I may as well start off this blog with a previous location I have visited: Dubai. A place I do admit not many people my age have been to.
(I would also like to apologise for the photos I am attaching in advance, the camera we took wasn’t the best and was quite old.)
Back in 2013 a young 13 year old Abi hopped on a 7 hour Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai and I must say the flight itself was an experience alone. Like most, I hate flying. I’m not going to lie, long haul flights are killers but hands down Emirates is the best airline I have traveled with. The staff were polite and patient and the leg room on that air craft was amazing. I mean my parents could practically fully extend their legs in economy class never mind me. If that isn’t a bonus for a long haul flight I don’t know what is. There was also a wide selection of films to watch on the flight, and if you’re a serious film buff like me it’s was a win, win.
The hotel I stayed in was called the Ibn Battuta, it was an amazing hotel with a roof pool and the most beautiful decor I have possible have ever seen. Everyone who worked there where super polite and where there to help with whatever need you had. The location of the hotel is a fair metro or taxi ride away from most sights, however it is across the road from the Ibn Battuta Mall, a mall that is themed around a 14th Moroccan explorer, a great place to go if you don’t fancy paying £80 each for a meal (we ate in the malls a lot). It is Dubai, surely you cant expect a meal out to be cheaper than that. 
An amazing advantage to this hotel is that it had a beach club on The Palm which you could visit any time you wanted free of charge. There where shuttle buses running throughout the day to take you to and from the hotel and club. A private beach, swimming pool, bar and a small lazy river where all part of the deal and I honestly can’t fault it one bit. If I was to go again I would recommend going all inclusive though as food and drink gets rather expensive.
Anyone and everyone knows Dubai is home to the most stunning architecture, whether it be the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab or the famous Atlantis hotel on The Palm; which is a man made beach made into the shape of a palm tree. It is truly inspiring. My favorite place to visit was the the Marina Walk, you can catch a boat out to see all the amazing sights Dubai has to offer, watch the fountains outside the Burj Khalifa and it’s also really close to the Dubia Mall. That place is huge. There’s and aquarium, ski slop and the opportunity to feed penguins, along with 100’s of shops, all under one roof. I also got to spend the day in the Atlantis water park, by far the best water park I’ve been to. Their water slides and lazy river where the best concepts of anything I’ve ever seen and great for a little dare devil like me. 
There is so much to do in Dubai I found a week wasn’t enough time to do everything, I’d say 10 days is a good amount of time to spend there. Oh and just a heads up, if you are visiting Dubai I’d suggest doing so between November and March, that’s their hot season. We made the mistake of going in August, their hotter season, how a translucent girl like me survived 40+ degree heat I will never know!
The icing on the cake for this trip had to be the Desert Gate Safari for me. It’s a 4×4 experience, skidding and sliding up and around the sand dunes along the Sahara Desert, it was absolutely breath taking. Literally. I thought the car was going to tip! After all of the sand attacks on the car where over we some how ended up at a camp, there was belly dancers, amazing food, camel rides, sand boarding, henna and even a corner to go smoke shisha. The whole experience opened my eyes about the people and their culture and was one of the best encounters I have possibly ever had. Truly remarkable.
All in all, despite being quite expensive Dubai is a place that is honestly something that’s once in a life time, pack up and indulge in the luxury if possible, you won’t be disappointed.
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