The Address...."THE" Place to Be in Dubai

We have finally settled back into our Dubai apartment after a whirlwind, unforgettable trip to Oman. We are back into the swing of things touring the city, enjoying the beaches, and getting homework done!

We recently had the chance to take a tour of The Address Hotel, which is in the heart of Downtown Burj Dubai. We had heard that this downtown area hosts the most expensive real estate in the world, and now we know why. As you step out onto the back balcony area of The Address, your eyes are pulled upward into the clouds with a view of the breath taking view of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the entire world standing at 2,313 feet, almost double the Canada skyscraper which formerly held the title.

Spreading out at the base of the Burj is the marina area, which when it is completed within the year, it will be the largest man-made marina in the world, complete with gondolas and bridges. Next to the marina and to the right of the Burj, you see the Dubai Mall, which houses the giant aquarium which you can check out on one of our other posts. To the left of the Burj is Old Town Dubai, which is often described as the best shopping in Dubai, along with many excellent wine bars and restaurants. We actually had the chance to eat dinner at The Meat Co., which was a wonderful meal with excellent food and a fun, exotic atmosphere. We are definitely going back there again! The boys ordered ribs, which ended being enough for the whole family! Such a wonderful family meal!

However, even though the whole experience was absolutely wonderful for the whole family, what really stole the show was The Address Hotel. As you walk into the entrance, you breath is taken away by the beautiful wood paneling, beautiful furniture, and modern art, created especially for The Address. As you walk through the lobby, each sitting area and restaurant is unique and elegant in its own way, with hand-blown glass chandeliers and hanging beads.

The suites themselves are absolutely gorgeous with vivid colors, soft fabrics, and an unbelievable view of the downtown area. They are modern with beautiful art and elegant designs, yet very welcoming and warm.

Beyond the elegant lobby, the restaurants, and the gorgeous sweets, my absolute favorite part of The Address is the back balcony overlooking the marina. This area is truly unique with a series of cascading infinite pools, lovely wooden pool chairs, private sitting areas, a full bar and restaurant with five-star service, and one of the most amazing city views in the world.

While experiencing the luxury of The Address, walking through the traditional souk, enjoying dinner overlooking the marina, and starring dizzyingly up at the Burj Dubai, I realized that this downtown area was a destination within Dubai. Whether you are here for business, or for a couple's retreat, you will love all that The Address has to offer.

The Making of a Memory

We often tell the boys to stop for a minute, take a picture in their mind, and "make a memory." A memory can be anything from a wonderful family dinner to a spectacular site, but something that you will remember for the rest of your life. Today was just such a day when memories are made. From our arrival as we drove through the Omanian basalt cliffs to find a breath-taking sea-scape awaiting us, to our final departure as we waved goodbye to the dolphins and hopped back into our car, the whole experience was one which none of us will ever forget.

The day began with an unbelievable buffet breakfast as we overlooked the Arabian Sea. Then we met our tour guide for the day, and were off for a day tour of Oman. Our first site was the mosque of Oman which we saw from the road as we drove to our resort. This time around, Taya donned her abaya and we got the chance to go inside and view the amazing architecture and ornate decoration. It was absolutely unbelievable from the elegant chandeliers to the numerous fountains.

We also were able to see the Sultan of Oman's Palace, his private port, and his yacht, which is the second largest yacht in the world. Although we weren't allowed to go inside his palace, we were able to see the hundred-year-old forts to either side towering above the shoreline, which are still in use by the military today.

We returned that afternoon to our beautiful resort hotel, where we spent a relaxing afternoon collecting seashells and riding the lazy river. The boys also got the chance to play a water-polo match with several families from Austria, and then take a memorable camel ride along the shores of Oman. What a memory! Our night concluded with a scrumptious five-course gourmet meal overlooking the shore. The following morning we awoke to take a morning cruise to see the local dolphin population. We certainly weren't disappointed when we found a pod of over 200 dolphins.

But, like all good things, our short stay in Oman had to come to an end. We all piled back into the car for our drive back to Dubai. Our whole experience in Oman, from the first moment to the last, was a memory that we will all cherish for a life-time. The boys at dinner tonight said, it was the best place they had ever gone in their lives. You can't miss seeing this amazing destination!

"On the Road to Oman"

Often times, in order to create a truely unforgettable experience, you have to venture off the beaten path and take the "road less traveled by." While in Dubai, we had heard of the beauty and unique culture of Oman, and wanted to find out more about this incredible destination. But, before we even made it to our destination, our journey alone was certainly an experience we will never forget. We checked into all the modes of travel, our favorite of which was the three-day cruise through the Straight of Hormuz. However, we opted for the more expediate route, and rented a car. Today, we took a leap of faith as Mike boldly entered the dizziing traffic of Dubai.

Our first attempt at making it out of our familiar Sheikh Zayed Road intersection, didn't prove too promising. We made a wrong turn about 15 minutes out and had to double back and start from scratch. However, we weren't too heart broken as it brought us back to our favorite Starbucks, leading us to coin the phrase, clearly "all roads lead to Starbucks."

Finally we successfully exited Dubai and crossed over the border to Oman. After several turn-arounds, exit-visas, and Arabic guards, we finally made it into our destination country, with still about 400 km to go. We had been given driving directions from our hotel, that were, no kidding, three pages long, and equally as confusing. We were shocked each time that we seemed to make it to the next step, like an episode out of The Amazing Race. However, after about 85 round-abouts (all of which have a unique structure such as this one), a couple close-calls, and tons of laughter, we arrived safely at our unbelievable destination, the Shangri-La Resort.

In order to enter the resort, you have to cut through the stunning mountains of Oman over to the rocky coastline, where you will find one of the most picturesque sea-scapes you will ever see. There along the shore, you will see a fort-like structure perched atop the sandstone cliffs. It is like something out of a portrait or an image you might see in a magazine. But even with this backdrop, I think the boys were mostly thrilled by the wonderful mango juice and the unbelievable food. We arrived tired but extremely excited about what tomorrow holds.

On a quick cultural note, we wanted to let you know about the country of Oman. It is far more "traditional" in terms of how you might expect a Middle Eastern country to be. Most of the men and women you see, are wearing the traditional dress of the black "abaya" for women and the "thobe" for men. Although these are worn in Dubai also, Dubai is a far more modern and internation city, thus producing a more culturally diverse population. Additionally, throughout Oman you will see unique and beautifully ornate mosques about every mile as you drive. Mosques are a centerpiece of the Islamic religion, as each person must pray five times throughout the day.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with the Locals

So, there is definitely more to Dubai then just family adventures and amazing hotels. We wanted to give you just a little "flavor" of the wonderful restaurants and the local hot spots. We recently got the chance to enjoy an afternoon dessert at The Circle Café, located in the center of town on Sheikh Zayed Road and overlooking Jumeirah Beach Park. We had heard that this was a truly unique cafe...they have all of their bagels shipped directly from the famous bakeries of New York and their desserts are family recipes. With scrumptious bagels and baked goods, friendly service, and a sophisticated yet warm atmosphere, The Circle Café is sure to be a Breakfast and Lunch staple while in the heart of Dubai. Don't miss the lemon meringue pie! I was also happy to find out that they cater as well...good to know!

Our local hot spot pick for dinner is Zuma. The award-winning London favorite for Japanese cuisine, was brought to Dubai just this past summer, and is sure to please any palette. It is located right in the center of the Dubai financial district, alongside a promenade of luxury boutiques. The architecture of the building alone is outstanding. This two-story restaurant was designed by the famed Japanese designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu, and is elegant, exclusive and welcoming. However, the true highlight of this restaurant is their unbelievable food, wine (try Isabel!) and sake selection. We enjoyed a wonderful, yet leisurely meal as we chatted with our local friends. Be sure to build in some extra time to walk around the shops and art galleries and take in the massive architecture in this area. Also, make note that the standard dinner hour here in Dubai is around 8-8:30pm and reservations are suggested, if not required.

Palm Island and The Atlantis Hotel

It seems like most people from California can barely find Dubai on the map, but one thing everyone knows about Dubai is that there is an entirely man-made island in the shape of a palm tree. We had the chance to go and explore it today, and believe me, it doesn't disappoint the excited traveler. We drove along its trunk to the very tip of its crescent where the Atlantis hotel becons in tourists from around the world. With 1,529 rooms, a 1.5 million dollar glass center piece, a private beach, and a full water park, this hotel is one of the most outstanding in the world.

We got to see several of the rooms, including the royal suite, which was unreal. We also got to check out the largest shark in the Middle East (a whale shark) swimming about in the enormous aquarium there. However, by far, the biggest highlight of the day was our time at the Atlantis water park. It was such a fun day for the whole family. We rode the rapids, said hi t every lifeguard along the way, went through the riptides, road the inner-tube slides, and Taya and Mary even went on the giant "Leap of Faith" ride. The boys left saying that this was the best water park they have ever been to, which is definitely saying something!

Holy Macarol!!

So, everyone here says that you have to check out the Dubai Mall while you are staying in Dubai. It is certainly a site to behold with four stories, a full grocery store, an ice skating rink, and yes, even an unbelievable aquarium. Yesterday, we got the chance to check out this absolutely amazing aquarium. From the outside, you are awed by its enormous size extending up several floors with a star-gazers roof above. The tank actually holds 8,000,000 gallons of water....yes....that's 8 MILLION gallons of water. You can hardly believe your eyes as you stand next to this massive tank containing 13,000 different types of fish species.

The boys were already in awe, but for just about $5, you can walk through a tunnel within the center of the aquarium. As we began walking, the boys were darting about looking at all the different fish, when we happened upon Ahmed, who is one of the marine biologists helping the visitors. He walked the entirety of the tank telling us about each species, the individual fish and plant life, and so much more.

We found out that there are 36 full sized sand sharks swimming right above and beside us with their four rows of teeth! However, don't be scared, they are fed a steady diet of raw fish every day at 4pm. Also, you will see three enormous fish called groupers, which are the largest fish in the tank at nearly 8 feet long and over 800 pounds. In order to keep these massive fish alive, they must be fed over 30 pounds of tuna each day.

The whole experience was absolutely amazing! Dillon rushed from the tank so excited he could hardly contain his enthusiasm. It seems that a trip to the mall wasn't just a boring shopping day, but a lesson in marine life while standing within an indoor ocean!

Breakfast with the Thoroughbreds

We got the wonderful chance to go spend the morning at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club. With yawns around, we headed out at 6:30 in the morning, in order to see the horses all outside getting exercised. It was such an unbelievable opportunity to see the horses being trained for polo as well as show competitions and jumping.

As we toured the grounds, we got a full tour of this exclusive club. With 336 horses, the club boasts of one of the world's most well-equipped clubs From a world-class track to three full-sized polo fields and newly refirbished air-conditioned stables, it was fun to get to be a part of this timeless tradition.

Although it was fun to get to hear about the game of polo and to see several private lessons going on, we mostly enjoyed getting to walk through the stables and feeding these amazing animals. Horses here are shipped from all over the world, including Argentina, Germany, Belgium, and the beautiful Andalusian Spanish horse. Justin and Dillon certainly got in to the morning's activities as they fed and pet several of these beautiful horses.

We finished the morning with a wonderful breakfast of pancakes for the boys and omelets for the adults, while overlooking the jumpin field. This is a unique experience that you certainly can't find in the states!