Dubai, Get a Grip!

I've never been one of those people that moans about New Year's Eve.  You know the gripes: it's overpriced, it's just one night, there's too much pressure to have a good time.  For as long as I can remember (apart from one blip when I first arrived here and had to work), I've grabbed NYE by the scruff of the neck, donned my dancing shoes, and welcomed in the next year with complete and absolute gusto.  This was massively helped by the fact that when I lived in Manchester my lovely apartment was slap-bang in the middle of the city, meaning no taxis, easy access to bars and clubs, and pre and post carnage drinks and party chez mine.

But this year,  I confess, I have had a moan.  Mainly because one of our favourite clubs has seen fit to up its entry charge to a whopping 200 quid.  Yes, you read that correctly.  And they're not the only ones.  Yesterday the entire office spent a good hour trying to find a decent venue for a work colleague to take her parents to on NYE.  Unless you're prepared to shell out an average of two hundred quid, per person, you're out of luck.  This is absolutely Dubai at its craziest, perpetuating every myth and misconception about the city going.  The biggest bill?  Dinner at the Burj Al Arab.  At almost 1500 quid a pop, it's the most ridiculous of them all.

We're yet to decide on our venue.  Ultimately my main ingredients for a great NYE  are: great music, free-flowing G&T's, but most importantly, a gang who you love, who will be the first on the dancefloor and the last to leave it.  Thankfully, that last part is sorted!

I'm Not being Funny, But...

Dubai, playground of the rich and famous...non?  Well, apparently yes, but I never see any celebs!  As a woman who likes nothing more than reclining on a  sun-lounger with a copy of OK magazine at the weekends, you can imagine how galling this is for me.  At the moment we have not only John Terry and family at the Royal Meridien, but also Charlotte Church and family at Atlantis.  I'm keeping my eyes peeled, but I'm not getting my hopes up....

Christmas in the Sand

"You're not going home for Christmas?" is a question I've been asked each year that I've chosen to stay here in Dubai. It's usually followed by an aghast face and horrified sharp intake of breath when I answer no.

Everyone from work colleagues to friends to taxi drivers - so all races and religions, assumes that heading home is as natural as trawling round M & S on Christmas Eve and fighting for a turkey. Err, no thanks!

I've never been one for a massively conventional Christmas. I left home when I was 18 and moved 400 miles away. And although I did make some trips home I frequently preferred to fly the family to me, or spend it with my urban family and friends, wherever that was at the time. And bless my family, they never pressured me to go back. If I did, we never had turkey. Lobster, crayfish, scallops, duck, beef wellington, but never turkey.

Since I moved to Dubai, the urge to return to the UK has been even more depleted. YOU KNOW I love the UK for all sorts of reasons, but Christmas isn't one of them. Yes, Manchester has the German markets, crisp days and snow - but none of that appeals to me when you compare it to sunshine and beach. And let's face it: crisp days are few and far between (more rain than anything else) and snow is a death-trap/plain annoying after the first day. I just don't do the cold!

So what was Christmas like this year? Well for starters I was surrounded by my gorgeous family (grandma included!) and wonderful friends. So far, so very good.

Christmas Eve started off in the nail bar (I'm so Dubai) with a good gossip with the girls who I've been seeing for almost two years. They were so excited by the chocolates I'd bought them I really wish I'd taken more. Bless them. I also dropped off chocs for my complex's security guards and concierge so it was a thoroughly festive start to the day.

Then it was off to Atlantis. I think I've blogged about Atlantis before, and it is just as loud and brash as everything that I'm sure you've already read about it, so I won't bore you with the details. Suffice to say we had a great time dodging the nine million Russian tourists, oohing and ahhing at the aquarium, and nosying round the Lost Chambers. Treated Grandma to a v swish glittery Atlantis shopping bag which I'm sure she is now rocking around a branch of Jersey's co-op even as we speak.

Then onto Barasti - I've mentioned this beach bar before. It's the place that journos go to interview 'boozed up Brits' when writing their 'Death of Dubai' pieces. Can be hideous in the evenings but lovely in the daytime. We nabbed a table on the terrace overlooking the beach and marina and enjoyed some scran. We mused over what we'd be doing if we were in UK and agreed we'd rather be in the sunshine.

The fun didn't stop there....we then headed to 360 (a circular bar in the middle of the sea)to continue a tradition of Christmas Eve sundowners. As we watched Santa Claus water ski past (only in Dubai) as the sun set behind the Burj, it really did feel very special being in Dubai.

And if you're wondering if it really does feel Christmassy here - yes it does! There were decorations and trees everywhere, and everyone we met wished us a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Day was the gorgeous Ritz. There was 15 of us in the end, the Harvardes, the Morans, and lots of other lovely friends who fancied a spot of festive luxury. Can you see how the blue the sky is in the photo! The food, the staff, the atmosphere, the sunshine, the beach, and the company all combined to make one wonderful day.

So, THAT'S why I chose to stay in Dubai for Christmas. The only thing missing was my lovely friends from home. Next year people, you are most welcome to join me in the sunshine!

A Listers

For the nine hundredth time: NO, I DID NOT ATTEND THE ATLANTIS OPENING PARTY!! Sadly, I was not one of the select 2, 000 people who slurped champers and were entertained by Le Kylie.

Security was in total overdrive – friends and clients who actually live on the Palm had special passes to allow them into their homes on the opening day – and had strict instructions to be back home by 4 pm. They were also forbidden from swimming or sitting on their own private beaches – having seen the fireworks display which came from each frond, I’m presuming this is because if they had done, they might have found a rocket in their bikinis!

The guest list was leaked (no, really) and such stellar stars as Richard Branson, Mary-Kate Olsen, Nathalie Imbruglia and Charlize Theron were in attendance. I was most excited about Janet Jackson and Oprah, but apparently Oprah was a no-show. How rude!

Some friends were lucky enough to watch the fireworks from a specially chartered yacht (5 grand for four hours, if you please) and it does sound like a spectacular show. Me? I was far too busy at my regular wine and cheese night to be watching 13.5 million quid quite literally, go up in smoke. Champagne corks were the only loud noises I heard that night. Still, this being Dubai, there will no doubt be another ‘party of the decade’ just around the corner….

Under the Sea...

Yesterday I was taken on a top secret mission to see the new Atlantis Hotel on the Palm – two months before it is due to open. If you’re not familiar with the hotel, it’s a half a billion pound project to build an enormous 7 star hotel out in the middle of the sea. Part of the hotel is submerged underwater – you can access it by submarine. I am not joking. You can book into a suite which is partly submerged, and stare at the fish whilst you are in the bath. One of which was double the size of me and came right up to the glass! (See photo) Freaky.

A client of mine has supplied the bathrooms (ah the glamour of PR) so we went in for a sneak peak. It’s on a scale that I have never seen before. It has 1, 500 rooms. Nearly 300 suites. The biggest suites cost 10k a night to stay I them – and they’re booked up from now until December. It will employ 45, 000 people when it There’s a rumour that Madonna will be the star guest on opening night and do a bit of a turn.

The place is still a building site outside and lots of work going on in inside. It is quite literally a military operation, with 20, 000 people working 24 hours a day to finish the hotel.

In typical PR fashion not one of us was appropriately dressed for the visit. To be fair I had asked just how much of a building site the place was before we went but was assured that it was ‘nearly finished’. How I cursed this as I clambered over the site in flip flops and a summer dress, with hard hat for good measure. To be fair my account exec fared worse, she was in a tight skirt and five inch heels! You can imagine the stir we created as we went on our tour....

We walked almost the full length of the hotel, clambered up and down umpteen flights of stairs (the lifts don’t work yet) stepping over painters, joiners, electricians, cleaners, and divers (in the underwater bit.) It felt like ‘Challenge Anneka’ crossed with ‘The Krypton Factor’. Did I mention that yesterday it was 45 degrees and most of the tour was not in air con.

After 2 hours in the heat I actually thought I was going to die, and scrambled back into the site office looking like I’d had a bucket of water thrown over me. Never again will I complain about the air con being too cold!

My verdict: outrageous, unbelievable hotel. Too Disney for me personally, and the carpets were vile, but as a visual spectacle, it really does have to be seen to be believed.