Tag: uae

Travel

Enough pearls to take a bath in in Dubai!

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date January 19, 2015
No Comments on Enough pearls to take a bath in in Dubai!

I’ve left one of the best things until last and I’m bringing you a real treat today. Dubai’s Pearl Museum knocked my socks off and I still feel very lucky to have had the chance to look around. Not having done my research, I imagined something quite cute and touristy and that I might get the chance to make a few holiday purchases for myself! I’m English and have always loved the classic look of pearl jewellery. Birthday presents from my dad and sister over the years have allowed me to build quite a collection. But when we got to this museum, housed in the National Bank of Dubai no less, I soon realised there was no gift shop and, if there had been, it would be seriously out of my price range!

While the museum is technically open to anyone, you have to be in a group and to make an appointment some time in advance, so we have our wonderful host Xavier from 1001 Events to thank for that. It was also his first visit to the place and I’m quite sure we won’t be the last group he takes there! The museum houses the private collection of the late Sultan Ali Al Owais and is worth some serious cash. A bank is a fitting home for it! If you put all the pearls together, they’d weigh more than 50 kilos. Wow.

Before oil, many people forget, or are unaware, that the Emirates were all about pearls. This passionate collector wanted his collection to be available to all to serve as a reminder of this history. Our tour of the museum started by watching a fascinating documentary about pearl diving in a mini theatre. The diving techniques were so primitive it is a wonder more people didn’t die. The collection is also a great look at natural marine pearls which are very rare and expensive, compared to the more often seen cultured pearls, introduced by the Japanese in the 1920s. They form, of course, when an irritant, like a grain of sand, becomes trapped inside the shell of an oyster, whose lining is filled with nacre (mother of pearl). To try and get rid of this pesky irritant, the mollusc secretes nacre to coat it. Layer upon layer build up over years to form the pearl. Isn’t nature wonderful?

We were lucky enough to see handfuls upon handfuls of beautiful pearls of all shapes and sizes and some stunning jewellery, all housed behind glass. Our guide was extremely well informed and taught us a lot about the history of the pearl trade, and pearl diving, in Dubai. Also on display are some of the tools the divers used and others the merchants used for weighing and measuring.

If you’re visiting, I highly recommend you try and pre-arrange a tour of this very special collection.

I hope you’ve enjoyed all my posts about Dubai. This is the last one but if you missed any, simply search ‘Dubai’ on the site. It was a real honour to be involved in Australia’s largest ever social tourism campaign!

All photos in this post by me.

Travel

The future of blogging and the power of collaboration

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date January 8, 2015
8 Comments on The future of blogging and the power of collaboration

dubai getaway

This Bloggerati getaway was proudly sponsored by Dubai Tourism.

One of the best things about taking part in Australia’s biggest ever social tourism campaign last month, when I went to Dubai with more than 20 other bloggers, was meeting and learning about other people who blog passionately like I do, whether about interiors or something else. It was a great opportunity to swap notes and find out how other people do things, from earning money to planning their content, managing their time and juggling their other commitments like family and, in some cases, jobs (I remember well the 18 months of juggling this blog alongside a full-time job, just for the love of it. It was BUSY!).

Being pregnant, it was great to meet so many ‘mummy bloggers’ and hear their tips, especially Samantha Jockel from School Mum who brought her adorable five-month-old baby Ellis with her. She is lucky I didn’t try and steal him…

Samantha Jockel, blogger at School Mum, and son Ellis

There were fellow interiors bloggers too: Anne-Maree Russell from The House That A-M Built and Dani Wales (ex of The Block) from Basic Habitat. We are all part of Nuffnang’s talent group of Australian bloggers called Bloggerati.

Before heading into tje mosque with fellow interiors blogger Anne-Maree Russell from The House that A-M Built — Before heading into the mosque with fellow interiors blogger Anne-Maree Russell from The House that A-M Built

In my opinion, there is almost always something to learn from other bloggers, whether you’re in the same niche or different, whether you’re bigger or smaller than they are. And that was part of the beauty of the trip; picking each other’s brains on things each other were weaker or stronger at. While blogging as a career is still a relatively new concept, and not everyone in Bloggerati falls into that category or aspires to, as someone who has been doing that for two years, it was a rare and useful chance to swap notes with so many other bloggers at one time. We all have large audiences and, although the synergies aren’t always immediately obvious, scratch below the surface and you’ll often find we have readers with interests in common and things we can help each other with.

It is fantastic that an organisation like Dubai Tourism saw the value in investing a significant amount of money and resources into taking more than 20 Australian bloggers to the UAE and saw the value of our influence in sharing all the variety Dubai has to offer with our readers (estimated to be in the millions between us). It’s a fine example of one of my favourite things: a win-win situation.

This year, I’ve resolved to hang out more with other bloggers and form mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships. And hey, even friendships!

Who are your favourite bloggers (apart from Interiors Addict, of course!)?

If you’re a blogger, do you network, share with and learn from other bloggers?

Tags blog, blogger, bloggerati, bloggers, blogging, blogging as a job, career blogger, dubai, dubai tourism, nuffnang, the block, the home journal, the house that a-m built, the life creative, tourism, travel, uae

Kitchens Travel

The world’s tallest hotel in Dubai: The JW Marriott Marquis

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date December 13, 2014
2 Comments on The world’s tallest hotel in Dubai: The JW Marriott Marquis

Loved these booths at Prime68, not your average steakhouse!

This Bloggerati Getaway is proudly sponsored by Dubai Tourism

Of course, in Dubai, of all places, you get used to hearing things are the biggest, best or most expensive, but I can’t deny I was excited to stay at the world’s tallest hotel accommodation (marketer’s dream that I am). From the outside, once you get far enough back to appreciate it, the two towers sparkling in the sunshine are seriously impressive. But inside is where it really gets my interiors vote.

The JW Marriott Marquis impresses on so many levels, including level 43 (indulge the pun), where I stayed, and had a water view. On arrival, after 14 hours on a plane with little sleep, my heart leapt when I saw the amazing tub. I’m a hardcore bath lover, so often disappointed with new hotels who don’t see the need for baths anymore, so I always approach the bathroom with a little trepidation! But no, this bath was one of the best and just what my aching back needed!

The room and its adjoining bathroom with separate WC (and shower perhaps big enough for three!) were all huge with plenty of floorspace and not a hint of being cramped. I had two twin beds all to myself and enjoyed the generously long desk and bathroom vanity. Room for everything! Built in plug sockets (to suit all countries’ plugs) were super useful to keep me working and everything could be controlled at the touch of a button from the tablet by my bed, from lights to ‘do not disturb’ to air con temperature. There was a great selection of TV channels and the wi-fi (20 dirhams a day) was extremely reliable.

The décor was understated and not too themed, as is the downfall of many hotels which are then quick to date. It was all about comfort, high-end finishes and plenty of space. It had everything you’d expect from a five-star hotel room including luxury Aromatherapy Associates toiletries, twice-daily housekeeping, tea and coffee-making facilities, a min bar, safe, wardrobe and fluffy bath robes. Bliss! The hotel is two years old but feels brand new.

The staff really make a difference at this place. Nothing is too much bother, everything is done with a smile, tips do not seem to be expected but are always very gratefully received, and everyone seems to know what they’re doing. It’s a slick operation leaving no room for complaint or frustration.

Tthe pool is a relaxing place for a drink or a spot of work on your laptop

The buffet breakfast is a sight to behold. I was always seated quickly and with a smile, with no irritating wait for coffee, as can be the case in other equally busy establishments. There’s so much choice it floored me. In fact, it took me until day three to realise there was a whole separate room dedicated to bread and pastries. Amazing!

And, on the subject of food, the choices are endless so, if you don’t want to, you have no need to leave the building. There are 14 restaurants in total. As well as Kitchen 6 for breakfast each day, I sampled the food at Positano (Italian), Rang Mahal by Atul Kochhar (Indian) and Prime68 (steakhouse). All were exceptional and each a stunning and unique interior design achievement.

The view at Vault bar on levels 71 and 72 is not to be missed! More casual drinks can be taken poolside at Aqua. Without being too cliché about it, the options are endless, with Japanese, Thai and French among the other dining choices. I tried the club sandwich from the room service menu (a benchmark by which I like to judge hotels around the globe!) and it defeated me, with its generous french fries and chips, condiments and garnish. Phew! Top marks!

Before I stop raving about the food, I have one more delight to share. While we were there last week, the La Farine cafe and bakery in the hotel lobby was transformed into a walk-in gingerbread house for the festive season, where we enjoyed the latest high tea menu, featuring mince pies, stollen and mulled wine, among the usual sandwiches, scones and tiny pastries. It was delicious, exceedingly generous and such a cosy Christmas atmosphere, smelling of spices and baking! And just in case I didn’t make it obvious, the walls are covered in real gingerbread; 11,000 slabs of it to be precise! I know, I know!

It's a whole new world inside the moody Indian restaurant where I tried prawns bigger than any I've seen in Australia! — It’s a whole new world inside the moody Indian restaurant where I tried prawns bigger than any I’ve seen in Australia!

Not surprisingly, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel. Having been lucky enough to stay in many 4 and 5-star hotels in Europe and America earlier this year, I can confidently say this is one of the best. In a place jam packed with luxury hotels (several of which our group visited), there’s no place for complacency in Dubai, and the JW Marriott Marquis is definitely a standout.

Disclaimer: I stayed as a guest of the hotel and did not pay for my acommodation or breakfast.

PS. You can see that bath in this bump selfie I took in the bathroom mirror…

Tags addict abroad, dubai, high tea, hotel, jw marriott marquis, kitchen, la farine, mahal by atul kochhar, marriott, positano, prime68, room service, travel, uae

Travel

When 21 bloggers go to Dubai…

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date December 6, 2014
3 Comments on When 21 bloggers go to Dubai…

This Bloggerati Getaway is proudly sponsored by Dubai Tourism

We’ve been in Dubai for 48 hours and already we have seen so much. I knew this was a place of many contrasts but you really do have to see it for yourself. The weather is perfect mid-20s and not horridly humid and stormy like the Sydney I left behind! And it has been nice to put right some slightly skewed preconceptions I may have had.

Our first day started, appropriately, with a delicious lunch at the not-for-profit Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding where their motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. We sat round on floor cushions and shared a traditional meal, complete with deep-fried dough balls and date syrup, and Arabic coffee with cardamom. So far, Dubai food is not disappointing my love for spice! It was a chance to openly ask questions about Emirati and Muslim culture. Our host Sheik Nasif welcomed us to ask questions without fear of causing offence and was keen to highlight that Arabic men are not misogynists and a little about why women (not their husbands!) choose to wear abayas. Although I think it is a small minority of uneducated or ignorant Australians who might believe all Muslims are terrorists, I do feel for this religion and culture which sometimes suffers such misunderstanding, especially in the light of recent world events. If you’re visiting Dubai, I thoroughly recommend this informative and entertaining experience. It certainly made me feel Dubai is more forward-thinking than I had thought.

The top of the Burj Khalifa. It is pretty much impossible to fit it all in one shot!

After our lunch, we discovered the Old Town, not that there’s a huge amount of it, but it was charming nonetheless. Of course I got lost in the maze of side streets in the historic district of Bastakiya, which all looked alarmingly similar (that’s my excuse anyway!). We crowded around the windows at the gold souk and checked out colourful beaded textiles and silks and sacks upon sacks of aromatic spices (if only Australian Customs would let us bring those home!). To get home, we had to take an abra (water taxi) to cross the water. This is a normal form of public transport, not just something for tourists like us. In the evening, we had dinner at the super swish new China Grill restaurant at the impressive Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. I’ve eaten at my fair share of fabulous Sydney restaurants and this gave them a run for their money in décor, food and service. Delicious!

Day two was all about the flash, new and modern! We started with a trip to the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. It’s kinda tall. As in so tall you can’t really get your head around it and it’s best not to over think it as you take the 60-second elevator ride to the 142nd floor, ears popping! Great view from the top, but I personally prefer this impressive piece of architecture from the outside. It really is quite something and you can see it from everywhere it seems! Wowsers.

At the top of the Burj Khalifa with Sonia from Life Love and Hiccups blog

We spent hours (and really you could spend days) checking out The Dubai Mall (world’s largest, of course, this is Dubai!). There’s not just shops but the aquarium, indoor zoo (complete with Aussie croc), KidZania and SegaRepublic.

My experience of Dubai so far has been great, the people friendly and my hotel (more on that in a future post) amazing. I’m having a ball!

Anyway, plenty more great experiences coming up which I’ll be sharing with you soon, including a food tour, desert safari, afternoon tea, the Jumeirah Mosque and the pearl museum. What an adventure I’m having with the baby bump!

Tags arabic, bloggerati, bloggers, blogging, burj khalifa, dubai, dubai mall, dubai tourism, emirati, life love hiccups, nuffnang, travel, uae