Blogs from United Arab Emirates, Middle East - page 25

06 October 2015 Emma and the boys dropped us off at Birmingham Airport in plenty of time to catch the 09.40 Emirates plane and after a pleasant flight in a half empty cabin we arrive in Dubai at 19.30. From the air conditioned airport we transferred to the air conditioned metro and only got hit by the 35° heat on the 10 minute walk along the huge Sheikh Zayed Road to the Crowne Plaza Hotel where we dived into the air conditioning again. We were upgraded to a palatial suite on the 15th floor with panoramic views over the City and its skyscrapers. A good first taste of the Dubai high life.... read more

So I did it. I moved 4,000 miles away. Now there’s 7000 KMs of war and desert and seas between myself and everything I ever knew … And that’s fine. There’s far worse places to be marooned than Dubai: My classroom no longer looks out over a Surrey council estate, but at the spire of the world’s tallest building. There’s a pool on my roof. I’m not allowed to carry my bags up to my room without a concierge throwing a cardiac arrest at me. Mcdonald’s will deliver to my door! Yes, everyone tells you it’s going to be hot… But unless you’ve ever stuck your face in lava or been to the sun then it’s hard to comprehend. It’s a constant hair-dryer up your nostrils; a singeing-off-your-eyebrows-extravaganza, – a continuous smothering hug from a huge, ... read more

We were supposed to be having an early start today, but having only having had a few hours sleep each, we cancelled our boat ride, and had a small lay in instead. On our way out of the hotel, we spoke with the girl on reception about the noise last night. Straight away she agreed to move us to another room which would be a business class room with complimentary access to the business lounge with free drinks and snacks included. She also agreed to provide us with a complementary lift to the airport for tomorrow morning. This was good for a ‘starter’ for our complaint. Then another lady joined the receptionist and took our details. Although we are happy with the extras offered so far, this has derailed our holiday plans a little, as today ... read more

Esta noche embarco para iran (de sharjah, emirato vecino de dubai), llego mannana pronto a bandar abas y inmediatamente voy para el interior, al norte. El viaje sale por 75 eur + 7 eur de tasa portuaria, 70 kg de equipaje y cena incluidos... read more

When we were booking this trip, we had no idea what there was to do in Abu Dhabi. We were only going there to see Theresa´s sister. Once we had booked the flights and started looking into what to do, we realised that we did not have enough time here. Consequently, we tried to cover the more popular places during this trip with the knowledge that we will probably be making a return visit within the next couple of years and can spend more time here then. Most of our time during this visit was in the 4 and 5 star hotels around the city. We did not get a chance to see the older parts or any of the waterfront. We are very much looking forward to our next visit which will be longer giving ... read more