Last Day at Dubai

We were lazy and got up pretty late :) We then headed out to check where we could have our breakfast. The spread at Kaleidoscope was ABSOLUTE BRILLIANT!!! One of the biggest I've ever seen and tasted brilliant as well. Overall, our stay at Atlantis was very nice but the highlight was food here. Fantastic restaurants :) Th check out process was smooth and we headed to the airport to catch our return flight to India.

Overall a great trip and lots of memories to cherish :)

Dubai Day 3 & Day 4

The day again began with enjoying at the swimming pool. After freshening up, we left for breakfast. The variety was again really minimal and the service was pathetic. I don't even want to waste my time by writing here how bad their service was. After breakfast we left for shopping. 

We first visited Dubai Outlet Mall. The Outlet Mall had lots of brands under one roof and there was pretty good discount going on. We had our lunch at the Food Court on top. We then left to Dubai Mall for Shopping. This place is huge. We could only cover 25% of the mall for the time we had. I absolutely loved the time spent time. One might get tired going around the mall, but this place has lots of store under one roof. They have a huge aquarium and Fountain Show. We had to miss the Fountain show because we had to head back to the hotel for our Dhow Cruise.

After all the shopping (of course, we did crib that we couldn't visit Mall of Emirates), we headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We were to be picked up for Marina Dhow Cruise by around 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Guess what?? We were ready on time by 6:50 pm but the bus came to pick us up by 7:45 pm. We were dropped off at the cruise location. The cruise started about 15 minutes after we boarded. One can enjoy the building and the view from the top deck. The food was average and the belly dancing was good. After a long night, we reached our hotel by almost 11:00 pm.

The next day, we wanted to check out early and go to Atlantis. We all got ready, packed our bags and went down for breakfast. The service again was so bad, that we walked out of the breakfast. There was no one to even notice that we had come and gone!!! This after waiting for more than 30 minutes for breakfast. The variety that is laid out is bad and is cold. They take minimum 15 - 20 just to reheat the stuff. All apartment guests are seated upstairs of the cafe and we are the only ones for breakfast. It is not like the place is packed and service is tight. It was more than 30 minutes and they hadn't got any eggs for us to eat. 

We checked out the apartment. The check-out process was pretty fast and we headed out to Atlantis. I had made reservation to stay at Atlantis for 1 night. I had booked 2 double rooms and 1 triple occupancy room. They informed me that there was no package with breakfast. So I had to pay for my breakfast separately. I had called them earlier to enquire if I can check in early. The suggestion that was given was to come in early, drop off our luggage and go ahead and see the hotel. 

We reached the hotel and were amazed by the size of lobby. It was truly a magnificent place and it's too huge that you can get lost easily. We started with the check-in process. The luggage was taken and we were allotted 1 room for the moment. The rooms were big and the view from the room was amazing. The bathrooms were big as well :) We went ahead and saw the Lost Chambers. The variety of fishes were just amazing and loved that I could see so many different species of them :)

View from one of our rooms:

View of Lobby:

After we were done with Lost Chambers, we had a quick bite at The Burger Joint. The burgers were absolutely smashing. It was well past 2 pm and went to the room to check if we were allocated our other 2 rooms. We were not and we had to wait for quite sometime :(. We then headed to the Aquaventure Waterpark. Since I was preggie, I really couldn't do anything much but the rest of the family had a blast. I wanted to do snorkelling and heard it was safe to do while you are pregnant. So went ahead and did snorkelling with sharks!!! I was quite scared while getting inside but the guide was fantastic and made me feel at ease. It was absolutely thrilling to  see a shark so close ( The staff at Atlantis get confused between Shark Snorkelling and Dive Centre).

We went to the beach nearby but the water was way too salty that we ended up going to the swimming pool. We snacked at the "Shark Bytes" next to the pool and took advantage of 50% off on beverages :). We were tired and went to our room to refresh ourselves. We were debating between Nasimi Beach and Ronda Locatelli. We mad our booking for Nasimi Beach and at the last minute changed it to Ronda Locatelli. The restaurant was absolutely gorgeous. The food tasted brilliant. I had one of the best pizzas here. 

My room was facing the dive centre and I could see all the lovely fishes swimming all night long :). It was time for me to take some rest before I head out to India the next day

Dubai Day 2

Day 2 started with exploring more features of the apartment. While checking-in, the receptionist informed us that breakfast would be sent to our room, since their restaurant is closed for renovation. We called and asked them to deliver the breakfast at our room by 8:30 am, since we had to leave by 9:00 for our sight seeing. In the meanwhile, we went to the pool on top of the apartment. To go to the pool, you need to go from one tower to another tower. On the top floor, you have your steam, sauna, swimming pool and gym.

We were the only ones using the pool and enjoyed it to the maximum before we headed back to the room to get ready. We were waiting from 8:30 am for breakfast and it was no where in sight. The people at reception were also not able to tell us a concrete time for delivery of breakfast, since they were having problem with their service. I was worried, since we were getting late for our sight seeing. We quickly made maggi and eggs from the grocery we got the previous day. Finally our breakfast did arrive by about 9:15 am after numerous calls to the reception. The breakfast that was delivered to us was 2 croissant, a cup of soup, a cup of fresh cut fruits & a yoghurt for each of us. This menu was not our preferred breakfast choice, considering the wide range of breakfast option that we usually  get while dining at hotels. We ignored thinking, since this is room delivered, we were given limited choice.

I had booked City Tour, Desert Safari, Ferrari World and Dhow Cruise through North Tours LLC. The lady coordinating with me was very sweet and accommodated all my changes and requests. On Day 2, one batch of people were going for City Tour and Desert Safari, while another batch (hubby and me) went for Ferrari World. The pick up time for City Tour from my apartment was between 9:00 am - 9:30 am. The driver was waiting for long, since breakfast was not delivered to the room. My family members left the apartment only by around 9:40 am and the driver was sweet enough to wait for us.  The pick up time for Ferrari World was between 10:00 am - 10:30 am. The driver came by 10:30 am and we left to Ferrari World. Our package included pick-up from hotel, drop to hotel and Ferrari World tickets and costed AED 425 for each of us.


The drive from our apartment to Ferrari World was about 45 minutes. The ticket queue was way too long at Ferrari World but since we already had the tickets, it was no big deal for us. After going inside, we purchased the premium pass as well (additional AED 100 each person), since we didn't want to wait at the queue. We went on a Sunday and the place was packed. You are given a map with the list of rides and entertainment. My husband did try all the rides, while I tried a few (I'm pregnant and I cannot crib about not trying... Hmmmmpp). I enjoyed the following rides:

1. Driving with the champion: It's a simulation ride where you along with a young engineer get to experience Ferrari F1 car.
2. Speed of Magic: This was my favourite ride out of the very few ones I tried.  We travel along with a young boy in 4D Fantasy world. The drive in this was just fantastic
3. Made in Maranello: This was quite enlightening as it gave insight into how a Ferrari car is actually made.

There is a whole lot of Ferrari Cars, that make you drool and wish for owning one. The only time I felt a bit jealous of my husband was when he went on "Formula Rossa". It is considered the world's fastest roller coaster and you accelerate upto 240 km/hr in less than 5 seconds. He loved it so much that he went twice!!!

For lunch, we dined at Il Podio at Ferrari World. It's a family restaurant, which offers Arabic, Asian and Indian cuisine. The food was pretty good and service was quick. This place is definitely a must visit, if you have kids and if you love Ferrari. I want to go back to this place just to try "Formula Rossa".


Our pick-up time from Ferrari World was 4:30 pm but by the time we were done with out rides, we left Ferrari World by 5:00 pm. In the meanwhile, my family members had gone for City Tour (they said it was quite good, especially the museum). After coming back from City Tour, they were scheduled to go for Desert Safari by 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm. Again the pick up was from the apartment and were dropped back by around 9:30 pm - 10:00 pm. I had booked the Desert Safari in a hummer for them rather than in a Land Cruiser, since it would be a different experience for them. They felt the Desert Safari was fine but the belly dancer was too tired. They felt the entertainment factor was a bit of let down and the food was average. While I made my booking with North Tours LLC, I had mentioned about all the guests being vegetarian and they had no hassle arranging the same.

My husband and me were dropped back to the hotel around 6:00 pm. While I was preparing the plan in India, my husband mentioned that he wanted to take me to a nice place for dinner, which should have a typical Arabic setting. I did a small research and decided upon "Khan Murjan" at Wafi Mall. I had made note of the directions to that place, in case I was going by train. Ascott Park Place is beautifully located. The metro station is located on the opposite side of the road and there is a bus stop right next to the apartment. My husband and me wanted to try the metro and took the metro to Wafi Mall. Even the metro stations are beautifully constructed and is very well connected. We left for dinner by about 7:30 pm. The station is located on the opposite side of the mall and it's just a 5 minute walk from the station. 


The location of Khan Murjan is in the basement of the mall. We did ask people for direction and finally we did reach the restaurant. As soon as we saw the restaurant, we were so impressed with the setting and it was exactly what my husband had in his mind. He had a huge smile through out the evening. It had an open setting, but it was not one bit hot. The restaurant serves a host of cuisine, which ranges from Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish and Egyptian. It was interesting to note that the menu was first to be read on the left hand side and then the right hand side. I honestly don't remember the names of the items that we ordered except for my main course. We ordered one veg and non-veg appetiser along with a veg and non-veg main course. The amount of breads served with  appetiser were just amazing. It felt like a whole meal!! For main course, I ordered a "Koshari Bab Allok". I've never really tasted anything like this before. It was a mixture of pasta, rice, lentil, chickpea, fried onions along with tomato curry. It was super yummy and the portion was huge. I'd definitely visit this place every time I'm at Dubai.

We did check out Wafi mall and did some teeny-tiny shopping. We headed back to the apartment to have a good night sleep.

Dubai Day 1

I had booked tickets on Emirates airline and my date of departure was 16th June, 2011. By the time we had decided, getting return tickets were becoming a problem, while booking through Travel Agents. I did check online at emirates.com for tickets and it was available for much cheaper rate than what the travel agents were offering. I booked for my family and went to Emirates office at Chennai to book the tickets for my sis-in-law's family. While I made my booking, I selected the meal options as well for all of us. (I prefer selecting my meal options because most of us are vegetarians and getting veg meals in flight is a big deal!!!)

My flight was supposed to depart Chennai at 9:45 am but was late by almost an hour. This particular flight (EK 545) looked pretty new and had very comfortable seating. I was starting to get a bit hungry and was waiting for the food to come. The refreshing lime juice was super yummy. Coming to my meal, they didn't have any veg meal :( I was pretty shocked and informed them that I had booked my tickets almost a month back and I had mentioned my meal option as well. While she informed me that they didn't get any information regarding that, I was kind of surprised by the kind of miscommunication that can happen in such an airline. 

I called the local Emirates office at Dubai and informed them about the same ( I didn't want to be in a similar situation during my return journey). They were flabbergasted that the ground staff were not informed and hoped that I would not be in a similar situation during my return journey. After we landed (around 12:45 pm), we proceeded towards immigration. The one thing I was irritated with Dubai Airport is you have to stand in a separate queue for Eye scan and another queue for immigration. Can it just not be combined as one ? The waiting time was just frustrating.

We were getting a bit worried because we had a booking at Burj Al Arab for High Tea at 4:30 pm and it was already 2:30 pm and we were not out of the airport. Finally we made it out of the airport by 3:00 pm and rushed to take a taxi. The taxi driver was a bit clueless about where the Apartment (Ascott Park Place) is located. We did roam about a bit before we could finally spot our Apartment. The check in happened quite quickly, since we told them we have to rush for our booking at Burj Al Arab. 

The apartment was a big one. The living room, dining and kitchen were big. The master bedroom had a huge bathroom with a seating area. The second bedroom was also spacious with a big bathroom. The third bedroom was very small with a bathroom. The problem was, we were not able to lock any of our bedroom. We quickly changed and went for our High Tea. Since, children below 18 were not allowed at Skyview Bar, we had made two booking at Burj Al Arab.

View of Burj Khalifa from our room

Living area

We were two couples (Sis-in-law,Bro-in-law, Hubby and me) dining at Skyview bar. While  my MIL and the two children were dining at Sahn Eddar Restaurant. When I was making my online reservation, they had enquired if were celebrating any special occasion or if we have any dietary requirement. They had also informed us about the dress code that needs to be followed. All the details were sent to me by mail as well, confirming my booking. The place is absolutely beautiful and the architecture inside is just mind blowing. The service as expected exceeded my expectation and the view from Skyview Bar is absolutely worth it.

 First we were offered Champagne. For people like me, who don't drink, they offer an apple & date juice, which was super yummy. Next came fresh berried with cream. As per our requests, we were offered hot and cold sandwiches. (My mouth is just watering thinking about them and writing. They were absolutely delicious). Meanwhile, you can have any kind of drink / coffee / tea. The variety is just too much to choose from!!!. We were then served an assortment of pastries, scones and chocolates. The presentation is mind blowing. The quantity served is just too much and we would all nibble on the same piece so that we could taste it.

We were initially not given a table with the view, but later on request they were sweet enough to change our table. They have extremely friendly staff, which makes the whole experience completely worth it. I cannot write much about the experience at Sahn Eddar, since I personally did not experience it. But, I was told from my MIL that it was very good and they had a great time as well. We spent a good 2.5 hrs at this place and we didn't realise the time pass by.

We were busy clicking pictures of the hotel, while the staff was arranging a taxi for us. We then went to BurJuman Mall for our shopping. I thought the mall was fine with lots of brand in it. We didn't do much of shopping here. After we were done looking at the mall, we went to a nearby grocery store to buy food that we could eat in the night (if we were hungry). Trust me, we were so full after the Afternoon Tea, that we didn't have anything the entire night.

Getting a taxi in Dubai is so easy, that we just took one from the mall outside to our apartment. Shall continue my Day 2 in my next post.

Back after a break - Dubai

I'm preggie now and I didn't quite like the thought of writing about food. But that still didn't stop me from going out for lunch / dinner. Due to my restricted liking (blaming it on my child), we used to go to the same place over and over again. Honestly, I was getting bored and we were thinking of making a trip somewhere close by, to make sure I get a break from my monotonous doctor visits and of course, thinking only about the baby.

We (me and hubby) were thinking of various options like Ooty, Kodaikanal, Kabini, etc., But I felt I could go to these places once the kid is born for a easy family holiday. Then we realised, we'v not made a single trip with my mil and we could go some where with her. She immediately said Dubai and the date was also fixed on the same day. Now it was all up to me to plan it all out. 

We were planning to go along with my sis-in-law's family and we decided we'll go for 3 days. I knew 2 night-3 days would be difficult, since there are so many things to see there. I was given complete freedom to plan what ever I wanted but with a budget in hand. I  first listed the things to see, keeping in mind the crowd that is going. Then I started searching for hotels to stay. 

We were 7 of us travelling in total. So I was looking out for 1 suite and a triple occupancy room or 2 double rooms and 1 triple occupancy room. I was very close to booking Grand Hyatt, as it seemed okay for the price they were charging. For the kind of hotels I was looking out for, it looked like I had to shell out minimum 12 - 13k per night per room. That would mean approximately Rs. 36k - 40k per night for our family. That's when I started searching for apartments. I wanted a 3 bedroom apartment and my first choice was Somerset / Ascott. The reason being, I had seen the rooms at Somerset in Chennai and quite liked it.

I searched the website for any of their [properties in Dubai and I narrowed it down to Ascott Park Place. I saw the layout of their 3 bedroom apartment and liked it. It felt like a spacious apartment, which measured approx 2300 sq ft. When I contacted them for details, they informed me that they would charge AED 1440 per night for the 7 of us, which included the breakfast as well. This seemed like a great deal (when compared to the hotels I was checking out) and also thrilled about the fact that we would all be staying together. I made my confirmation through online and booked it for 3 night stay.

While I was doing my booking, I had enquired about transportation from airport to the apartment. They gave me a costing of AED 230 per car. Since we were 7 of us, we would require 2 cars. While I was browsing through tripadvisor and checking through Google maps, I found that it would take AED 50 per car when I take the taxi from airport. So, I cancelled my transport option and just booked the room with breakfast option.


In the meanwhile, I had made a list of things to do at Dubai. We had narrowed it down to dining at Burj Al Arab, Ferrari World, Desert Safari, Dhow cruise and of course shopping :)


We wanted to stay at Atlantis after seeing the pictures online. So our 3 day trip was being extended to 5 days :D


I'll continue this post as to what I did at Dubai and my experience out there.