Saffron - The Atlantis Hotel, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

Head to the top of the palm and there you will find the mighty Atlantis Hotel. One of the many restaurants housed inside the hallow halls is Saffron, an Asian themed all day buffet. After hearing many good things about Saffron Brunch I was seriously excited about being taken there for dinner, however when I first entered the restaurant I must admit I was a little disappointed.. Instead of the swanky joint I was expecting, Saffron resembled a canteen?! I was confused.. However I was promptly told that ‘this is what all restaurants look like in Hong Kong’… !

For a Monday night the place was booming (mostly full of Chinese who im guessing were on holiday to celebrate the Chinese New Year), and I was pleased that the waiter sat us on a quiet table in the corner. Our host was great, firstly talking us through what Saffron is about and then secondly giving us a tour around the restaurant to show all the different stations.

Asia is a big place and this is definitely shown in the size of the buffet – it was huge! I had never seen so much food on display at one time. Hosting 20 different theatrical cooking stations, they were definitely making sure they offered a taste from every region. First stop – sushi central. A mass of nigiri, sashimi, and maki rolls were on offer with all the trimmings. We then moved over to the soup, and dimsum section where you could pick your own coloured noodles and elements to make the perfect soup! Following on from that there was a international section (boring!), Chinese, Indian, a bread section, salad bars, Thai and then pudding.. a huge selection of cheese, mousses and cakes as well as sweets, ice cream and a chocolate fountain, all of which is very easy to navigate and I never felt like I was squashed when trying to pick what to put on my plate. To add to this, there was also a superb selection of sake and wine to complement the many moods and flavors of the cuisine.

My eyes being larger than my stomach, I overexcitedly over piled by first plate of food – spilling over the sides with sushi, dim sum, salads and deli meats.. far too much. After finishing off plate one, the waiter produced a plate full of spicy jumbo prawns in cooked spicy tomatoes.. I mean how could I say no?! So I ploughed on, adding on to my already full belly. Round 2… Indian. Struggling to walk, I waddled over to the Indian station to put together a small selection of curries.. yum. Not the most flavorsome I had ever had but did the job, however standing was now becoming difficult. My already tightly fitted dress felt like it might burst, and it was definitely now time to stop eating.. however, Grandpa, who only really eats desert,  produced a mountain of ice cream and pudding willing me to at least ‘try’ a few things. Finally it was over, but I was now thinking how I was going to get from the restaurant to the car… it felt like someone might have to roll me out. After a 10minute sit down and ‘rest’ I managed to slowly make my way through the hotel and back to the car. Thank god!

Saffron will definitely be a place I will never forget, it’s a great place to go to feed the fussiest of people and a perfect fit for a family feast. It still baffles me though how people can go for brunch and drink as well as eat at the place like Saffron, I have a feeling I will be sticking to one or the other if I come again! 

Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Jebel Ali, Dubai

One of the founding hotels in Dubai, Jebel Ali has become a firm favorite of the Haggas family. Back in 1999, 20 members travelled out into the desert to Jebel and we have never looked back. Since then my Grandparents (especially) make the trip from London to Jebel Ali twice a year (which is great for me now I live here!) and even though they have tried other hotels, they say the service and the atmosphere is the best they have seen. Even though its slightly off the beaten track (about a 20 minute drive from the marina towards Abu Dhabi) it is well worth the trip. If you live in Dubai like me, it’s also a great spot to escape to at the weekends and I would always recommend it to families visiting Dubai too.

Now split into two parts, you can pick between staying in the main hotel or in Palm Tree Court (the more expensive area). Palm Tree Court is full of small apartments in small white blocks, each either opening up onto a balcony or cute garden (if you are situated on the ground floor of course). The deco is simple but the rooms are nicely turned out – nothing overly fussy, and the beds are huge! Five of us could have slept in there and been comfortable. The rooms in the main hotel are themed similarly however they are probably half the size, but still extremely well turned out and perfectly comfortable for two. The only let down would be the general outdoor appearance of the main hotel – it looks slightly worn and aged (which in fairness it is quite old?!) and could probably do with a bit of TLC.  The gardens at Jebel Ali are lovely, continuing on from the sand, stretching from one side of the bay to the other covered in large sunbeds, lounge areas, and two beach restaurants. Beautiful large peacocks also roam the grounds, and if you are lucky you’ll get to see their gorgeous tail feathers. There are two hotel lobbys, one for each part of the hotel and four pools dotted around the grounds, decked out with sunbeds, water features, in-pool bars and life guards (of course!). In addition to this there is also a lovely spa in the middle of the two hotels (reasonably priced!), there is a watersport center called Watercooled where I spent many an hour learning how to sail, waterski and wakeboard. The staff are extremely friendly, helpful and great when it comes to teaching (they managed to get me up on waterskis which I never thought would happen – Im truly hopeless!). You can partake in almost all watersports at Watercooled including kite surfing, paddle boards, donut rides, mono skiing and wind surfing. They have two different types of specialized speed boats, each tailored to different types of sport on water.

Situated at the end of the resort is a sports center fitted out with tennis, badminton, and squash courts, a sports bar playing all the matches/races of the day, a huge golf course, and a gym so you can fit in a work out if you want! There is also a small marina next to the club so its easy to moor your boats there (if you are lucky enough to own one!) or on the other hand it is possible to rent a boat to either have dinner on, to go fishing or just to have a drive on the sea. Al Boom Diving also has a shop there where they offer 4 day Padi courses with two dives in Fujairah. At the other end of the hotel you will find Animal Corner, another perfect place day for kids. There is also a riding school, fitted out with instructors, ponies (big and small) and a large outdoor ride full of pretty little jumps.

Kids activities run throughout the day varying from camel rides on the beach to mini golf, from outdoor painting sessions to football – there is something on offer for every one every day making it easy for parents to have a few hours of peace and quiet – it is supposed to be a holiday after all!

The hotel is overrun with restaurant options. You can opt for a casual dinner on the beach at the Captains Bar and hunker down to burger and chips, alternatively you can go up market and feast on Thai treats at the White Orchid in Palm Tree Court (my personal favorite!). In the mood for Italian? Why not head to the La Traviata in the main hotel offering a mix of pizza, pastas and meats. There are two buffets on offer every night which are themed depending on the day of the week, perfect if you are unsure what you are in the mood for, or if you are extremely hungry! The Haggas’s spend a lot of time in the buffets – it seemed to be the easiest option when it came to feeding 30 mouths! Both parts of the hotel also offer a fantastically large buffet breakfast, however if you are staying in the Palm Tree Court I would recommend heading to the White Orchid – it may be smaller but the selection is better and there is more pork on offer – a breakfast essential!

I highly recommend Jebel Ali – it’s the perfect place to go for an actual holiday. The beach is the biggest one attached to a hotel in Dubai and the atmosphere is laid back, peaceful and stress free!  The grounds are vast and nothing seems to cramped like it so often does in Dubai! 

The staff are extremely friendly and are always happy to help you with any of your needs from organizing fishing trips to sea planes, medical needs to taxis. They are a caring bunch and take care of their guests more than any other hotel I have been to! It is not overly expensive and they offer great deals throughout the year. Going for Christmas? Well no need to plan what to do.. on big holidays the hotel puts on a ‘do’, whether it be a big lunch on the beach or a party in one of the large board rooms where hotel guests can join in the celebrations. As far as hotels go, it’s definitely the best place to go on a family holiday, especially if you have young kids.  Kids at the hotel are extremely well catered for and all my cousins who stayed at Jebel (aged between 8 and 14) were entertained all day, whether they were at Watercooled or playing some form of sport or game with the other children staying in the hotel. Even though it is 20minutes from the Marina, taxis are very easy to get and also very cheap so as well as having the peace and quiet of the hotel, it is easy enough to pop into town to catch a piece of the action!

It rules – go visit!