Arriving at Dubai International Airport in the early morning sunshine, by Emirates from London Heathrow was interesting. As the great plane came into land I looked out on what seemed a tiny neat white Legoland City! It is after all only about 40 years old. I had especially chosen to fly Emirates because it seemed logical to use the national airline and because it has such a good reputation. Regrettably the flight was unremarkable and not any better than the host of airlines I have used in my travelling life.

Our Hotel Suite view along Jumeirah Beach

Passengers became tired and cross and frustrated at the inefficient baggage handling system that allowed the daily morning flight from a major capital to arrive without staff there to progress the baggage to the baggage hall. It took nearly two hours from our arrival to claiming our baggage. Emirates wins no points from me!

A car and driver took us through the interesting, exciting and pristine city to the hotel of my choice, Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa, which is situated on Jumeirah Beach. Le Royal Meridien is going to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. This is a wonderful hotel with enormous attention to detail and very well run. The efficient friendly welcome wiped away our exhaustion and frustration; we were shown to a beautiful suite with a stunning view of the whole length of Jumeirah Beach to the Burj al Arab in the distance. To the left the outline of Palm Island can be seen taking shape in the sea. The hotel has about 14 different places in which to eat. The swimming pools are elegant surrounded by well manicured lawns with loungers and umbrellas. There is also a large lawn on which children can kick a ball around. The path to the hotel's beach is attractive and the beach itself is beautifully swept every morning and afternoon. I visited many of the hotels on Jumeirah Beach, but for my taste rate this very highly as being thoroughly five star but not excessively expensive!

Le Royal Meridien looks out on Palm Island

The staff at Le Royal Meridien are all Asian - that is mostly South Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangla Deshi and Filipino, with a total of 800 staff to 500 beds. Satchmos is a superb restaurant providing the best steaks in Dubai (imported from the USA). The hotel management are very proud of this recent venture and certainly the quality rivals the best I have eaten in the world. The seafood restaurant was a delight and the Tea Lounge an elegant restful oasis where a talented young harpist plays whilst one treats oneself to scrumptious pastries, and the choices of tea rivalled those found at the The Savoy in London. Thai, French, Italian or Fusion cuisine are the choices in this hotel, and one would find it hard to tire of this selection.

The Royal Mirage Hotel

We also visited The Royal Mirage Hotel for lunch at their buffet restaurant Olives, which as the name suggests has a Mediterranean theme. This too is a beautiful establishment with striking tasteful décor and pool, which has been designed to resemble a desert oasis. All the hotels lay on a courtesy coach throughout the day to take guests to the various sumptuous shopping malls and souks.

Aline drinking champagne in hotel suite

I saw plenty to buy in these malls but a lot of the beautiful household objects are straight from India and our home is already full of lovely items sourced directly in India. The Gold Souk is interesting and good value, and we did purchase an item of jewellery. I think one could spend a whole week in Dubai with several interesting places to visit like the Dubai Museum, plus plenty of relaxation. A visit to the interior was also recommended by other guests. Golf, diving, beach and bird watching at the nearby bird sanctuary, and of course horse racing are all well catered for, and I suspect an ardent golfer could easily fill a two week holiday. The Spa at Le Royal Meridien was outstanding, and I am sure that is probably the same with the other top rank hotels.

The roads and motorways are beautifully maintained with immaculate verges, themed roundabouts and even the underside of the flyovers are well finished off! This is however a city restless to improve and maintain its glittering status, and sometimes I felt there was a touch of all that glitters....! Continue >