Arabian Nights

Abu Dhabi & Dubai, United Arab Emirates. If you can stand the searing heat at the peak of summer, then I would definitely recommend coming here now rather than waiting for the winter sun for two very big reasons, one, flights are so cheap, so much so that if you book at the right time why not treat yourself to premium economy or even business class and travel in pure comfort! Two, no one is here, and if you decide on your trip to do what we did and enjoy a day at Ferrari World and another at the Atlantis Hotel water park in Dubai, then this is a massive advantage.

Abu Dhabi, seen from Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

We started off by taking a walk (and part cycle) down the promenade to the Emirates Palace. The heat is something else, we knew it would be hot, but only after being out in the 45 degree heat for a couple of hours or so does it really hit you! Thankfully any building you enter all seem to have the air-con set to frozen which at first at least is a more than welcome relief, but just be aware that getting around on foot at this time of year is not for the faint hearted.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

We finished our day in Abu Dhabi by visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, arriving just at sunset so it was great seeing the mosque in both lights. Take your shoes off and you can enjoy a peaceful walk around this stunning structure! Our next day we jumped into our rental car, set the air-con to lowest and took the short drive over to Dubai. We came here to spend the day in the water park at The Atlantis, The Palm. Great fun and made even more so with empty queue lines. Another short drive out of the main city centre and we found this deserted bridge. It’s the VIP entrance to the royal race course which only gets used once a year or so and the rest of the time it is completed abandoned. Quite ridiculous really but in this country things like this start to seem quite normal. Having said that, was a great place to spend sunset and take some photos with no one to disturb us.