Sun and fun in Dubai

This Spring, courtesy of Dubai Tourism and Emirates airline, I headed off to Dubai for a whirlwind tour of this always changing city in the desert. The region has been inhabited for just 200 years and Dubai itself really only came to life in the sixties so there is a sense of the new here in the U.A.E. We stayed in the marina area for the first few nights and I loved that you could walk out the door of the hotel and stroll along the promenade, with its fabulous shops, bars, restaurants and cafes. The beach here is a miles long strip with beach clubs, a big wheel, inflatables at sea for the kids; sunbeds for hire; there really was loads going on. All the hotels in this area have amazing sea views where you can see the magnificent man-made Palm Island stretching out into the Arabian Sea.

That is where we headed next; I got to stay in the magnificent Atlantis for two nights; it's a large slice of Vegas for the Middle East and so much fun! Shaped like a Palace from Aladdin, and centred around a ginormous aquarium, this place makes for an unforgettable family holiday. It has one of the largest waterparks in the world, Aquaventure. If you are not staying at the hotel you can still buy day tickets for this park, and it has something for everyone, from a very long meandering lazy river to the scariest dead-drop waterfall ride.

As well as Aquaventure and the Aquarium, (where we scuba walked with sharks!) this hotel has some really great restaurants by Gordon Ramsey, Nobu and more. There are buggies that take you from section to section at this resort and four different sun areas along the beach, from sleepy to Ibiza-style, there is something for everyone. The thing that stood out to me the most from this trip was the food, and that was a surprise. I love my seafood and have tried it all over the world and honestly, this was the best I have ever had. The sushi, barbecued fish, oysters, everything was so fresh and clean. Everywhere we ate I was blown away by the standard of cooking, the freshness of ingredients and the variety of cuisines on offer.

A highlight of the trip was a visit to the new in 2022 'Museum of the Future'. This mind-blowing building was constructed with absolutely no pillars inside, it is impossible to figure out how it stands up. Inside the visitor is taken on a virtual journey into the future: you are beamed up in a rocket to a satellite station in the imaginary future, where people live and work in space creating and discovering new technologies to assist us down on earth. It is really believable and so well done. We made an obligatory trip out into the desert, where we had a camel ride and went sand duning in jeeps. I DID NOT like either of these, my nerves were shot, especially in the jeep, but others loved it!

Overall I really enjoyed seeing how Dubai is embracing fun and the future with its incredible design led architecture, theme parks and incredible hotels. If you want guaranteed sunshine, great hospitality and a real escape from the norm, then I recommend a break in Dubai.