Arabian Nights

Last week I went to Dubai with my oldest friend, and both of our mums. We had an amazing time with lots of laughs, and when we got back there were lots of stories to tell! I've been to Dubai a couple of times before, but before I went, I had lots of people asking me what it's like over there. If I could describe Dubai in one word it would be "Paradise", but I've decided to write a post about it so that you can all make your own decision...without having to go there (although I definitely recommend that you all go!). 

As soon as we arrived at the airport we were greeted by a driver who had been sent by Jumeirah cars (Jumeriah is the name of the resort which is most popular for holiday go-ers). As we got in we were offered a cold towl and a bottle of water (ooooooh!). It was about 10.30pm when we arrived, so we headed to our hotel - Mina A Salam. 

We were welcomed into the room with this little creature on the bed! 

The most amazing shower..EVER.

We woke up early on our first day and headed down to the breakfast buffet. It was delicious, their selection beat every other that I have experienced, from cereal to pancakes to waffles to eggs to fruit.. you name it, they had it! We spent the day by the beach (as we did every day) and made the most of the incredible surroundings...

The world-famous Burj Al Arab hotel which has been built in the middle of the ocean. Amazing.

The sea was as warm as a bath - I would have preferred it to be a little cooler considering the temperature which was about 40 degrees... saying that, I certainly was NOT complaining! 

Our hotel provided a water-taxi service which took us to the "Madinat" complex right next to the hotel... 

At the complex there was a huge variety of restaurants, shops and a souk (a souk is the name for the famous Arabic markets). On our first night we had dinner at the Meat.Co which was delicious. I had calamari to start and then an Angus Beef Fillet Steak for main. I highly recommend the restaurant if you get the chance to go! 

Amongst the amazing restaurants, we wined and dined at two amazing Lebanese restaurants. Lebanese cuisine is my favourite. The fact that I am half Lebanese could have you thinking I am slightly biased...but if you have tried it you will share the love for it! If you haven't... hurry up and have a taste, you are SERIOUSLY missing out! Of course we enjoyed a Shisha afterwards, it would have been rude not to! 

The hotel had its own spa, and we certainly took full advantage of it! Myself and my friend both had a "Balinese" massage. Just thinking about it is making me feel as relaxed as I did during the massage! It was incredible... a full body massage with lots of oils, what more could you ask for! After the massage we were able to make the most of the spa facilities, including a sauna, steam room, plunge pools and outdoor swimming pool.

The plunge pools... it took us about an hour to get into each of them due to the extreme temperatures!!

One evening we had dinner on the 27th floor of the the Burj Al Arab hotel next door...
Look at the picture above. You see that funny thing poking out at the top left? That's the restaurant we ate in. Oh, and incase I didn't mention it... the other funny round shaped thing poking out on the right is just a helicopter pad. Casual. Dubai certainly likes to take things to extremes, and don't we love it!

We had a drink and some canapes in the SkyView Bar which was right next to the restaurant, and then enjoyed a luxurious three course meal which was simply delicious!

This huge aquarium follows the hotel escalators all the way up from the lobby to the 1st floor. Mesmerizing !

Anyway I'm not going to say or show you anymore, because I believe that every one of you reading this should visit Dubai at some point in your life. There is so much more to it to what I have shown you, and if you are impressed with what you see, you would be a fool to miss out on an amazing opportunity! 

Happy holidays :)