If any of you reading this follow me on twitter or Instagram, you'll know I have just returned home from an incredible holiday in Dubai. Now, I'm going to be honest with you and put it out there - this holiday was based purely on relaxation, eating amazing food, not working - *insert hallelujah arms in air emoji here* and eating more food. So I definitely didn't want to take my DSLR, or worry about taking fantastic quality pictures... so this post won't be a review as such, or even a "this is Dubai, read all about it here" as my photo's can not do it justice at all, so I decided to do a post on things I learnt from my time in Dubai. (with some terrible quality iPhone pictures thrown in for good measure.)
Some points are very vaguely profound/deep and meaningful (well, attempting to be anyway, I'm pretty much as deep as a puddle) and some points are pure and simply superficial discoveries, but either way, here are 10 things I learnt from Dubai. I really hope you enjoy.
(... and if you don't, let's just pretend you had the time of your life reading this post anyway, yeah? Lovely...)
1. Don't believe the negative hype. By this I mean - if you've looked into going to Dubai, you've probably seen or heard that you have to be fully clothed top to toe at all times, no PDA's anywhere etc. Don't believe it. Inside the resort you're absolutely fine in your holiday short shorts, even outside of the resort it is nowhere near as strict as you imagine. I wore long trousers and a blazer to the mall for example, but there were plenty of people in shorts and vests. So, be respectful to the locals but don't fret too much!
2. If you have coeliac disease and you're worried that your dietary requirements can't be catered for, please head to 'The one and only Royal Mirage' hotel. I cannot fault them for a second - for anything actually, not just food wise - the chef's came out to meet me at every meal and let me know what I could and couldn't have. They immediately alerted all of the restaurant staff so that they were aware, they then - and here's the good bit - came out and presented me with gluten free bread. *insert hand in the air/praise the lord emoji here*
3. The malls. Oh lord, the malls. They are incredible, in a word. I visited the Emirates mall which has around 560 stores, I just... there are no words. Did I mention that is also had a Sephora? Yeah... stupidly exciting times. The next time I visit Dubai - because there will be a next time - the Dubai mall, with over 1500 stores and a bloody Aquarium, will be my next venture.
4. The heat. If you're cold blooded like me - with a warm heart, obvs :) - then you'll be in for a treat. If you don't get on well with heat however, then you might want to start preparing yourself. I went at the beginning of Dubai's winter and it was no less than 38 degrees. Luckily I stayed at the most incredible hotel with a beautiful pool so I spent most of my time cooling off in there. (Not to mention the sea - with a temperature of 28degree's, ridiculous)
Technicalities/review-esque points done, time to get a little soppy and reflective (injected with some superficial-ness for an added bonus!)
5. Everyone needs time to relax as nobody is invincible. Before Dubai I had gone 4 years without a holiday. I've worked in TV for 3 and a half years now and I was too focused on work to take the time out and have a holiday. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, no matter how hardy you think you are and how much stress and work you can endure - without a break, you will burn out. Take a week off, save up some money and head to somewhere you've always dreamt of going to and completely relax and let go...
6. No make up days. I don't know about you but I am definitely not one for make up on holiday, not even to dinner at night. 7days of no make up i.e no fanny-ing about with eyeliner, the dream!
7. Let's talk about tanning. We all know that any amount of sunbathing is not good for you. But we also know that everyone looks - and in my experience, feels - better with a tan. So get your factor 50 on to be as safe as possible, and tan to your heart's content.
8. It's OK to cry. Yes, I said cry. That may seem slightly weird to you as why on earth would you cry on holiday? Well, looking out from the beach at night and getting all emotional about it, apparently. I'm not an emotional person, I'm just not, but one night I wandered out to the beach to look at the amazing sky scrapers lit up in the dark and I couldn't help the happy tears from streaming. Dubai is beautiful by day and night and I genuinely feel so lucky to have experienced such an incredible place.
9. Family are everything. My boyfriend was away so I actually went with my parents and brother and I will never forget that time with them. My family are genuinely some of the most amazing people I know - not that I'm biased at all ;) - and I loved every second of my holiday with them.
10. Once you go to Dubai, you will not want to leave. That is all!
Well, actually, this is me "gobshite 100 words a second Elle" so it's not quite all. I just wanted to say that if any of you are in the market for a beautiful, luxurious, pricey - but totally worth it - holiday then I highly recommend Dubai, and especially the one and only royal mirage hotel. It was truly out of this world and I would return in a heart beat!
So, have any of you been to Dubai, do you have any recommendations for people to check out if they're going too? Or, please tell me where your dream holiday destination is, I would love to hear your thoughts! :)
As always, thank you so much for reading. See you in the next post!
So, have any of you been to Dubai, do you have any recommendations for people to check out if they're going too? Or, please tell me where your dream holiday destination is, I would love to hear your thoughts! :)