¡Adios Lanzarote!

The final day of our trip was a relaxing one, especially after all of the running and walking we did on Ironman day!

Instead, it was time to relax and top up our tans before getting our flight back to London this morning.

¡Hola España!

Buenos dias mi amigos! 

Back To Brighton

It's time for a road trip out of London.

Cue a sunglasses selfie on the M23 and off we go!

The Dubai Brunch

Okay, so if you read the title and thought 'Brunch, what's so special about that?' then bear with me on this. Brunch in Dubai is not like any other brunch, and will leave you feeling much more rounded and dizzy than a mid morning brunch in the UK.

To start, it is on a Friday afternoon.
Every hotel in Dubai has their own Brunch going on...
It is an all you can drink, and all you can eat feast.
Finally, it goes on from 12pm to 5pm. Which is just enough time to blur your vision!

Grabbing yet another taxi (you honestly cannot walk anywhere), we drove to down-town Dubai for our Brunch Experience. 
We arrived at Double Decker, which is part of the Rotana Hotel, paid our 250AED (£50) and headed on inside to get started.

The food, as expected, was amazing. From a traditional roast dinner, to curries, steaks and pastas, there was choice for everyone.
You seriously have to experience a Brunch if you are ever in Dubai. It is worth the money and it is a great way to get chatting to the locals and tourists.

After an afternoon of eating and drinking, mixing with other groups, and experiencing a Dubai Brunch, we headed back to the apartment just in time to catch the sunset from Stacey's rooftop.

Cue more photo opportunities for the Dubai 2013 album!

Plus, there is nothing better than taking an evening dip in the pool (sober, of course!).

One thing you notice is how much Dubai is constantly changing. New buildings are always popping up, trying to outdo the next door neighbour in height and style, and workmen stand there in the sweltering heat, trying to get as much work done as possible. 

Even at night, when we headed out for drinks at Barista, the workmen were still going, making this city even greater than it already is!

I don't think I am ready to go home just yet...

The Palm - Dubai.

The Palm has always been on my list of places I have wanted to see when I visited Dubai. A huge, man made palm in the middle of the sea, housing some of the most expensive villas in the world, and the Atlantis hotel at the very tip.

So, for day 2 of our trip we did just that. Up early, slightly hungover from the night before, we packed our beach bags and hailed a taxi to head over to the Palm.

To say it is big is an understatement. At over 4 miles long, the Palm is absolutely huge. Villas and apartments fill the majority of it, with the most private of pools and personal beaches, whilst huge hotels fill the outer Crescent.

The Atlantis is as famous as the Burj or the Mall in Dubai, overlooking the Palm and its residents at the very end, and this is exactly where we were heading. for a day of sunbathing. Nasimi Beach Club is part of the Atlantis complex, with views looking back over the palm and Dubai shoreline. 

The perfect spot to chill out with a few frozen Daiquiri's, and pose for the holiday album!

I obviously haven't mastered that jumping shot just yet... will try again later!

As a quick snack at lunch (it is too hot to eat full on meals) we grabbed some sushi and pizza to share, and a few more bottles of water to stay hydrated.

Hannah was desperate to recreate an image she saw on Instagram, so we headed to the pool to cool down and perform the 'heart pose', with me as the designated photographer and arm-placer...

I think I did a good enough job there, didn't I?

We did it! A proper jump... with a small child in the background!

After a day of topping up the tan, me and Hannah were introduced to #ThirstyThursdays by Stacey and her Emirates team. Everyone gathered round her's for the traditional pre-drinking catch up.

The whole building houses the Emirates team, from all around the world, so Stacey got to introducing us to some of her friends over drinks...

Before I left the SLR at home, and headed to The Yacht Club for a night of drinking and dancing, Dubai style.

Drink prices in Dubai are about the same as you would find in London. The currency is in Dirham though, which you get about 5.50 to every £1, so don't be freaked out when you see drinks for 45AED!

Everything is a little different when you are clubbing in Dubai. You can smoke indoors, the air con actually works, and when you think you better go outside for some fresh air, it is like a sauna... Much like the inside of a busy UK club!

Shirt from River Island (Similar here) and jeans from Asos (found here)

From there onwards, the pictures stopped, the night became a drunken blur thanks to the vodka, and we stumbled back to the apartment in the early hours. 

Did I mention that everywhere delivers too?! From McDonalds, to Wahaca, everywhere delivers direct to your door.

Perfect when you are drunk and hungry...

Waking Up In Dubai

Autumn is always fun, but once the sunshine disappears and a blanket of cloud covers London, everyone is already missing summer. My birthday had just passed on the last day of September, and the next bank holiday isn't until Christmas, so a little bit of October sunshine away was exactly what was needed before winter sets in.

This time, I decided to venture out of Europe and head to Dubai for my escape, catch up with friends, see the sights, and pick up a bit of a tan in-between!

A few in-flight movies and drinks later, I woke up as we touched down at Dubai International in the early hours, and I made my way downtown to Stacey's apartment.

If you have never been before, then be prepared for the heat! Outside is like a sauna, even in the middle of the night when it was 35 degrees, and you are thankful for that little invention called Air-Con!

By the time we had woken up the temperature had hit 40 degrees and the humidity levels meant that everything I have from my camera, to mobile, to sunglasses, had steamed up.

Fortunately, Stacey has lived here for a couple of years so adapted into tour guide quite easily, planning where we were going to go and making sure we get to see as much of Dubai as we could in the 4 days we were there.

To start, a bit of sunbathing on the rooftop pool for the afternoon, taking in the skyline and pointing out the landmarks that makes Dubai what it is.

The views were absolutely amazing from the roof. With a 360 view of Dubai, you could see right across to the Palm...

 ...all the way down to the world-famous Dubai Golf Course.

That evening, we headed to the Emirates Mall for drinks, dinner, and a quick round of shopping.

One thing to remember if you visit Dubai, is that not all of the restaurants serve alcohol. Whilst every restaurant has to have a licence like in the UK, not all of them chose to due to the strict laws, so if you fancy a glass of wine with dinner then chose carefully!

We ended up eating at a restaurant called Apres, which is situated next to the indoor ski centre.
Yes, there is a ski centre, in a shopping mall, in the middle of the dessert. Surreal, I know. We grabbed a table next to the slope, kicked back, ate and enjoyed the wine.

Feeling slightly tipsy, a little bigger round the waist, and ready to get some shut eyes, we ventured back out into the heat and headed home.

If you happen to be in Dubai and fancy skiing, then Ski Dubai details can be found here.