick guided tour. Then we had the rest of the afternoon at Nikki Beach Club. This is a luxury, party venue with DJs playing throughout the day, something different and definitely one to tick off the 'to do' list! For us it was lovely to relax with a great atmosphere and enjoy the sunshine. It has a nice stretch of beach too although the sea was a little rough. I'm one to feel the cold and it was a little chilly getting in, but once I was in it was heaven. I sent some photos back to the kids and hubby, just to rub it in a little more! Due to the waves, getting out wasn't particularly elegant but I made it in one piece and was pleased I'd gone in!
For dinner we went down to the Walk and went for a casual meal at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes. It's worth noting that any restaurants and bars that aren't part of a hotel cannot serve alcohol. It was great to see The Walk as I'd heard a lot about it and talked about it to clients but being there helped me put things into perspective in terms of size and location. If you are staying around this location, it's nice to have the option to walk around here and the Marina without having to get into a taxi.
They saved the big one for the last day, a seaplane experience over Dubai! I've never been in a seaplane before and I'll be honest and say I was a little nervous. The take-off and landing though were surprisingly calm and smooth and I'm so pleased I did it. Seeing Dubai from the sky is awesome, you can get a really good idea of the size of it and how much of it is still not developed. The Palm had to be the highlight. It was fantastic to be able to see it from up there! We did the 20-minute trip and got to fly up and down the Creek, over the city (we saw the QE2 which lives in Dubai now), up Sheikh Zahed Road past the Burj Khalifa and then over the Palm and Burj Al Arab. I’m truly lucky to have done it and would highly recommend it. There are longer trips as well if you prefer!
There was no rest after this, we were whisked straight back to the hotel for a hosted lunch at Vanitas – the Palazzo Versace’s signature Italian restaurant. The food here was stunning and it’s a lovely restaurant. We were hosted by our partner company in Dubai who we use to plan our clients’ holidays. It was great to meet some of them in person and talk to them about Dubai and what they can help with. Although the meal was incredible, spending time with our suppliers is invaluable and it really was a great opportunity for us all!
With a free afternoon before our final evening, we decided to venture into the Spice & Gold Souks. I enjoyed just wandering round and even managed a bit of bartering along the way! We took the 1 Dirham (approx. 20p) Abra across the Creek too, just to say we’d done it!
Our final evening took us to the One & Only The Palm. This is a lovely boutique hotel (that’s boutique for Dubai anyway!) It’s very tranquil and even when it’s full it doesn’t feel busy. You can see the amazing skyline of Dubai and at night time it was a great sight! They have very high repeat business and I can see why!
Overall, Dubai didn’t disappoint, and it had changed a lot since my last visit. I’ll definitely be going back but maybe in a few years’ time to see what has changed the next time round. There’s still a lot of building work going on but it doesn’t seem to affect the overall enjoyment and it appears to just be normal scenery for Dubai. It’s definitely one of those places that everyone should visit at least once! An amazing trip with lots fitted in to a few short days – highly recommended!