My last post about Dubai(for now ;)) is about the hotel at which we spent our 2 last nights in- the beautiful Madinat Jumeirah.The hotel is the epitome of a luxurious Arabian resort, and you feel that the moment you step onto the property. There are 4 different hotels on the property(with the fifth one being build right now)- Al Qasr(at which we stayed),Mina A’Salam,Dar Ar Masyaf and Malakiya Villas.The property of Madinat Jumeirah is massive and it includes its own private beach! You have to get around the different parts of Madinat Jumeirah using little boats(called abras), and that is just a piece of the fun that we got to have while staying there.

Al Qasr means “The Palace” and it was in fact modeled after the Sheikh’s summer residence. Its architecture and design are simply breath-taking, and honestly I had to cut down the number of photos I used for this post, because every corner of Al Qasr just begs to be photographed! From the beautiful chandelier to its fairytale Arabian design, this is the place to go when your soul needs a holiday. There are over 50 different restaurants on the property, it’s a very close distance to The Mall Of Emirates, and hell you don’t even need to go anywhere in order to shop- Souk Madinat is located right inside the hotel(see my photos from it here), and you can shop everything from sheesa(hubbly bubbly) to clothing right then and there.

We had breakfast at Al Qasr every morning, and I was impressed at the variety of food being offered. Dimi and I especially loved the pancake and waffle station, where we helped ourselves to a little(a lot!!!) of pancakes. I also had lunch there, and it happened to fall on the Sunday of the Orthodox Easter. The restaurant was decked out for that afternoon with traditional pieces of Orthodox Easter, and even had a couple of traditional foods that we would eat, such as painted boiled eggs.

Madinat boasts a 2 kilometers stretch of its own private beach and its a beauty! It’s perfect for one of those holidays, where all you want to do is lie in the sun and read a book. Well you don’t even have to leave your hotel to do that! Plus I really enjoyed taking the little boat rides everywhere. It’s so beautiful, and even more so at night!

I stayed in a single room, where my bed was big enough to fit about 5 people in it- we even considered having a sleep over! When I checked in, I was welcomed with a big plate of fruit in my room, a welcome drink and a little plate of Middle Eastern delicacies. I loved the room, because it looked exactly what I would picture an Arabian Nights bedroom to look like. I had a little balcony which gave me a stunning view of the hotel.

Al Qasr hosts 299 rooms, and besides the breakfast and beach parts of it, you also get complimentary access into the Wild Wadi Waterpark, use of the Talise Fitness Club(and the spa also looked awesome),free wi-fi and use of shuttle service to and from the Mall Of Emirates. Also don’t forget to take an abra ride across the Madinat- it’s rather peaceful and beautiful. I highly recommend this hotel if you are looking for a relaxing holiday with a spot of shopping. A night there starts at R4500 for a double room, and you can find out more right here.

PS how gorgeous is this view of the Burj Al Arab?