When my husband arrived home from work declaring that he wanted to go to Dubai, I immediately said I wasn’t sure. “It’s far too hot, and what is there for the kids to do? Besides it is far too expensive and you can’t even drink there!” was my negative reply.

Ok, ok I REALLY hadn’t done my research. Yes it is hot, it’s in the desert, but there are certain times of the year that are hotter than others. As it is so used to being hot, it is all set up for it. Massive air conditioned malls, trips at sunrise and sunset to avoid the heat of the day. Lots of water to cool you down. You can even go skiing and have a penguin encounter!

As it turns out there are endless activities for the children to enjoy. Big man reveled in taking Mummy down a dark water slide that ended up in a tunnel with sharks swimming past at Aquaadventure. We bought a combined ticket so we also visited the Lost Chambers Aquarium. Yes Dubai can be expensive but so can anywhere. It only costs a taxi ride to stroll through the huge malls. It is worth pointing out at this point that if you are viewing Dubai Mall from floor 125 of the Burj Khalifa, it doesn’t look that big. Infact you could be tempted to turn to your husband and comment how disappointed you were by the size of it as it doesn’t look much bigger than your local shopping centre. All I will advise you is that being on an observation deck on the tallest building in the world, plays with perspective. Huge skyscrapers look small. When you later get lost in Dubai Mall, you will be wishing that it is smaller, or thinking of getting one of the buggy taxis that is has to get you to an exit.

At Dubai Mall you can window shop to your hearts content, or splash out if you wish. You can watch scuba divers in the aquarium. It really is mesmerizing. Then outside are the fountains, majestically dancing to water.  All at no extra cost. As for alcohol, well you can have a drink in the hotel, but who wants to be hungover when there is so much to see and do?

Our trip to Dubai blew away my preconceptions. It is an amazing place to visit at any age. It is full of things to do. Most of all the people are welcoming. Some of the best customer service I have ever experienced. You may not have the movie star bank balance, but you are made to feel like you are special. Although there are things you can do for free, there is no getting away from the fact that it is very expensive. I would personally recommend a hotel that is half board to help ease the cost.

When it comes to holidays, my husband doesn’t like to go back to the same place twice. The problem is that we haven’t done all that Dubai has to offer. We haven’t even done half of it! Dubai is somewhere you want to revisit, there really is too much to do!

So what would I want to do if I were to visit Dubai again?

Whilst so much of Dubai is new, I would love to see some of the history of the emirate. I would to head to Dubai Creek, to get a sense of the real Dubai, away from the 5* hotels. Although I believe the gold souks are just as bling!

As a bit of a foodie, I can imagine the smells of the spice souk. Whilst you don’t have to spend a penny (or dirham) here, the resist to barter may become too much! Then an Abra (water taxi) can take you across to the other side of the Creek for a very small fee.

Having seen Dubai fountains in the day, I would love to go back at night. With lights and lasers I believe that the show would be even more magical. You can even take a boat ride whilst the show is taking place. It would give a totally new angle to what is already an amazing show.

When we visited previously we had a quick ride on a camel at The Beach, but at the time, little man was too small for us to take an evening trip to the dessert.  As if the rolling ochre sands aren’t beautiful enough, then imagine the exhilarating ride of a 4×4 with deflated tyres, on a roller-coaster ride of dune bashing. I would love a go at sand surfing on the dunes as well. In my head it has to be easier than catching a wave or snowboarding, but I imagine I could be proved wrong. To end the evening, I would love to take part in a camel safari and dine under the stars, after watching a glorious sunset. A truly memorable experience that dreams are made of.

And finally to make my boys happy a water park would be in order. Maybe we would return to Atlantis and combine it with a dolphin experience. Or we could  try body boarding at Wild Waldi. A swim out to the giant inflatables at The Beach would be a fun afternoon. As long as there is water there will be fun and the whole family will be happy.

So what would you do if you were to visit Dubai? Trust me one visit to Dubai is not enough, there is too much to do. The only limit it your bank balance and your time.  You will want to go back