Yesterday is
HERE

Monday 19 November

An early start today - I was up at 5.30 and grappled with the recalcitrant Nespresso machine which seemed determined not to dispense any coffee.

Sigh sometimes I wonder what was wrong with just kettles.

Finally managing the much-needed coffee, Andy was up just after 6 and we had a call at 6.30 to say our car was waiting downstairs.

We had booked a self drive Dune Buggy experience through Get Your Guide with a company called Sandtrax. It was £172 for the two of us but did include hotel pick up and drop off .. which wasn’t available on all the other sites I looked at for Palm based hotels.

A quick snap of the front of the hotel





Our driver Mohammed was great, very chatty. Possibly a bit too much for me who can’t contemplate conversation with such a low caffeine input.



Loved going through the tunnel on each trip





Our first stop was at a hotel to pick up another couple who were doing a far more energetic quad bike/sandboarding/camel ride experience.




We shared hotel and travel experiences to date - they had come with Swiss Air who they said were excellent.

It was about a 45-minute drive out to the Dunes, Mohammed told us loads about life in Dubai - it was really very interesting and he was very enthusiastic.





We arrived to find the buggy waiting and were pretty much straight on board.



Andy was v keen …...



The helmet felt large and heavy and after a few minutes I realised this must be what it feels like to be one of those bobble head dashboard figures with my oversized head nodding constantly.




It was good fun - the advice was to stay on the tracks at a distance from the guy on the quad bike in front of us.




You never knew quite how steep the drops were going to be until you were looking over them !



It was great zipping along - we saw quite a few animal tracks and burrow holes and even a lone camel.

little and tracks




About half way through we stopped for some water and photos - I think this is point where you probably swap drivers but I was sitting this one out …




Spot the Coyote hat


It was such a vast space - we asked how he didn’t get lost and he said he had lived out here for so long he just knew all the routes and gave us the handy tip - if you are lost on the desert, follow the pylons as they will lead you to road or village eventually. Assuming there are pylons of course.



We passed the other couple on their sand boards as we headed back to the start and about 30 minutes later saw them again on their camels - which we also got to meet.



It had gone really quickly and been good fun. We were unsure whether tipping was a thing to do here but did give one to the guy we had been with (and to Mohammed when we got back to the hotel).

We jumped back in the car and by this point, I was at that “is there a loo here“point.

Of course, being jolted around on sand, then heading back into Dubai in peak traffic isn’t the best idea when decide you need a wee!

The drive back was much slower and we went a different way to avoid the traffic.

By the time we arrived back at the hotel I was on a 100m dash for the bathroom and Andy was headed straight for the restaurant as we were hoping to catch the end of breakfast service.

Only to discover it had finished at 1030 in the main restaurant so we legged it upstairs and just caught the last few minutes of service in the lounge.



So, the Dune trip is good fun but not for those with tea bags for bladders … drink less coffee before you go!

An afternoon of lazing beckoned so we headed off to the Adult only pool (it would be around 1145 now) but all the beds were taken so headed off the beach where we were in the adult’s section and pretty near the water.



Andy promptly fell fast asleep and I went for a dip in the water, which was lovely and very shallow for quite some distance. Lovely clear warm water and very quiet with hardly anyone - there was a pontoon that you could swim out to but that felt far too energetic.

Plus, without my glasses on I was trying to stay in line with the lifeguard chair as I knew it was in front of our seats - I didn’t want to stray too far and have the whole stumbling along the beach front peering intensely at people trying to locate my stuff thing that only short-sighted people can truly appreciate

We had a nice few hours napping, reading, Dibbing and listening to music before heading up to catch the end of afternoon tea.



After showers (this shower here is fantastic) and changing for dinner, we headed out briefly to the Gold and Diamond Park near the Mall of the Emirates.




It was very empty (only about a 40 AED taxi fare from the hotel) and just rows and rows of jewellery shops - the name kind of gives it away.



It was nice to have a look around and after browsing for a while we headed back to the hotel




- there was no cocktail service today so we weren’t hugely fussed about heading back to the lounge and headed straight for dinner

Tonight’s theme in the restaurant was Asian and possibly our least favourite in the end with neither of being big fans of Thai or similar type food. Lots of fish and chicken curry type dishes, there was a beef dish that was Chinese in style that I thought was very nice with some rice and noodles. I wasn’t taken by the Fish Ball soup though.



We had planned to spend the evening on the balcony making use of our duty free but were both knackered after the early start to the day so didn’t even manage to put the TV on let alone make a drink. It was straight to bed!

The next day is HERE

That looks a lot of fun! We went in a 4x4 which was also great but I think DH and DS would love the buggies! I would be like you and not drive though

The afternoon sounds perfect!

Some lovely photos of you both on the dunes. I'm grateful to receive the tip about following pylons and if I'm ever stranded in the middle of the desert I will now know what to do!

A lovely restful afternoon, shame about the lack of cocktails though.

That looks like great fun! Shame on you for not driving!

It was good fun and we semi had the 4x4 experience on the drive there and back !
So unusual for us to have a holiday where we had periods of doing nothing It was rather nice !

Yeah the cocktail thing was a shame. When it affects two days out of 5 and you had no idea in advance
Chilling out at the hotel was super nice though .

Lol. We’d still be there looking for the pylons if I had been driving

Oooh, I would have loved a go at that driving

Fab day!

I was a bit put off when they were explaining how quickly you can sink in the sand

The dune buggying (is that a word?) looks fun. Nice photos of the two of you on the dunes.

Lovely relaxing afternoon by the sea, and yes, I totally get stumbling about peering at everyone trying to find your own people/stuff!

The afternoon tea looks incredible, so much choice. And dinner too, although it wasn't your favourite.

It was fun , something quite different for us. And nice then just relax round the hotel. There really was just too much food

The Dune buggies look great fun. Loving the Wiley Coyote hat too!
A nice relaxing afternoon. I am ridiculously short sighted so know the pain of not being able to see 2 feet in front of me so I invested in some prescription sunglasses for when I take my lenses out. Best thing ever!