Happy hump day guys and girls! The sun is shining and J and I are throwing our first BBQ this weekend at the new house so things are lookin’ on the up! Sorry I haven’t posted much over the last week, It’s been super busy with my ‘little’ brother unexpectedly booking a flight out to Dubai and trying to juggle everything in-between…

Good news is, I did manage to take a break whilst he was here and show him the best of what Dubai has to offer (naturally with the intention of encouraging a full-time move … think my persuasive skills need some brushing up on) but successful or not, we had the best week.

Dress from Kyra Loves

After one day of sunning himself by the communal villa pools, and getting rid of the red glow that so clearly denotes a brit abroad, we upped-the-anti and spent the day at not only one of the newest hotels in Dubai, but also one of the real gems. Give a wave to Jumeriah Al Naseem! 

Think Bali meets Scandi meets the best of Dubai’s luxury, all overlooking stunning, green gardens and white sandy beaches. Oh, and that other small charm in Dubai’s exciting landscape; the iconic Burj Al Arab. We took refuge at the peaceful Summersalt beach club within the hotel and admired the views.

The beds are nap worthy (both wide and soft…the ultimate combo), the service with a smile from ear to ear and the pool was that faultless and inviting temperature. If you want to show family or friends a good time, Summersalt should be numero uno on the list.

Whilst you can have lunch by the beds, Max and I decided to retire to the shaded wooden-decked restaurant instead. Admittedly, I didn’t expect to eat the calibre of food you normally find in the Jumeirah restaurants –  it was ‘pool side’ after all, but we ordered a selection of salads and lobster rolls with curly fries – always been a guilty pleasure of mine. First thing to note is I thought the prices were incredibly reasonable, even without it being a luxury 5* hotel. Something I think I’ve said all of two times in my 4 years here so it’s really saying something.

Second, I stand completely corrected on my ‘pool-side’ food quality theory. These two salads (tuna niçoise and soft shell crab) were better than any fine-dining restaurant salad I’ve been served. The tuna melted in our mouths and the crab had the perfect balance of crispy batter and fresh flavours. “Bravo!” to SummerSalt’s head chef is all I can say. Not only can they seriously cook but the sourcing of the ingredients is without fault.

We of course couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to enjoy a glass of rosé to celebrate Max’s arrival.

Post lunch, we retired to the beds and enjoyed the remaining sunshine before heading to one of the best Chinese restaurants in Dubai for dinner!

Jack joined us after work and we went a few doors down to Jumeirah Mina A’ Salam, one of the other stunning Jumeirah properties. Between the four Madinat Jumeirah hotels, it’s safe to say you’ll find a very favourable percentage of my regular go-to restaurants in Dubai! Al Qasr is by far my favourite luxury brunch with a gorgeous outdoor setting and others I would recommend are Rockfish, Pierchic, Tortuga, Il Borro and naturally, the one we dined at below – Zheng He’s!

Looking out over the lagoon with prime view of the night-lit Burj Al Arab, it’s the ideal setting for a special evening. We opted for the “Zheng He’s Voyage” – an 11 course tasting menu of their signature dishes and what a treat it was (360 AED pp).

From roasted Beijing duck to Chinese soft shell crab, hot and sour soup, dimsum and wok fried Chilean seabass – I advise arriving hungry! If not to savour the excellent main courses, then at least to leave room for the rather indulgent but ridiculously tasty banana and chocolate cake with sea salt caramel for dessert!

A few creative cocktails with live music at Bahri Bar afterwards and we were ready for bed!

An amazing start to the best week with my little ‘bro’. I miss my family all the time but it does seem to somewhat make up for the distance when they leave with the biggest smile planted on their faces!

If you have any comments or questions about Summersalt beach club at Jumeirah al Naseem, or Zheng He’s, please do comment below and fire them over!

Hope you enjoyed the blog,

LLG x