The One and Only Royal Mirage
Dubai is our favourite stopover when heading to Europe for a number of reasons.
This is why.
- Dubai is the gateway to a number of European destinations. Emirates fly directly from NZ, but 17 hours is long enough before I need a good nights sleep in a real bed. Once I’ve caught my breath and are in the zone it’s only 6-7 hours to most European cities with a time difference of about 3 hours.
- It’s HOT. Most of the time we travel to Europe it’s during New Zealand’s winter to get away from the cold. It’s summer in Dubai and can be a little oppressive with temperatures as high as 40+ Celsius, but I still love it. Our favourite hotel is the One & Only Royal Mirage. We enjoy it because it never appears busy. The summer is their quite period and there’s never any pressure on any of the facilities. The outdoor area is resort like with a temperature controlled pool at 28 degrees Celsius and the ocean is in the 40’s. So, whether you like your water hot or cold it’s hard not to get excited about the swimming. The pool service is exceptional with chilli bins of chilled water placed next to you and boy you need it.
- There’s plenty to do. This trip I ticked two things off my bucket list. The first was to go up the Burj Khalifa – the tallest sky scrapper in the world. I’m not one for extreme heights because I’m petrified of fire.
At the top of the Burj Khalifa
Many years ago, I went up the Empire State Building in New York City and after reaching the 80thfloor I was convinced I could smell smoke!
At the base of the Burj Khalifa is the Dubai Mall, the biggest in the world. So, if you are up for some shopping you are in the right place. There’s also an incredible Aquarium and Underwater Zoo with some pretty amazing exhibits including these jelly fish which caught my eye.
Jelly fish in the aquarium
Finally, if you are wanting to stay out of Dubai city I would highly recommend Al Maha or the Six Sense Resort at Zighy Bay.
Wish I could follow your advice instead of 27 hours through Dubai tomorrow to get home !
You have had such a wonderful trip. I have loved all your photos.
Hello Jane love the blog, are you partly or sometimes sponsored and do you go on your own mostly?
How many months out of the year do you travel and is there any particular plan for the places you go to?
Thank you
Hi Caroline,
Lovely to hear from you an I am pleased you are enjoying my blog. I do travel a lot with my husband, but I also go on famils where I am sponsored – it’s a bit of a mix. I’m usualy out of New Zealand for 2-3 month a year, but also do a lot of travel within New Zealand which I also love. We usually plan our travel about 6 months out and just go places we really want to see unless off course, it is sponsored. Are you a big traveller?