The last few weeks I have felt such intense homesickness, which I haven't experienced in a long time. At the beginning of this month, I was on vacation and I long to go back. And that's quite funny, because beforehand I didn't have very many (positive) expectations of my destination Dubai. I had never been there and wasn't sure if I would like it. Well, I take it all back, I thought it was amazing. I ate so well, relaxed a lot, and felt wonderful. I should mention right away that this homesickness doesn't necessarily have to do with how much I liked Dubai, but especially with the hotel I stayed in... Because that is now my favorite hotel of all time. And that says something.

We slept in the Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf, because it is located right in front of The Palm. It is a gigantic hotel, I mean it seriously when I say it looks like a village in itself. And it feels that way too: the entire resort consists of cute little paths, bridges over streams, and here and there you see a restaurant. In the main building (where you can also marvel at the expensive cars and the over-the-top entrance) you will find all the hotel rooms, and around it, you will find various other types of accommodations. We slept in a Summerhouse, which has a nice courtyard (you share that with about ten other ‘summerhouses’). A big plus: every day, from five in the afternoon to eight in the evening, you can get free soft drinks, beer, wine, and snacks to enjoy in your inner garden. So cozy, and economical: drinks are quite expensive in Dubai.

But there is so much more. It is located by the beach, but there are also plenty of swimming pools. And then those restaurants... We had such a nice lunch at the French Rivièra (on the beach), I had the tastiest tournedos in years (with white truffle, it was truly heavenly) at Pierchic, where you also have a view of the Burj Al Arab, and afterwards we had drinks in one of the bars. We also took a boat during the day to their own Souq, which can be found in the adjacent hotel (also a Jumeirah hotel).

The only downside was that we only stayed for two nights; I really recommend staying much longer. You definitely want to try all the restaurants here, because even for breakfast there are multiple options, you want to have enough time to relax AND to stroll around. Oh yes, and then also discover Dubai itself... Although our favorite place in all of Dubai was really this hotel. Next year I will go back.