The Palm Atlantis

We stayed at The Palm, Atlantis whilst in Dubai. We chose this hotel based on our stay in the Bahamas if you remember from this post. There we were lucky enough to stay in The Cove, which had a separate adults only area and beach. This time, however, it was definitely not the same.

It's not to say that I don't like children, because I do - especially the ones of my loved ones, but when they are everywhere at any time of day / night running loose without parental guidance / supervision, I get a little miffed. Atlantis was the main resort for children and families so no meal was eaten without kids, no beach was relaxed on without kids, and no pool was swam in without, you guessed it, kids.

The next time I return, I will have children in tow.

Mass had to leave to London a few days early from our trip, leaving me to explore Dubai alone / with my trusty gf (which, thank goodness for her or else I would still be wandering around the gold souk!). The night before he left we had dinner at our hotel, which admittedly boasts some of Dubai's best restaurants. We had heard about the romantic setting of Ossiano and decided to give it a whirl.

Patiently waiting for our table. Just a warning to future tourists of Dubai: service is not their best quality.

They say your meal is inside the aquarium, but in reality it is just situated beside it. The meal was altogether decent. Similar par to the rest of the restaurants we tried. A few quirks were cute, i.e. if its your birthday a guy will swim in the tank with a birthday sign. However, it was not cheap and if we're comparing strictly value for money, it definitely is worth a miss.

Just a quick shot of the shoes...the new shoes to be exact!

The aquarium is worth a visit, especially if you're into that stuff.

Altogether, had a great time in the Emirates and would return to the Middle East. I find their culture, religious appreciation, and operations, absolutely fascinating.

I'm in Toronto for the weekend so won't be back in London until Tuesday...ta ta until then!

Erdem dress, Topshop purse, Giuseppe Zanotti shoes

Dubai Shopping

They say you must try the shopping in Dubai. Not least because of the largest mall in the world, but because of the attractions inside the mall will blow your mind. I'm not much of a stranger to malls, but even the Dubai Mall was daunting. I went there twice, once with Mass and once with my gf, Erin. With both of them, I took home a pair of shoes. Dubai Mall is sectioned off into areas of interest. So, for example, if you are looking for athletic wear, they will have an arm dedicated to various brands (both Western brands and their own local brands) or if you are into the high end fashion, there is a branch (or two) dedicated to the likes of Alexander McQueen, Giuseppe, and Tom Ford. Safe to say that if you're looking, you will find.

I bought this Balenciaga dress at a local boutique for 70% off. In fact, the entire store was 70% off (they were closing down because a Prada was going to take its place). Mass, being the valued shopper he is, loves a good bargain. So we searched high and low trying on every dress in the store in my size - I always complain I don't have enough dresses for weddings etc. This is from the '09 / '10 f/w collection I believe.

We tasted some of the different restaurants while there and to be honest, none of them blew me away. All very decent, but nothing to boast about. The arabic food, of course, was a totally different story.

What I did enjoy and differentiated from say Hong Kong, was that the consumerism wasn't completely in your face. In many Asian countries, i.e. Japan / China, you can turn left or right and there will be something for you to buy. In Dubai (& Abu Dhabi for that matter) the consumerism was segregated to the malls and the specific shopping areas. Basically, you're not forced to buy if you aren't searching for it. Which, I like.

Mass is so used to my elevator antics now.

Balenciaga dress, Zara heels, Chanel bag

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Before we left Abu Dhabi for Dubai, we had to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It is the third largest mosque, equipping over 40 000 worshippers in the space of 5 football fields. It really is a sight to see.

There are many religious beliefs to respect whilst visiting the mosque. One of them is appropriate dress. Male and females must wear long trousers and shirts so as not to see any skin aside from hands and feet. Females are asked to dress in a traditional Jilbāb and Hijabs as it is believed that females should be modest.

I didn't know how to wrap the hijab, so a lovely girl showed me.

Ah, much better.

Can't even tell it's me. Women cannot take photos in front of the mosque without being dressed in their religious cloth. Men, on the hand, can be photographed.

Houses the grandest chandelier in the world.

...On my way to Dubai!

Equipment shirt, Whistles trousers, Stella McCartney espadrilles, Balenciaga bag

Wasabi in Al Diar Mina

That same evening we went to Wasabi for Japanese. I had heard great things about the Emirates having fresh fish and since London doesn't provide any stimulation in this area, we absolutely had to get our fix.


Starved of any good fish in London, as you can see.

Eat up, shall we?

Mega-concentration, guvn'a

No-shoe policy restaurant, my fav!

All in all, it was decent. Decent enough for these tampered taste buds. That said, probably the best sushi I had the whole trip...but then again, I only went to Nobu in Dubai otherwise and their service could not have made my experience any worse.

Gucci shoes, APC trousers