Restaurants. Hotels. Experiences
Have you ever been to the Marriott, on Palm West Beach? Consider spending a pool and beach day there with the kids one day. We have been quite a few times now over the years and have always had a great time. Keep reading, to know what it’s like to do a pool and beach […]
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Cucina the Palm is launching their Gingerbread House-making sessions and Festive Set Menu and we got the opportunity to review it late November with the kids, together along with my brother’s family. It’s such a fun thing to do with family and friends – and I gotta warn you – it’s only available in December […]
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When was the last time you went out for Indian? How about having a pool and beach day, and end it with some award-winning North Indian cuisine? And that’s, what the new Splash and Dine offer at Khyber is all about – an offer put together exclusively with us, at the Dubai Family Leisure Guide. […]
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Most happy hours deals in Dubai start after work, which for most people is – around 5pm, or 6pm. Unfortunately this does not work for me, as that’s ‘dinner-time’ with the kids. For a lot of us who are able to sneak out earlier in the afternoon, an early mid-afternoon drink suits better. That way […]
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May 2026 Update : Senor Pico is now permanently closed. See Restaurants in Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah Dubai for other options I remember our first visit to Senor Pico back when they opened up – early 2021. There were no sunbeds on the sand – and Marriott Resort had not yet been built. Senor Pico […]
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Summer 2024 Update : Kids up to age 14 go free at Once Upon a Brunch from 1st of July – 31st of August. See our summer experience. Mezzerie has launched a new family brunch, and boy have they gone above and beyond with the entertainment and spread. There are Disney character appearances, a magician, […]
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Did you know that there is a Japanese fine-dining restaurant in Jumeirah Zabeel Saray? What used to be the Club Lounge, next to Imperium has been tastefully revamped into Tori Tori. We drove down the West Crescent in the Palm Jumeirah one Friday evening for a much awaited date night. An evening, to review their […]
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If you have been in Dubai for more than 5 years, chances are you have done the Fork and Cork brunch at some point or another. It’s Anantara the Palm’s big brunch. The last time we did this – we didn’t have any mini versions of ourselves at the table to attend to. It was […]
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If you have been here long enough, you would have heard of Candypant’s brunches from friends or social media. They’re famous for doing a good, fun brunch – one fit for celebrations. Every Saturday – Candypant’s does one at Akira Back called Brunch Refined. We went over to Akira Back early May with friends to […]
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2025 Update : Please note this brunch is discontinued. See ‘Family Brunches in Dubai 2025‘ for other options Liv – W Dubai’s all-day dining have recently introduced a family brunch. Pool and beach, plus kids club access – included. That’s a huge, combo! 🙂 We drove down with the family to review the brunch one […]
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Bluthner Hall in Raffles the Palm reminds me of the grand halls in fairytale castles. If you cleared the furniture, this is where you will find Beauty and the Beast doing their final dance. It’s where you’ll be forgiven if you put on the nicest cocktail dress, just to have a cup of tea with […]
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Raffles the Palm have recently appointed three highly experienced chefs who have worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan. The team have since introduced a new offer, know as ‘Sushi and Soul,’ – a very unique date night experience combining authentic japanese culinary dishes in Matagi, with an evening of jazz in Sola Jazz Lounge. We […]
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2025 Update : Sola Jazz Lounge is now closed. Please check raffles.com for other dining options Ciaran Fox summed up the evening quite well, ” Imagine that we’re in an old New York jazz club in the 1950’s, and I’ll sing you some jazz. ” What a fabulous evening we had, at Sola Jazz Lounge […]
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The beach area next to Jones the Grocer was under construction for a very long time. We were wondering – what’s going on? Say hello to Zing, Hilton Palm Jumeirah’s own Beach Bar, to add to a number of other restaurants in its property. We went over to the Hilton end of January to review […]
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Have you been to Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Dubai with the family? Such a delicate, pristine property, isn’t it? Beluga, its beachside restaurant has been revamped and reopened mid 2022, as Villamore. We went over early January to review the venue with the little people. Here’s what to expect at Villamore Kempinski Palm Jumeirah.
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Why haven’t we been to Raffles the Palm before this? What an exquisite property – the interior, the landscaping, their gardens – just beautiful. As we walked into the lobby, we were in awe – the sparkling christmas tree right in the middle and a giant chandelier right above. We have entered a castle, haha. […]
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Introducing Peaches and Cream – a bright, retro-inspired beach club on the Palm which is very much family friendly. You might have seen pictures of it on social media – eye-popping primary colours that is bound to bring a smile to anyone who walks in. We went over one weekend early December to review the […]
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2023 Update : Jardin Rose Family Brunch is discontinued. Please have a browse through our Family Brunches Listing for other options. Did you watch Beauty and the Beast, as a child? I did. I loved it. So I was probably more excited than my kids when I found out that the Family Brunch team had […]
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It only took me 10 months to finally pay a visit to the much-talked about – Sushi Samba. There were numerous attempts to do their business lunch, but when you have school pick ups to do – the 12-2pm timeslot never worked. Finally booked us a table during the school holidays, to try out their […]
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Just before the little man turned 2, we thought it be fun that we took him to a family restaurant that had a live band to celebrate. After some research, I remembered Wavehouse, which I had popped in once before, for a wander. Wavehouse is one of those venues which ticks most boxes. It’s got […]
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When was the last time you tried an absolutely new cuisine? That will be us, just last week when we went to Zor in The Pointe to review the venue over dinner. Excited, as we had never really tried Uzbek or Russian cuisine in a restaurant before. Always fun to try something new, isn’t it?
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It was nice to return to Jones the Grocer with the family after having been there a couple of times beforehand. It was the first time trying out their menu properly over dinner and drinks whilst soaking in the golden rays of the sun just before it slid down over the horizon. Ah, I love […]
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And……. it’s winter. Sundowners season, all over again. And where is the best spot on the Palm for that? If you ask me, I will likely tell you – Palm West Beach 😉 Earlier this week, we went over to February 30 at 4pm in the afternoon for an early date to review the newly […]
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Introducing Ula, a new beachside restaurant situated at the very end of Palm West Beach where Dukes the Palm sits. It replaces West 14th – one of the first restaurants we visited many years ago when we were fresh to the Dubai dining scene. I had seen images of Ula online and was quite excited […]
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Everyone knows Five. Let’s be honest – it doesn’t have the best rep after all the noise it made earlier this year2021. And if you have had a few kids, it probably isn’t at the top of your ‘family-friendly resort’ list either. But hey – we all need a break from the little ones, right? […]
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With temperatures hovering around the 40 degrees mark and Dubai summer in full-swing – it is the perfect time for brunches which includes pool access. So you eat and you drink, and then you end the day by jumping into the pool with the kids. Let’s do this every weekend, shall we? 🙂 Off we […]
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Buffet breakfast and toddlers don’t really go well together. What more when you have more than one child. But we do do it, every now and then. Cause kids love having the choice of one donut, maybe one waffle, maybe 3 babycinos and 5 watermelons. And ala carte can end up costing a fortune when […]
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If you’re getting bored of the usual English Breakfast dishes, how about give Mexican a try? Look I am no expert and will not start pretending to be one. Sadly, I have never been to Mexico so I’ll leave the ‘Was it authentic?’ review to those who know better. This, is a brief review of […]
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About time they joined the breakfast club, don’t you think? Say hello to Koko Bay, which really doesn’t need an introduction. Yes, it’s that famous bali-inspired restaurant in Palm West Beach with amazing views of the marina, that hammock, that swing. I can imagine their start-up committee sitting around a table going – how do […]
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The sky was grey from the sandstorm but that didn’t stop us from getting a little dressed up and heading back down the West Crescent to Zabeel Saray. Car valeted, we walked straight in heading towards Sultan’s Lounge. I found one of the staff, informing him that we were here for the ‘Mother’s Day Afternoon […]
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🔊 Update : Palm Bay Dubai has permanently closed. Please see other breakfast options in Dubai. I wrote this article back in 2016, and it really irritates me that up till now, year 2021 – we still have venues that cannot get the basics of online information correct. Let’s keep this short and sweet so […]
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May 2026 Update : Senor Pico is now permanently closed. See Restaurants in Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah Dubai for other options. Headed towards Palm West Beach to meet a girlfriend for a late lunch review – this was Senor Pico, a licensed Mexican joint situated right by the fountains and the giant West Beach sign […]
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Thought I’ll pop back to Seagrill and check out their more casual offerings, after the elaborate feast we had many weeks ago. The elder one was back in Falcon’s, and younger one completely passed out in our awesome Dragonmart yoyo. I headed towards Fairmont’s seafood restaurant again – this time supposedly incognito and on my […]
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Following my visit to the Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio on Monday (click here), I was so keen to bring the girls back to see the resident rabbits in the gardens of the One and Only the Palm. So off we went all excited (me included) on a nice sunny afternoon to the end of the west crescent. […]
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Dubai decided that the beachfront to the west of the Palm trunk was not wide enough. What did they do? They made it wider. More space means more footfall and of course – F&B outlets. I’m happy they decided not to over-populate this area and keep it a bit more bare and serene with just […]
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Back to Fairmont the Palm this weekend with the family – this time for a lunch review at their seafood restaurant – Seagrill Bistro. I had always had the impression that the restaurant was an adults-only venue, but was then informed that kids were welcomed. Did you know that kids 5 and below eat for […]
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“It’s very expensive,” she said, as she took away the beautiful plates from our table. Two minutes late and the probability of it ending up on the floor was pretty high. My 2-year old’s lips started to quiver. Oh no. Please don’t make a scene here. Not in Torno Subito! Cellphone out – as my […]
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You’ve seen that light blue, translucent shell that appears to be levitating mid-air within the lounge in Atlantis. Magical 🙂 I’ve always wondered what they serve there – if I could have a drink or two one day, without breaking the bank. Then the 241 for the afternoon tea popped up on the Entertainer for […]
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So if you want to bring your mum to one spa during her trip to Dubai, or your sister, or a good friend – I highly recommend So Spa. Such beautiful interiors, and it’s huuuuge – a whole ‘2500m2’ according to their website blurp. I’ve been to so many spas during our time here in […]
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Back again to the Fairmont at the Palm – this time for literally the entire afternoon 🙂 So if you’re planning to spend the afternoon here with the family using Privilee, or otherwise just looking for another spot to go to for lunch on a Friday without breaking the bank – give Flow Kitchen a […]
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We’ve done Waldorf Astoria the Palm with the kids a couple of times now. We like it because of the few times that we’ve been – it’s never really too packed. With summer properly here, it’s even quieter – yay for us 🙂 I mean really, not many people are crazy enough keen to be […]
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Whilst the evening didn’t start out right, as we had planned to stay in the Kid’s Club with both our girls for half an hour before dinner started …. this was eventually made up by great service (and food) at Flow Kitchen 🙂 And of course, an hour of peace and quiet during dinner as […]
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Here starts a series of mini reviews, of our Privilee daycations 🙂 We rejoined after they launched the Summer Deal just before Eid – works out to be 100AED a week over 15 weeks – what a bargain! So happy and so excited to be ‘Privilee-ing’ again….. So, we headed to Atlantis The Palm late […]
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We wanted to go somewhere new last Saturday, so off we went for a drive to the Palm with the kids. I started browsing through the Entertainer to see where have we not been to. This newly opened hotel had always been of interest – The Retreat Palm Dubai ran by MGallery by Sofitel. Too […]
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You’ve seen those lagoon pools. You’ve always wanted to swim in them. But you don’t want to break the bank and stay overnight. Alternative? Do a daycation at Anantara the Palm. Also called their Swim, Eat and Relax deal – you pay 299 AED for a 3-course gourmet meal at The Beach House (indoors – […]
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So you ask me, with all the 241s available for afternoon tea, why would you come to The Lotus Lounge in Anantara The Palm and pay full price? There has got to be something different, something special, for you to pay that extra. Yes, once you use the voucher, The Lotus Lounge usually loses out […]
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I woke up early on Thursday morning, eventhough I had taken the day off work. Last day with mum before she flies home! Rang a few hotels that served breakfast and was in the Entertainer and most don’t accept vouchers for their brekky deals. Finally found one – Ala Turca in Rixos The Palm. Yay! 🙂 […]
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Onboard EK 334 once again back to the far east, with my laptop and 4 hours to go. It doesn’t charge well so I have probably not a lot of time to do this post (Afternote : This post was actually finished up a day later when I could charge my lap top back again….) […]
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Why don’t we have a bathtub in our bedroom? Now if your wife asks you this, an easy way to make her happy is to take her to a Beach Suite in Sofitel the Palm 🙂 So, picture this. The bellboy takes you to your suite and you try your best to keep calm when […]
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And to end a busy week of work (no Ramadan hours for me…) – what better way than to complete it with another spa date in the palm – a lil visit to Waldorf Spa 😉
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We have had peking duck in various different restaurants in Dubai. Some add it as part of their brunch feast (Toy Brunch, Le Rivage, Asian Channels), and some restaurants have it as a choice in their mains (Noodle Room). My hometown in Malaysia does it well, as does the chinese in Auckland. My memories of having […]
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You know those times when you dine out with your other half, and both of you are so overwhelmed by everything – the service, the setting, the food, you rave about it to your friends for the next few weeks until they get so sick about it? Yeah, that’s Social by Heinz Beck for you 😉
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When our friends were here in Dubai, they bought trays of dim sum from Carrefour to bring back to Doha. G decided to buy some of these as well to try out, and the har gaus and siew mais was actually, not too bad….:) So, whilst we were in the ‘omg-I-miss-dim-sum’ mood, I received an email […]
Read MoreGuilty. I stole the photo above from Google 😀 I know I took a coupla photos during the initial stages of my relationship with Kalm but that was probably more than a year ago now, so I’m not too sure where it is. And why let that stop me from writing my lil story 😉
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Much belated blog post, as we took M there mid-February for her lil birthday celebration 🙂 I had read about Mekong in What’s On and the whole eating in a rickshaw thing caught my attention. Something different 🙂
Read MoreNice to be back in Fairmont The Palm again 🙂 Nice to be pampered again, as well 🙂
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I took M to Fairmont The Palm two weekends ago. We checked into the Fairmont Gold View Room on the 10th floor, and to our nice surprise found a pot full of bloomin’ red roses and a personalised note to me. Opened it up and in it was a hand scrawled note ‘Dear Ms. X, […]
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Honestly – we almost missed out on an awesome night 🙂 It’s a good thing Societe Perrier actually asked what time we were getting there. We were just going to stay in-doors having red wine, chippies and mango, chit chat and chill while the rain poured down all over Dubai. Did you see the endless […]
Read MoreI wanna go shopping soon cause it’s EID sales hee hee so again I’ll make it short. I was just writing to the girls about how nice it is to explore different restaurants in Dubai. West 14th is yet again another one of these that we really like and will return to. You know one […]
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Hmm. Saffron if you’re reading this I’m very sorry for what I’m about to say. Just an amateur review from a newbie in Dubai. (Please scroll down for a 2013 update on Saffron 😉 ) Well we went here on a Friday night few weeks ago now. I had high expectations, as this was going […]
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