An INCREDIBLE New Year's Eve in Dubai!

My entry into 2014 was quite possibly the best new year's eve I have ever had! Since it was my first in Dubai, my friends and I decided to hire a yacht for the night and sail around the Burj al Arab and the Palm to watch Dubai's attempt at breaking the world record for fireworks.

We started off waiting for ages for our party of about 30 people to get to the yacht, traffic in Dubai on New Year's eve and New Year's day is usually crazy, plus, the Sandance Festival was being held on the same day so taxis were incredibly hard to come by!

Tip: If you are in Dubai for NYE and need to get anywhere, I would recommend hiring a car if you can. Life will be so much easier, trust me! Or you can just get a boat ;-) Finally we were on the move, it felt like being at uni again because we were having a crazy party on the boat with these sort of shenanigans! Name the movie? I love how beautiful Dubai looks at night especially at sea… How INCREDIBLE does the Atlantis Hotel look? I'm so proud of this shot! And then the fireworks started… first was the Burj Khalifa Then the Burj al Arab which looked spectacular as we were so close! At this point my camera died but my iPhone did a fabulous job with the picture below!

We could not have made a better choice on how to spend NYE… it ended up being AMAZING! I will be editing a video of the fireworks display shortly, but for now I need to get dressed for a wedding!

I hope you all had a great NYE too! x

Holiday Brunch at Al Qasr Hotel, Dubai - OOTD

Brunch is the 'done' thing to do in Dubai on Fridays and one of my favorites is by Al Qasr Hotel, set in the beautiful arabian resort of the Madinat Jumeirah. Brunch is usually all you can eat AND drink so I tend to dress very comfortably for the occasion!
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Birthday by the Dubai Fountains!

I mentioned in my last post that the whole of last week was spent celebrating my birthday. As indulgent as that might sound, it simply meant that I celebrated each day with thanks - I never expected to be able to visit any part of Asia this year nor did I think that I would enjoy my move to Dubai as much as I have! I am particularly grateful for the amazing new friends I've made since I moved! So naturally, on my actual birthday (20 October), I chose to have dinner with some of my favorite friends - new and old!

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Bejewelled

It was like stepping into Aladdin's cove...

As we wondered round Souk Al Bahar, my friend and I stumbled on Tahran Carpets and Antiques, a cute little trading store with lots of shiny bits and bobs! It was like a treasure cave! Don't the pictures make you want to decorate? I pretty much wanted to buy the whole store! We left the store and continued to be surrounded by pretty things...see why I said Souk Al Bahar is one of my favorite places in Dubai? The Souk is also home to a few bars, and Cleo couldn't help but be drawn to the house music blaring from this place! Although we pretty much live in Dubai now, we both couldn't resist acting like tourists! If you are planning on heading to Dubai at any point, visiting the souk should definitely be on your list!

The Beautiful Souk Al Bahar

I love Dubai evenings, the usually scorching weather dips to a lovely temperature and becomes a lot less humid, making it perfect for exploring! Last week, my friend and I decided to check out Souk Al Bahar, a gorgeous area in downtown Dubai. It has quickly become one of my favorite places, especially this waterfront promenade opposite the Burj Khalifa. 
I love this zara Jumpsuit because its so light and perfect for the Dubai humidity. I quickly discovered that thick clothing, ie jeans, does not work while Dubai is still technically in the summer season. Look how flustered I got in my latest vlog!

I have to apologise for the blurry pictures, but it was a great effort by my friend who is just discovering the joys of my camera haha!

My first week in Dubai!

I made it guys! I've been in Dubai for just over a week and I've been up to soooo many things so this is just a summary post! It's a gorgeous city and there is so much to do! So in my first week, I visited the Souk al Bahar. There is a full post to come on this as it is one of my favorite places so far.It is also where the Dubai mall and the beautiful synchronised fountains are. My dress was a bit risqué but no one really cared, as long as you look balanced (ie not showing too much skin) you'll be alright. Messing around I feel like every time I go to the Souk, I discover something new, I cant wait to stock up on these beauties! The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa is also in full view from the Souk. I found Topshop and Zara on my first day haha! There are so many high street brands here that I might as well be on oxford street. The Arab ladies usually have flawless makeup and have inspired me to put a little bit more effort into my makeup. Ive been chronicling my makeup looks via instagram selfies haha. Very randomly, I also headed to the fish souk. It is listed as one of Dubai's tourist destinations - its one of the most authentic things to do as you get to mingle with the local fishermen and grab a bargain on fresh fish. The trip is meant to give you an insight into the traditional fishing communities while grabbing a bargain on an array of fresh fish. It certainly was an interesting experience, I left with delicious fish and a banging headache! You have to be prepared to haggle and I ended up overwhelmed! Sticking to waitrose next time haha I spent the first three days on my own, until my friend came into town and we ended up at Reem Al Bawadi, one of the best places to get sheesha in downtown dubai. I loved the ambience of the place, good food too, but I'd go more for the atmosphere. I've been doing a LOT of eating here but so far the most indulgent meal I have had is brunch at Nobu restaurant in the Atlantis Hotel - again, a seperate restaurant review will follow, but lets just say, thats the most I've ever eaten in my life! On one of my alone days I ended up at Jumeriah Beach walk. This is a very nice strip for people watching.. can you believe dubai police cars are BMWs?! I talk more about my first week and my horrendous flight experience in this vlog.. enjoy!