Seems like ages since we had a long holiday weekend in the UAE. Naturally, we grabbed the chance to get away from the city, meaning we went outside of town to check-in to a hotel mainly for the swimming and the buffet breakfast options! Well, what else do you do in 48-degree Celsius weather?

Thanks to booking.com, we found a really good offer at Al Hamra Village and Golf Resort.

This was our neighbourhood last weekend. Nothing fancy, top left photo shows a series of Arabic-style townhouses; each block has 4 apartments which has access to the temperature-controlled swimming pool (although why they would still heat up the water is beyond me!), the restaurant and the pub. It was, however, a dry night as the holiday was due to an Islamic festivity. Not a problem for us anyway. Al Hamra is a large development which includes golf courses, private residential villas and at least 3 hotels. One of them is the yet unfinished Al Hamra Palace Hotel which was the subject of my shaky no-tripod late night long exposure photography. Longest exposure was at 1sec and although I managed to get lovely trails of red tail lights off cars, the hotel was blurred. The Al Hamra Mall is nearby so we snuck out to Spinneys (local supermarket) for supplies and also for dinner.

I would have loved to go on a photowalk but it was too hot. Bouncy bed, energetic child and a flash meant only one thing: photos of Patrick (and Bernie!) jumping on the bed! They certainly had fun but neither was willing to take the camera and let me jump on the bed. Hmpfh!

Ronan and Isabelle joined in too when they came back with us on the Saturday morning. We actually spent Saturday afternoon and evening across the way at Acacia Hotel. The pool was shaded earlier in the afternoon and they had a Dh95 BBQ dinner buffet. Score!

Speaking of dinner, Patrick took a photo of his cream of broccoli soup and the first of his many helpings of dinner. Ronan made me tea but it was too weak and milky so I didn’t drink it. Sweet of him though, right?

If it wasn’t too hot, we would have walked around the resort after breakfast but it was at least 28C in the shade at 9am! The sunlight was just too harsh to get any decent photos. These were the only good ones I have. And of course, I brought my knitting! I started a new shawl and worked through the first few rows of the lace edging before the pool beckoned. 🙂 Aforementioned shawl is actually finished now, as I have had this post in draft for a week! FO post to follow.