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Dubai

Dubai

DubaiIt was my first trip to Dubai in almost 10 years, part pleasure, part business and such a lot has changed. The first new experience was flying with Emirates and on their A380 from Heathrow. The online check in didn’t work very well and I had trouble getting my boarding pass up on my mobile, but it worked after some perseverance. Bag drop and check in was smooth and security queues weren’t too long at 0700 on a Sunday morning! As we boarded I was amazed at just how big the A380 is! We were allocated boarding zones according to where your seats are (I was at the very front of economy in a bulkhead seat) and once you step through the door there was no ducking to avoid the overhead lockers, a real feel of space and openness surrounded the cabin. My seat had excellent legroom (35” inside leg isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be!) but being the aisle bulkhead I couldn’t lift up the armrest to my right as it housed my tray table. The in flight entertainment was amazing – more films, TV programmes, radio stations, games and CD collections than you could ever imagine – you could spend the whole journey just trying to decide what to watch! I found the different camera angles on the outside of the aircraft and in-flight mapping fascinating and good quality. The only downer was the touch screens weren’t very sensitive and I ended up hitting them very hard to get them to work (rather to the annoyance of the passenger in the seat in front on my return flight!). Another point to note is the in flight shopping (a girl’s gotta do what a girls’ gotta do!) a great selection of perfumes and jewellery but they don’t offer cigarettes or alcohol sales – so buy these from the duty free shop in the arrivals hall instead.

Dubai

First 3 nights I stayed at the Hyatt Regency, excellent service and a really nice sized room with a big bathroom. The pool area was big with plenty of sun loungers and the bar served excellent mojitos! Walk through the hotel to the Galleria area and there is a shopping mall attached to the hotel with an ice rink in the middle (only in Dubai!), offering a selection of shops and bars. Dining in the revolving restaurant at the top of the hotel is a must – buffet style with everything you could imagine with great quality ingredients. The only criticism was that the staff were too attentive on occasion with frequent knocks on the door and even a phone call to check that the room was to your satisfaction drove me mad!

Dubai

From there we moved to the Radisson Royal hotel – 2 ½ skyscrapers linked together with the accommodation in the main 2 towers, with a small pool area in the shorter tower. Check in was very slow (there were dozens of travel agents checking in but even so it was laborious) but the rooms were even bigger than at the Hyatt Regency – buttons for all the room controls (some of which didn’t work) and a bathroom with floor to ceiling windows for those brave people! I have stayed at several Radissons over the years but I have to say I was very disappointed with this one – pool area was very small and could only accommodate around 30 people on sunbeds at the most, the bar was tiny and service was very slow. I had to take 3 lifts to get from my room to the pool area, zigzagging my way through the hotel, likewise to get to the nightclub on the 51st floor.

Dubai

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I was able to partake in some tourist activities during this trip – must visit is the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest man made structure. It’s breath-taking and makes you dizzy if you look up to the top of it. Go and see it at night and see the magical fountains playing to music every half an hour. To get the best view eat in one of the restaurants along the front so you can see the whole length of the fountains at the same time. The Burj has led lights which shimmer like diamonds when the sun goes down, an awesome structure.

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I would also thoroughly recommend a night out to Mahiki nightclub next door to the Jumeirah Beach hotel. Not a nightclub in the traditional sense of the word, more a bar with lively music – and don’t forget to do some celebrity spotting! It’s decorated in a Treasure Island style and if you book a booth, it comes with a 6 litre bottle of vodka, complete with mixers, and even your own waiter/waitress. We were treated to a smouldering treasure chest filled with fruit juice, followed closely behind with dancing girls with sparklers and half a dozen bottles of champagne to pour over the top – then grab a straw and drink away! The best nightclub I have been to – EVER!

Dubai

Unfortunately, the fun had to wind down and work was the order of the day. The Advantage Conference sessions were informative and fascinating, and included guest speakers such as Fred Finn, the world’s most travelled person, Lesley Kane, Head of Corporate Sales at Ryanair, Dan Robb, Industry Leader-Travel at Google and Paul Wait CEO at the GTMC to name but a few. Our first key note speaker was Ellis Watson CEO of DC Thomson who gave a lively and entertaining talk about his experiences travelling and how to progress from mission statements to true company culture. Our second speaker was Martina Navratilova who gave an amazing and inspiring story of how she overcame adversity through her life to become the world’s most successful female tennis player. We enjoyed evening activities at Atlantis,The Palm with a drinks reception on Nasimi Beach, dinner at The Desert Palm and a cocktail night at the Address Downtown Dubai.

Dubai

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Dubai truly is a seamless blend of East meets West and has something to offer everyone from families wishing to bask in the sun, to thrill seekers indulging on the indoor ski slope or skydiving, to shopaholics with the endless malls and souks. The Emirati people are warm and welcoming and Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world. A “must visit” city for all to experience at least once!

Dubai

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