Pre-covid dubai trip
While I’m sitting here in India since the covid-19 outbreak and planning for traveling out of India and visiting Dubai which has become one of my home cities by now, I’m thinking about my pre-covid Dubai trip and reflecting on how the things changed from the last year to this year.
Last time when I visited Dubai, the mask and social distancing weren’t a thing. We were hopping from one place to another at ease. I remember how I had a lovely time meeting my friends. Although Dubai is always a bit of extra work for us as my family has a business interest there but I never feel tired there in the midst of the piles of work. All thanks to the hospitality of the properties that I stay in. They are always on the top.
If you remember, last time I was hosted by Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre in their newly renovated suite. Being a lover of marble myself, I fell in love with their bathroom that’s made of white marble. The other thing that made me conjured is the lovely showpieces at my suite’s hall and bedroom. I also had a special feeling for the neat mirror frames on the wall behind the couch. That was my favorite spot to sit and chill out while sipping on the lovely red wine (which was kept on the table by the Le Meridien team to welcome us as their guests).
I couldn’t be more dramatic when I checked in all jet lagged and found a cute welcome note along with the fruit platter and a bottle of red wine). I was like “aww, my day is made”.
But that was only the beginning. After I got freshen up, they invited us to their Friday brunch as their special guests. Even though I was tired and I wanted to be there for a brief time, I could not. The wide choices of food had kept me there for hours. Thinking about the desserts from that day still makes me drool. Haha!!
I am sure you know that I am a huge foodie by now. If a hotel serves me good food, they leave a long lasting impression on me. Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre was one of them. They had some super plush restaurants to offer us some mouthwatering cuisines.
We visited their Thai, Chinese and Spanish restaurants during our stay as well. Not only the delicious foods and mocktails won my heart, I even found Moscato (one of my favorite wines when I’m happy). Their Thai and Chinese restaurants can literally compete with any leading restaurants in Thailand and China itself. The taste is so authentic. They used to keep the environment of Thai restaurant close to the roots with LIVE Thai folk dancing (I don’t know if that’s still possible after the covid 19 outbreak). But it used to keep the vibe of the restaurant so lively.
The Chinese restaurant on the other side was a great fine dining restaurant. If you want to have a business meet with your clients with some good food, this is your place.
The Spanish restaurant was a little bit on the calm side. That could be because we went to have our dinner there a little late. But I hogged on to some really tasty Paella (one of the best ones I have ever tasted).
I really wanted to visit their other restaurants but honestly, I couldn’t find enough space in my stomach. However, I look forward to visit them again and explore the food in their remaining restaurants.
I would like to add bonus points to Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre for their location. Being within the close proximity to the airport is always a plus for the guests like me who can’t sleep at all in the aircraft even while trying their best. I don’t know whether it’s the higher altitude or sound of the propeller, something really makes me uneasy. Lots of people asked me to use AirPods and listen to soothing music and I did that as well. But that never worked for me. So, I prefer watching movies while sipping on drinks or listening to EDMs (yeah, I know that makes me sound like a weirdo). I don’t know if it’s just me or you also feel restless inside the airplane too. Do let me know about it.
However, after a restless day in the aircraft, if you find such a cozy hotel to check in, it becomes a bliss. So, I recommend them to everyone. I think Le Meridien is one of best hotels in the airport surrounding area in Dubai. You should definitely give it a try even when you have a long flight from Dubai and you want to have a cozy night before you fly off to another destination for a hectic business trip.
I stayed in another wonderful property Radisson Blu Dubai Silicon Oasis. It felt like the home away from home.
The homely feeling specially comes from the vibe of the place. Since it’s more an apartment style with all the appliances and facilities, it never made me miss my home. Their 2 bedroom spacious apartment where I stayed and had a wonderful homely feeling. The bedrooms were so cozy like home & the apartment had two big balconies (one attached to the living room and another attached to the master bedroom) to relax and enjoy the view. The best part was that I had my fully equipped kitchen inside the apartment and a large refrigerator to keep all the supplies and cook whatever I wanted to as per my mood. However, I just cooked a snack because the food at the Radisson Blu Dubai Silicon Oasis restaurant was yummy itself. I also loved their reception area which had a traditional Shisha made of brass. The place was tranquil and I enjoyed a good time with my ‘home away from home’ feeling
Lots of love,
Twinkle
Wake Up. Stay Stylish. Repeat.
