Dubai – the perfect place for a Babymoon

Let me start by answering your questions:

1. Yes! A “Babymoon” is a real thing.
2. No!  It’s not a really small moon.

A Babymoon is a “final” getaway to enjoy some time for yourself before your baby arrives. They’re often romantic or relaxing breaks taken by couples or close friends to have some time together before the onset of sleepless nights, dirty nappies and Frozen’s ‘Let it go” on repeat.

I planned the trip for my best friend and fellow blogger Maria Purcell, from MammaWerks. Since Maria is due in May this was her last chance at some sun, sea and sand before becoming a mamma.

Our goals were relaxation, exploration and very importantly food! We planned to visit beautiful restaurants, peaceful spas as well experiencing other ways to see Dubai.

I’ll be writing new articles each week about the highlights of the trip so keep checking back for our in depth reviews and tales of our travels. However, below is a brief overview of our long weekend in Dubai:

The Journey

After boarding our night flight from London to Dubai with British Airways, we arrived early morning and made our way straight to arrivals. Taking only hand luggage certainly streamlines the traveling process. We were greeted by our driver from Blacklane limousines who whisked us away in first class style to our hotel for the ultimate stress free end to our journey.

The Hotel

We checked in to our four night stay at the Sofitel on The Palm, changed in the spa and like heat seeking missiles made a beeline for the sunbeds and pool. After surviving the paradox of having a light summer salad in January, we followed it up with cucumber refresher drinks at the poolside Maui restaurant. Our room was on the top floor overlooking the pool, sea and The Palm but we barely had time to take it in before we were off on our first adventure.

Dubai from the Sea

After getting ripped off by a taxi, forgetting to bring our passport, getting another taxi to the hotel and back to the Marina….we had an amazing time sailing around Dubai with Marine Concept. It was a really fun and stylish way to see this unique City.

Seeing Dubai from the water with Marine Charter

 Dinner in Vietnam

We celebrated our first evening by dinning at the exquisite Shangri-La hotel with a quick non-alcoholic drink at their very pink iKandy Lounge before being shown to our table at their Hoi An Vietnamese restaurant. Our host April was certainly an enthusiast character.

Soothing Spa

We whiled away the next morning relaxing in the luxurious and serene Softouch Spa at The Kempinski Mall of the Emirates before a light lunch at their airy Aspen restaurant. Our plan was to head back to the hotel but it would have been almost rude to have gone to a mall and not have indulged in a little shopping.

Dinner on the water

That evening was spent catching up with some old friends as the sunset at the 360 bar and later at Uptown bar for some great views of the city. Isn’t it funny how you can go years without seeing someone, then when you get back together it is like no time has passed.

We ended the evening at the Dubai Marina Yacht Club to board our Dinner Cruise with Xclusive Yachts to enjoy a nice relaxing and very scenic meal.

Time to do nothing

Glad to be bathed in the warmth of the sun, we ordered breakfast up to our room and ate it on the balcony. The rest of the day was spent chilling by the pool, enjoying fresh coconut water straight out of the coconut and eating very little, since the last couple of days had been very food heavy. The water in the pool was dreamily heated to take the “edge” off the experience and the umbrellas perfectly positioned for shade whilst reading. We did wander down to the beach but the sea was certainly a lot more brisk! We didn’t venture in. All the locals we had met all agreed that this was the best time of year to visit, before the temperature soars too high and all their lives are “taken inside” – the opposite to our winter. For us this was perfect, warm heady days followed by cooler nights.

Lounging in the pool

 Impeccable service

To round off our day of unwinding we booked dinner at the Blue Jade restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton. The service and food was impeccable throughout and they even prepared something heart-warmingly touching – find out what it was here. A great end to a lovely day.

Back to British

Our last morning was spent lazing by the pool again before getting lunch at the new Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay. We felt supremely at home sat on the very “English Garden” patio area, surrounded by people who were just genuinely having a great time. The food was a little “out-there” but still very enjoyable.

Delving Deep

Most of the people I know who have been to Dubai, rave about The Lost Chambers aquarium. Naturally we had to have a wander amongst the sharks and rays before getting some ice cream and making our way home.

The aquarium

I’d love to live in a place warm enough for a balcony or outdoor living area that you don’t freeze in as soon as you step outside. We made the most of our gorgeous view towards The Palm to watch the sun set in a haze of red.

A tribute to Lebanese music

The Lua Lebanese restaurant in the lobby of the hotel proudly proclaimed it was ladies night, even though it was full of men. We ordered a couple of small dishes whilst listening to some traditional music . The food was full of taste and was a great end to our trip.

Time to say goodbye

Our driver from Blacklane appeared at midnight like Cinderella’s fairy godmother, in the lobby to whisk us back to the airport in a cocoon of style. This helped to soften the blow of leaving this wonderful town. Needless to say the next day was spent travelling first to London, then back up the country. A long journey but certainly worth it.

Keep checking back over the next 3 weeks and as we go into depth with some of our highlights of our Dubai Babymoon.

Last modified: 20th September 2016