When my mum and her friend Jenny booked a weeks holiday at the Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah, UAE, I absolutely had to join them for a couple of days. As I mentioned in my previous Dubai post, Doha is only an hour away by plane, so Dubai is a destination that is so easily accessible for a weekend jaunt.
I hopped on a flight to DXB very early on Thursday morning, and was met by my driver at Arrivals. I was so pleased that my mum had organised a hotel transfer for me, rather than having to take a Dubai taxi, as I'm not entirely sure they would have known how to get to where I needed to be.
The first thing to note about the Al Aqah Beach Resort, is that it is miles away. I'm not talking 30 minutes in a taxi like it is to Dubai. I'm talking almost two hours by car.
Through the desert...
Vast expanses of golden sand dunes stretching for miles into the distance, peppered with wild camels.
Then through the mountains...
...before finally reaching civilisation.
I was greeted at the hotel entrance and helped with my luggage by Sunday, the worlds friendliest man with the worlds coolest name. Check in was smooth, and the staff were very friendly and eager to help me to the room with my baggage.
It was so great to see my mum - she was already 5 days into her holiday so it was lovely to know that I would be spending the last two days with her.
Lunch was the first port of call. Mum and Jenny were all-inclusive, so I ordered the grilled salmon from the A La Carte menu, eager for something light ahead of an afternoon of sunbathing.
When it arrived, it looked amazing, and the accompanying vegetables were delicious but the salmon itself was absolutely packed full of giant bones. Every single forkful was filled with them, to the point where I just couldn't eat it. At the equivalent of over £20, I was pretty disappointed, and even more so when the restaurant manager didn't offer to discount the bill. He offered a replacement meal but by this point mum and Jenny had finished their lunch and I wasn't in the mood anymore.
Not the best first impressions of the 5* resort.
My mood soon lifted when we headed outside to the pool area, which was absolutely stunning. I would go as far as to say it was one of the loveliest pools I have ever seen! It was like an enormous lagoon, with a pool bar in the centre, against the stunning mountain backdrop.
After a few hours of swimming and sunbathing, we took a wander around the beautiful gardens...
And then a wander along the beach...
Before heading up to the room to get ready for dinner at the Bahari beach bar, where the barman had promised my mum that he would look after us and make our evening special.
He had reserved us the best table in the restaurant...
Right on the sea-front, with the therapeutic sound of the waves gently breaking against the sand. As we tucked in to a feast of cold mixed mezze to start, our lovely waiter informed us that he would be selecting and making cocktails for us all night, and as soon as we finished one he would bring over another concoction for us to try.
Cocktail after cocktail came, and we had fun (unsuccessfully!) trying to guess what ingredients he had used in each.
My main course from the A La Carte menu, the lamb kofta, was delicious - I would highly recommend this to anybody dining at Bahari beach bar.
At the end of our meal, our wonderful waiter (I wish I could remember his name but after seven or eight cocktails it's understandable that I wouldn't remember much!) informed us that the entire evening was complimentary, gave my mum and Jenny and big cuddle to say goodbye as it was their last evening at the resort, and off to bed we went, full of good food and cocktails after a fantastic evening. Such a lovely dinner thoroughly made up for the disappointing lunch.
The next morning, we packed up our cases and hit the long road to Dubai, sent away with a beaming smile from Sunday (one name I could not forget!) as brunch was calling our names...but that is yet another blog post for another time!
If you are looking for a Middle Eastern all-inclusive holiday away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai with a beautiful pool and scenic surroundings, then I would for sure recommend the Miramar Al Aqah beach resort. The location is gorgeous and the staff are super friendly.
For me however, it was just too far away from anything especially to visit in only two days, although it was great to see a landscape so different to that of Doha and Dubai.
After two years in the desert, I am very happy to report that I have finally seen a wild camel!
Sometimes it's all about the little things :)
I hopped on a flight to DXB very early on Thursday morning, and was met by my driver at Arrivals. I was so pleased that my mum had organised a hotel transfer for me, rather than having to take a Dubai taxi, as I'm not entirely sure they would have known how to get to where I needed to be.
The first thing to note about the Al Aqah Beach Resort, is that it is miles away. I'm not talking 30 minutes in a taxi like it is to Dubai. I'm talking almost two hours by car.
Through the desert...
Then through the mountains...
I was greeted at the hotel entrance and helped with my luggage by Sunday, the worlds friendliest man with the worlds coolest name. Check in was smooth, and the staff were very friendly and eager to help me to the room with my baggage.
It was so great to see my mum - she was already 5 days into her holiday so it was lovely to know that I would be spending the last two days with her.
Lunch was the first port of call. Mum and Jenny were all-inclusive, so I ordered the grilled salmon from the A La Carte menu, eager for something light ahead of an afternoon of sunbathing.
When it arrived, it looked amazing, and the accompanying vegetables were delicious but the salmon itself was absolutely packed full of giant bones. Every single forkful was filled with them, to the point where I just couldn't eat it. At the equivalent of over £20, I was pretty disappointed, and even more so when the restaurant manager didn't offer to discount the bill. He offered a replacement meal but by this point mum and Jenny had finished their lunch and I wasn't in the mood anymore.
Not the best first impressions of the 5* resort.
My mood soon lifted when we headed outside to the pool area, which was absolutely stunning. I would go as far as to say it was one of the loveliest pools I have ever seen! It was like an enormous lagoon, with a pool bar in the centre, against the stunning mountain backdrop.
He had reserved us the best table in the restaurant...
Cocktail after cocktail came, and we had fun (unsuccessfully!) trying to guess what ingredients he had used in each.
My main course from the A La Carte menu, the lamb kofta, was delicious - I would highly recommend this to anybody dining at Bahari beach bar.
At the end of our meal, our wonderful waiter (I wish I could remember his name but after seven or eight cocktails it's understandable that I wouldn't remember much!) informed us that the entire evening was complimentary, gave my mum and Jenny and big cuddle to say goodbye as it was their last evening at the resort, and off to bed we went, full of good food and cocktails after a fantastic evening. Such a lovely dinner thoroughly made up for the disappointing lunch.
The next morning, we packed up our cases and hit the long road to Dubai, sent away with a beaming smile from Sunday (one name I could not forget!) as brunch was calling our names...but that is yet another blog post for another time!
If you are looking for a Middle Eastern all-inclusive holiday away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai with a beautiful pool and scenic surroundings, then I would for sure recommend the Miramar Al Aqah beach resort. The location is gorgeous and the staff are super friendly.
For me however, it was just too far away from anything especially to visit in only two days, although it was great to see a landscape so different to that of Doha and Dubai.
After two years in the desert, I am very happy to report that I have finally seen a wild camel!
Sometimes it's all about the little things :)
