Dubai in a day - Abu Dhabi 2014

First of all, I am sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple of weeks. I am in the process of finishing my second year of university, so have a mountain of work, as well as having to fit my my birthday celebrations (that post coming soon!), visiting family and getting a new job! But I will start my posting more regularly now that things are starting to slow down!

Anyway... Where did we leave it...  


The next day we got up nice and early, packed the care and headed to Dubai! I was so excited to see all the sights that you see on TV and I was the most excited to see the Atlantis hotel. You will probably have seen it, its in the middle of the sea!

(Not my own image)

It was beautiful to see from a distance as you drive towards it. 

Our purpose for going here, was the go to the water park that's on the site called 'Aquaventrue' It was so much fun. And even though non of us were under the age of 15, we all acted like big kids, splashing in the water and going on as many rides as we could! 

One of the best things was that you didn't even have to walk between rides, they had a lazy river with lots of sections coming off where you just float straight onto a ride. 

(I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to rides!)

(I was a little scared - as you can tell!)

We spent our time drifting around and not really needing to move anywhere it was great!

After getting showered we headed out and back into the center of Dubai. 

(This was our view on the way out!) 

We went to Dubai Mall, which is the largest in the world. I cannot find the words to describe it! It just never ended. Everywhere you looked there was Prada, Mac, Mulberry and every other designer you could ever think of! 

But the Mall doesn't just have shops, it goes a few steps further. One feature is a huge aquarium. It went as far as the eye could see and included sharks, sting rays and so many other wonderful fish. We even saw one visitor diving in there among them all 

(Amazing!)

We then headed just outside to see the world famous fountains. They happen every 15 mins and are set to a different musical number each time. Plus going off just in front of the worlds tallest building (The Burj Khalifa)  just made it even more special and I just watched in ore at how incredible they were and we managed to get a few good photos!

We then went for a bit of a drive so we could see some of the sights and view the breathtaking Dubai Skyline. Definitely a must to see if you ever visit! 

The worlds tallest building is located in Dubai, called the Burj Khalifa Although the picture doesn't actually do it justice, but we really had to strain to see the top of the building, making our necks ache - a lot!

After having a lovely drive around, viewing the sights and looking at what stars we could see through the lights. We headed for food, at somewhere that I was very excited about! Hard Rock cafe! I had never been to one before, but have always wanted to. 

The Dubai one is apparently one of the most famous and the memorabilia from various rock artists made for great decoration. There was a live band playing a variety of songs from rock, as well as pop that's remixed to fit in the style of the restaurant and when the band wasn't playing, screens showed some famous rock bands at their concerts in places around the world 
. I wasn't sure what to think about it at first, it was very loud! But once we sat down, had a few drinks and started eating, it was a lot of fun. Not a place to go if you wanted a romantic meal for 2 and wanted to have a good chat. But would be a lot of fun with a big group! Here is the website to find your nearest one (The two in England are London & Manchester!) 

(At the Hard Rock Cafe Dubai)

After stuffing our faces with lots of food and listening to great music, we went back to the car for the hour long drive back to Abu Dhabi. 

If you ever get the chance to go to Dubai - then go! It was amazing. I was lucky enough to see the skyline and some of the city in the day too on the way to and from the airport. I cannot recommend it enough!

Bike rides and Beautiful Views - Abu Dhabi 2014

After having some much needed chill time and doing a spot of shopping, the next evening we did something which was just a complete dream - we went on a bike ride around the Yas Marina Circuit where they hold the Formula 1 every year. An I can honestly tell you, it was one of the best experiences of my life. 

Feeling rather hot biking around in 40 degrees!

Taking a rest from the bike in front of the Marina Hotel

After grabbing showers and getting all dressed up, we headed back to the Island where the track is and went into the bars for cocktails! After chatting and drinking I forgot all about taking pictures - sorry! 

Some pictures from the evening 

The next day my boyfriend took me to the top of the office buildings too look at the beautiful skyline of Abu Dhabi - and it truly was breathtaking. Which ever way you looked, there was blue sea & sun shining!

Don't you wish you had an office view like that?!

We headed home for a good nights sleep, ready for the next day in Dubai!

Samantha-Leigh

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Marina - Abu Dhabi 2014

The next day we headed out nice and early to go and visit one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It's called the sheikh Zayed grand mosque. Sheikh Zayed is the man who founded the country and made it what it is today, so in his honor they built this huge mosque and once he died, this is where he was buried. 

Because its a holy place, men and women have to be covered (more so the women than the men). So I had to wear what's called a Abaya This was so so hot to wear, I actually nearly fainted at one point!

Some beautiful pictures from the outside of the mosque 

After that (once I had cooled down a little!) We headed to get some lunch. My boyfriend is obsessed with this traditional Abu Dhabi food called a shawarma - and I must say they are pretty tasty! As you can't really get them in the UK, we rushed to somewhere we knew we could definitely get them. 

After deliberating for ages about where to go and eat them, we decided to head for somewhere that I have wanted to go for years. As a Formula 1 fan, one of my fav races to watch is the Abu Dhabi one. I have always admired just how beautiful and pristine the track is. So where best to head to eat then?!

Our view of the Marina inside the race track (more blogging to come about the race track soon! I got to actually go on it!!!) 


P.S I have split everything up, so there will be 5 parts all together for Abu Dhabi! Hope you all enjoy! 

"History is a continuous chain of events. The present is only an extension of the past"

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyam