The Atlantis, Dubai

Before we arrived at The Atlantis, Dubai I knew very little about it. I knew it had a huge aquarium, I knew Kylie Minogue sang at the opening ceremony and I knew it was big.....very big. The hotel lives up to its five star rating. It has great facilities, including numerous places to eat, Dolphin Bay, an amazing water park - Aquaventure Waterpark, and two huge (and I mean huge) swimming pools. This hotel runs like clockwork – and whilst there may be an occasional queue for breakfast, that’s only because some of the guests arrive and try and make the most of the generous and very extensive buffet! Most guests will take advantage of some form of dining option; half board seems to be the most popular and offers superb value for money. On the half board offer you can typically choose to take breakfast in either La Brasserie or Saffron. Both restaurants offer an extensive breakfast buffet. We ate in La Brasserie and it’s fair to say the selection was amazing – from sushi to porridge, from a cooked breakfast to an Arabian special, from yoghurt to fresh fruits – everything your heart desires is laid out before you….. I'm not a big buffet fan, but I have to concede that this is one of the best breakfast buffets I have ever seen both in terms of content and presentation. My tip would be to ensure that you ask us to include a meal plan for you – as a stand alone option breakfast costs over £25 a head if you don’t have some form of breakfast inclusive rate!! You will find over seventeen restaurants and bars at Atlantis.  During our stay we ate in four of the restaurants included within their half board deal – this ‘deal’ (when available) normally means you get to choose from a set menu, given the amount of choice on offer it’s unlikely that you will ever get bored with food options unless you choose to stay for in excess of two weeks! Drinks are fairly expensive but not unaffordable (similar to the centre of London) – a cocktail might set you back £15 whereas a glass of reasonable wine is likely to set you back in the region of £8 - £10. We ate dinner in: - Levantine – an award winning Lebanese restaurant where the belly dancers are as colourful as the food choices. La Brasserrie – (we ate here twice) was a great French restaurant choice. Lovely food, great setting – all very traditional stuff but really enjoyable. Saffron offers an evening buffet. We indulged one night and the food was sensational. In fact I will quantify that by explaining the food was sensational but the desserts were heavenly – there was a chocolate fountain, chocolate cakes, sweets, meringues and so much more. I became a buffet boffin and set out to experience each of the desserts just so that I could report back! The Atlantis operate a voucher system for half board guests, which is brilliantly as you can swap a dinner for lunch or even choose to have fast food rather than a main meal. Our adventures took us out one evening and the voucher system allowed us to have a buffet lunch rather than dinner. Dining vouchers are issued on check-in. Important to note that there are different vouchers for adults and children, the children’s menu is usually less adventurous and the portions smaller. It's important to note that the dining packages available at the Atlantis, always check with us at the time of booking about the best deals available and what they include! On the first full day of our trip we headed off to the Aquaventure Waterpark for a day of fun and frolic! The novelty of being in 105 – 110 degree heat always seems to wane over a few days but on day one you expect to cope. Off we trotted to get our entrance bands for the water park and then wandered through the grounds to find somewhere to use as a base. Even on a Wednesday the place was heaving and we struggled to find a few beds together. Eventually we found a base and left our stuff behind to buy an exotic ice crushed drink – think slush puppy and then times the cost by five and you sort of get the idea! None of your normal strawberry and blackcurrant flavours – here we are talking mango delights! It isn't long before we are ready to through caution to the wind and experience a ride. From what I have seen in the Middle East previously, water parks revolve around automated rides where guests experience the ultimate thrill on huge rubber rings Our first ride was on the Lazy River Rapids. It all looked gentile enough so it was all aboard for our first water ride of the day. Everything went to plan after we had finally managed to ‘board’ the rubber rings. We all cruised round keeping a careful eye out just in case danger lurked within….. Having completed a circuit – which is long at this water park taking over 15 minutes, it was time to plan our next ride. In partnership with the youngest member of our party who is eight and had enjoyed the calm Lazy River previously we opted for a double rubber ring, which meant I could keep an eye on him whilst we laid back and let the waves push us gently round.................. All seemed to be going to plan as we went up a gentle ramp only to be lowered again into the lazy river ready for another ‘steady eddy’ cruise round. And then, the lazy river turned into a raging torrent – it was like a Tsunami in a tube –  we both felt the full force of the wave and our rubber ring sailed over and above the wave shooting us both into mid-air and then down under the enormous wave. The bubbles were everywhere ………. I surfaced to see my little companion (who is eight)  chocking and coughing, catching his arm we quickly surfaced only for the youngster to dive below the waves again to save my sunglasses, which I had forgotten about in all the commotion (what a little hero)! Seconds later another wave arrived but this time we hung on carefully to the rubber ring. As things quietened down we re-boarded our rubber ring and sailed on…..until that was said child decided enough was enough and we had to abandon ship and then walk back for about 50 metres against an uphill current to get out of the water! The locals shouted words of encouragement advising us to get back in the ring and get off at the next stop (I explained that I knew this was the easier option but the child was having none of it). We attracted some strange looks as we paddled and waddled our way amongst the other guests who were all heading in the other direction. A few rides later it was time to bid Aquaventure good bye..... That night’s meal in La Brasserie was super and we talked excited about the dolphin adventure booked for the following day and our planned evening trip to Al Karama. For a child who grew up watching Flipper I have always wanted to swim with dolphins. I have seen them in various parts of the world in all their glory but swimming with them was never an option (especially in the sea where there are sharks, eels, jelly fish and all sorts of other stuff that BITE or EAT you!) We made the original reservations to swim with the dolphins when we booked our holiday. Having spent a leisurely morning at the huge hotel pool, we had a light lunch and then set off for Dolphin Bay. You catch a little golf buggy down to the entrance to the bay and wander up a short path into the Bay area. It doesn't take long before you see your first glimpse of dolphin life. When you first arrive you sit in a shaded outdoor area and are given a buzzer (similar to the equipment now used by lots of restaurants in the UK) so that you know when it’s time for you to make your way through to the official reception area. We are called through ten minutes later and had a quick safety briefing on what we can and what we can’t wear in the water. All jewellery off, no hair clips or other decorations - the mind boggles! We go through to the changing rooms opt for the life jacket rather than the full body suit (rather OTT in my opinion if you are enjoying the Dolphin encounter) and then we are taken into the small briefing area where we see a video telling us more about dolphins and how the session will work. Ready to meet our dolphin the trainer briefs us on our role during the session and the it’s time to meet our new friend……. It's time to meet Sol. Swimming through the middle of a human tunnel made up of the eight people in our group we start to realise just how magnificent this creature is. Majestic and powerful, showing signs of his playful character, we have the opportunity to hold the dolphin, throw a hoop for him to retrieve, and then a kiss and cuddle……. To top it all a dear friend announces to the trainer that it’s my birthday (which wasn't actually for a few more days) and I am not kidding when I say Sol sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me………….in fact he sort of squeaked it and it was amazing…….  I didn't enjoy the staged French kiss where I had to endure a very nasty smelling fishy breathe encounter, but he was so cute even his stinky breathe did not put me off. With the encounter over we made it back to the changing rooms and headed off back to the hotel – an amazing experience with memories that I will treasure forever. A quick shower and change and more excitement waits as we head off to visit Al Karama. If you have visited Dubai, Al Karama will no doubt have made it onto your radar, but….for those of you that haven’t ventured outside your resort hotel (which is what we did on our first few visits) this is an area where you can source high quality ‘copies’ of major brands . It’s a proper shopping zone with retail outlets stocked full of big brand names. To get to Al Karama from The Palm you really need to take a taxi to pick up the over ground Metro train that now runs through the centre of Dubai connecting various areas and providing an efficient and cost effective travel option for locals and tourists alike. Ask your taxi to head for the nearest Metro station. Costs for the Dubai Metro are really reasonable with a day ticket costing about £5 each. The stations are new and clean, the trains would be the envy of every London commuter. It’s a fairly long trip to Al Karama (takes about 40 minutes). The trains are air-conditioned and well laid out - there is a no drinking, smoking or eating policy whilst on-board. We arrive and walk the 10 minutes through the streets to reach our final destination – an Aladdin’s collection of goodies….now we just need to find something interesting. The shops in Al Karama are different to any other shops I have ever seen around the world. There are secret doors, staircases, and merchandise in nearby flats that are full to the brim with interesting stuff. The children are keen to visit as many secret rooms as possible – I am more reluctant dragging my heels as we are led to a block of flats and a ‘flat’ that is brimming with goods. The kids have more of a shopping list than we do and don’t be fooled by their innocent looking faces they drive a harder bargain than their mother (who I know can drive a bargain!), I cringe as they make ‘offers’ which seem a little on the optimistic side to me…. After three hours of hard bartering, purchases in hand we head back to the Metro station and make our way home for a drink, something to eat and bed….after a long and a very exciting day. I would strongly recommend the Dubai Metro as a way to get around. It’s cheap, efficient and very, very clean. A day pass is the most cost effective type of ticket and can be purchased at the station on the day of travel.  In terms of shopping at Al Karama be prepared to barter, it’s part of the culture but be respectful and know when to say ‘yes’ or ‘no thanks’ – be prepared to walk away. Al Karama opens late (until at least ten at night, some shops open later) visiting after dark makes sense as it’s so much cooler – shops are air-conditioned but wandering around is hot! On our final day with friends we spend time shopping and around the pool and then to finish the dy off we visit the Lost Chambers and check out the marvellous array of marine life – it’s all very grand and very impressive. Entrance to The Lost Chambers is free to hotel guests and it really is worth a visit. For our final evening we ‘go Lebanese’. The Levantine is an award winning restaurant and has much to live up to! It’s a set menu but the starter is a mezze and we ponder over how the heck we are going to eat a main course after a string of different taster dishes are presented. Half way through the starter the lights are dimmed, the music starts and an exotic belly dancer appears with two canes and wearing a very colourful costume. The dancing display is followed by some musical entertainment and thankfully the main course dishes are far less generous than the starters. We sample the Lebanese desserts and then head for a last night drink before bed. I hate ‘goodbyes’ but after another lavish breakfast we have a final photo opportunity and then it’s time for our friends to head home. For us it’s the beach for a few hours and then I have promised my husband a visit to the Gold Souk. When we first visited Dubai about 15 years ago I marvelled at the extravagance of the gold souk. I remember the searing heat from the window lights and the glare of the bright almost yellow gold shining out from the shop windows. Little has changed since my first visit with the exception of a few shops that have changed hands. After a few hours of window shopping an investigative visits we leave the souk and trace our way back to the Metro station (a ten minute walk through the back streets). We arrive back at the hotel and dine in the Saffron and enjoy an amazing buffet – they have a chocolate fountain, it’s huge, they have marsh mellows, they have lolly pops and guess what they are all FREE….. I need chocolate after my shopping experience! Our last day is spent by the pool reading and people watching – it’s amazing how many shades of colours the human body can go when exposed to direct sunlight!