Thoughts on being back in Dubai

I recently found myself back in my former home, Dubai, with work – which of course I subsequently extended into a personal holiday to catch up with old friends out there. After spending a good few years out there, by the time I moved back to the UK I felt like I had thoroughly experienced it and was ready for a change of scene. My current life back in the British countryside could not be more diametrically opposed to my previous life in Dubai. I swapped in heels for wellies, fast living for slow living, and social nights out for quiet nights in by the fire with a book. Which lifestyle is more ‘me’? I don’t really know. I think they both are, despite them being polar opposites. I guess we are all multifaceted beings! 

Once my week of work was done and dusted and I would fully embrace holiday mode, I made a beeline for my all-time favourite hangout in Dubai, the Bulgari Yacht Club. Dubai can be overwhelming on many levels and the peace and tranquility of this little bolthole serves as the perfect place to truly unwind. It’s a place that serves elevated luxury by the boatload. With some residual jet lag that has been compounded by a busy week and not much sleep, a pool day was just the tonic. 

I also must mention that this qualified as one of the best sushi rolls I’ve ever had. You just know that the food at Bulgari is going to be that good. Dubai is very much at critical mass when it comes to luxury destinations, and many of them are luxury in all but name only. However, places like this are truly luxurious.

It was lovely to catch up with old friends and revisit my favourite hangouts in Dubai. Being back felt like pulling on an old pair of jeans from a decade back and being pleasantly surprised that they still fit nicely. From the places to the people, it’s still a good fit and felt like no time had passed at all. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why – I think it’s a culmination of many factors – but I’ve always felt quite at home in Dubai.

It wasn’t long after I touched down to start to feel familiar feelings from my past life in Dubai creep back in – exhaustion and overstimulation. It’s not discredit to Dubai at all but by the time I left, I was completely and utterly burnt out in a way that I had never experienced before. Most Dubai residents, past and present, can attest to the ease in which this all-go place can burn you out if you are not careful.

Life moves fast in Dubai. The very ambition and excitement on which it was built rubs off on you and is greatly energizing and motivating – it’s very easy to get swept up in it all. That said, sometimes it does get a bit too much, especially for an introverted country bumpkin like myself. If you move in certain circles you could easily spend every single evening at some much-anticipated launch, new opening or opulent social gathering – there is the temptation to say yes because there always seems to be something exciting happening.

When you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, another beach day is usually in order to remedy this. In the past year or two, some new resorts have opened on Dubai’s World Islands archipelago, so it was naturally on the list to check out while there. Along with Bulgari Yacht Club, I would highly recommend this as an option to get some peace and quiet.

It was a good time to be back in the region, not just because the winter months bring milder, less ferociously hot weather but also because the National Day celebrations were forthcoming. The celebration marked 53-years since the UAE was founded. It’s utterly remarkable what has been achieved in that time.

In light of the National Day celebrations, I thought it would be befitting to take a look around the Etihad Museum, a place that lifts the lid on the history of the UAE and the incredible vision of its founders. I can’t belive I hadn’t previously visited when I lived in Dubai – it was insightful and inspiring to learn more.

After many years of travel blogging and as a former writer for Time Out Dubai, I was of course keen to check out what new openings had cropped up recently. Some of the most noteworthy of these include three headline hotel openings: the Atlantis The Royal Dubai, The Lana by the Dorchester Collection and One & Only Za’abeel. There’s also the Museum of the Future (which I didn’t get the chance to visit), and countless new restaurants, bars and special menus. I’ll be sharing a more detailed summary of those in due course!