More from Dubai and the "Sweet Suite"

“He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb



In Dubai, survival is knowing how to beat the heat. You cannot be outside walking between noon and 4pm-it is always over 100 degrees already (and summer is only about to start!). Many people will get to the beach by 8am and leave by 10am. Most of the local shops close around midday and they take a long siesta (4 or 5 hours) only to reopen and work later when it is cooler. Today we navigated the canals of the Madinat Jumeirah (literally Jumeirah City) by the local boat (abra) which is covered and on the water so it is a bit cooler but still hot. We visited the souk (marketplace) at Madinat Jumeirah which is more modern than the souks in the old town but we were not going very far today. I also became friendly with one of the hotel Concierge staff, Steven, who is very nice and professional and he gave us a surprise by taking us to the private suite of the Sheikh (ruler of Dubai) which is always ready for him if he arrives unannounced. It is the nicest suite (sweet!) I have ever seen in person, on television or in print and the few pictures I took do not even do it justice (you would really have to see it.) It is huge and beautiful and occupies 2 floors on the top of the hotel (25th floor).


The painting over the staircase in the Sheikh's personal suite



The indoor pool at the Burj Al Arab



One of the shower stalls in the Sheikh's suite



Some yachts  in the marina



Turtles relaxing-even the turtles are wealthy in Dubai

The master bedroom in my suite

The Jumeirah Beach with the Burj in the distance

The stairacse inside the Sheikh's suite

The Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah (literally Jumeirah City)- it looks like Venice in the Middle East

Ashley in one of the living rooms of the Sheikh's suite

The entrance to our room

The view from the atrium lobby

The Souk (market) inside the Madinat Jumeirah

The abra is Dubai's equivalent of the gondola and this is the best way to get around here

Ashley in the second bedroom of the Shiekh's suite

The bedroom in our suite

Ashley ready to start her day

One of the 6 bathrooms in the Sheikh's suite

One of the living rooms in the Sheikh's suite

Ashley in our bedroom

master bathroom in the Sheikh's suite

The fountains in the lobby

The sitting area in our bedroom

All aboard the abra

The Ruler of Dubai (Sheikh) is on the far left, the Ruler of the United Arab Emirates is in the middle and the Sheikh's son (the Prince is on the far right)

Ready to set sail

Even in the heat of this day (108 degrees) the local women are covered up