At the risk of sounding like an ungrateful, spoiled, princess . . . luxury is nice, but not my thing. That said, I still took full advantage.
On a splurge, a friend and I booked a five-star resort hotel in Dubai for spring break. The Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa. Private beach, two-pools, what more can I say really. I arrived early, hopefully without any speeding tickets, and after a few awkward exchanges with bellboys and valet parkers, I sat in the lobby to wait for Brenda to arrive. It was weird how many people tried to help me and make sure I did not need anything. It was not anything out of the ordinary really, but I had forgotten how accommodating hotel staff can be. You would think after living in hotels for two months at the beginning of this adventure, I would have been well practiced.
As I sat watching and waiting, I looked around and tried to figure out how I would explain this hotel's beauty and extravagance to someone. The luxury is easily summed up for me with the plants placed in the self-revoling circular door. Before you even ask, yes they are real. The unique thing about the lobby is though it certainly screams upperclass, it does not seem as in your face as it could be. However, considering I am typically not a five star type of girl, I guess I am not a real good judge of what makes a resort flashy or not. As we walked to beach later in the week, we heard it described as a "simple resort". I guess it is all a matter of perspective.
Having to wait ended up paying off. I never win the drawing, get bumped to first class, or get the free dessert, when it isn't my birthday. I had come to accept this and worked hard to get anything that I wanted. Today, my good karma paid off. They overbooked the hotel, this meant they needed to rearrange the room reservations. Brenda and I were one of the lucky ones that got switched into one of the unbooked suites. It has a nice large sitting area, a king bed, and large bathroom. After getting pampered like this, it makes it difficult to return home to an empty apartment that will need to cleaned, a kitchen that will need to be stocked and a bed that should be made. Suite or not, it is always hard to return to reality after a good vacation and this one definitely qualifies.
The first evening was uneventful. Dinner and shopping led to a quiet night in the suite. I actually prefer when vacations are more relaxing. You need some excitement, but too much and you could end up having to spend more time trying to recover from your vacation. The next day was a day at the beach.
It was everything I needed on this vacation. Minus burning my feet on the sand, it had a comfy lounge chair, and cool aqua and sapphire water. I managed to enjoy it, burnt feet and all, and was happy to see waves. You can have sand, and salt water, but the sound of the waves is what makes a beach scene complete. Except for the burnt feet, and the wave bashing resulting in lost sunglasses, it was a very good start to a much needed vacation.
It turns out that the hotel we booked, is in a serendipitous location. Right next door is Sky Dubai, a skydiving company. I watched people come down all day and decided to see if I could be one of them the next day. When I got there that morning, I was expecting to wait, but they got me on the plane almost immediately. I filled out paperwork, was strapped into the harness and boarded the plane. Part of the first timer's package is a video. I have to admit that it was kind of corny. I am not big on talking into a camera about what is happening. I don't like being on camera at all really, but I am glad I did it. The video turned out great. In the spirit of honesty, I have to admit that the big breakfast I had that morning was a bad idea and caused a slight mishap. I got sick when Freddy, my tandem partner, pulled the parachute. I was mortified. They seemed so fine with it, and nice. I think that made me feel more embarrassed. The truth is I am not the first and I won't be the last, I just know better than to have eggs, pastries, and orange juice for breakfast the next time. I have to admit that I am just waiting for a chance to do it again. It was just a thrill and adrenaline rush. By the time I got to the beach later, I crashed on the lounge chair and took a long nap. I managed not to get burnt as well, which is a big accomplishment considering I was mostly in direct sunlight.
The next day another item on my life list was completed. It is crazy to think of the amazing things I have been able to do here. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a visitor in someone else's life. After another delicious breakfast it was over to Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai for the day.
We were actually running a bit behind which made me grateful that Dubai runs on Arabic time. We were shuttled to Dolphin Bay where we checked in, got wetsuits and a crash course in dolphin swimming 101. I am not a fan of wetsuits, they are not forgiving, nothing can hide. I was glad we had a vest that help hide some of the flaws drawn out by the wetsuit. Enough about my wardrobe issues.
Manie Lou was our dolphin. She was so sweet. The dolphins they have at Atlantic are Indo-Pacific bottlenose. This means they are darker in color and tend to be smaller. They also have really cute freckles on their belly. We had thirty minutes to play and swim with Manie Lou. I think next time I will want more time. I got a kiss, hug, dance, twirl, and ride with Manie Lou. It amazes me how intelligent and friendly dolphins are.
After peeling out of the wetsuit and picking out some keepsake photos, we headed over to the water park. I could not remember the last time I had been to a real water park. It was also nice to see so many people in bathing suits and no one had an issue with the amount of skin showing. My favorite was the "Leap of Faith". It is a water slide that shoots you straight down, allowing you to achieve the same speed as a dolphin in the water. It was scary, but such an adrenaline rush. I guess I am a bit of an adrenaline junky. The other rides were nice, but nothing special. After a full day in the sun, I was ready to go home by late afternoon. It was a great end to my time in Dubai.
Friday was checkout and the ride home. It is back to work and reality on Sunday, but at least I have all Saturday to come to terms with that and recover from all the fun. This was just what I needed before a long three month stretch until the end of the year.
On a splurge, a friend and I booked a five-star resort hotel in Dubai for spring break. The Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa. Private beach, two-pools, what more can I say really. I arrived early, hopefully without any speeding tickets, and after a few awkward exchanges with bellboys and valet parkers, I sat in the lobby to wait for Brenda to arrive. It was weird how many people tried to help me and make sure I did not need anything. It was not anything out of the ordinary really, but I had forgotten how accommodating hotel staff can be. You would think after living in hotels for two months at the beginning of this adventure, I would have been well practiced.
As I sat watching and waiting, I looked around and tried to figure out how I would explain this hotel's beauty and extravagance to someone. The luxury is easily summed up for me with the plants placed in the self-revoling circular door. Before you even ask, yes they are real. The unique thing about the lobby is though it certainly screams upperclass, it does not seem as in your face as it could be. However, considering I am typically not a five star type of girl, I guess I am not a real good judge of what makes a resort flashy or not. As we walked to beach later in the week, we heard it described as a "simple resort". I guess it is all a matter of perspective.
Having to wait ended up paying off. I never win the drawing, get bumped to first class, or get the free dessert, when it isn't my birthday. I had come to accept this and worked hard to get anything that I wanted. Today, my good karma paid off. They overbooked the hotel, this meant they needed to rearrange the room reservations. Brenda and I were one of the lucky ones that got switched into one of the unbooked suites. It has a nice large sitting area, a king bed, and large bathroom. After getting pampered like this, it makes it difficult to return home to an empty apartment that will need to cleaned, a kitchen that will need to be stocked and a bed that should be made. Suite or not, it is always hard to return to reality after a good vacation and this one definitely qualifies.
The first evening was uneventful. Dinner and shopping led to a quiet night in the suite. I actually prefer when vacations are more relaxing. You need some excitement, but too much and you could end up having to spend more time trying to recover from your vacation. The next day was a day at the beach.
It was everything I needed on this vacation. Minus burning my feet on the sand, it had a comfy lounge chair, and cool aqua and sapphire water. I managed to enjoy it, burnt feet and all, and was happy to see waves. You can have sand, and salt water, but the sound of the waves is what makes a beach scene complete. Except for the burnt feet, and the wave bashing resulting in lost sunglasses, it was a very good start to a much needed vacation.
It turns out that the hotel we booked, is in a serendipitous location. Right next door is Sky Dubai, a skydiving company. I watched people come down all day and decided to see if I could be one of them the next day. When I got there that morning, I was expecting to wait, but they got me on the plane almost immediately. I filled out paperwork, was strapped into the harness and boarded the plane. Part of the first timer's package is a video. I have to admit that it was kind of corny. I am not big on talking into a camera about what is happening. I don't like being on camera at all really, but I am glad I did it. The video turned out great. In the spirit of honesty, I have to admit that the big breakfast I had that morning was a bad idea and caused a slight mishap. I got sick when Freddy, my tandem partner, pulled the parachute. I was mortified. They seemed so fine with it, and nice. I think that made me feel more embarrassed. The truth is I am not the first and I won't be the last, I just know better than to have eggs, pastries, and orange juice for breakfast the next time. I have to admit that I am just waiting for a chance to do it again. It was just a thrill and adrenaline rush. By the time I got to the beach later, I crashed on the lounge chair and took a long nap. I managed not to get burnt as well, which is a big accomplishment considering I was mostly in direct sunlight.
The next day another item on my life list was completed. It is crazy to think of the amazing things I have been able to do here. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a visitor in someone else's life. After another delicious breakfast it was over to Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai for the day.
We were actually running a bit behind which made me grateful that Dubai runs on Arabic time. We were shuttled to Dolphin Bay where we checked in, got wetsuits and a crash course in dolphin swimming 101. I am not a fan of wetsuits, they are not forgiving, nothing can hide. I was glad we had a vest that help hide some of the flaws drawn out by the wetsuit. Enough about my wardrobe issues.
Manie Lou was our dolphin. She was so sweet. The dolphins they have at Atlantic are Indo-Pacific bottlenose. This means they are darker in color and tend to be smaller. They also have really cute freckles on their belly. We had thirty minutes to play and swim with Manie Lou. I think next time I will want more time. I got a kiss, hug, dance, twirl, and ride with Manie Lou. It amazes me how intelligent and friendly dolphins are.
After peeling out of the wetsuit and picking out some keepsake photos, we headed over to the water park. I could not remember the last time I had been to a real water park. It was also nice to see so many people in bathing suits and no one had an issue with the amount of skin showing. My favorite was the "Leap of Faith". It is a water slide that shoots you straight down, allowing you to achieve the same speed as a dolphin in the water. It was scary, but such an adrenaline rush. I guess I am a bit of an adrenaline junky. The other rides were nice, but nothing special. After a full day in the sun, I was ready to go home by late afternoon. It was a great end to my time in Dubai.
No comments:
Post a Comment