Valentine's Day Archives - Undefined Declarations

My Favorite Dubai Beach Club: Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa

I like to call this golf/beach resort my secret mini getaway destination. Sadly, the secret has already been out in the two older posts that I wrote on this magical beach club. You can check them out again here and here.

Now although I’ve been to most of the five-star Dubai beach clubs, and most recently have checked one out in Abu Dhabi, I must admit that I always find myself coming back to this lovely and secluded beach club: the Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa.

There’s something about this beach club that is not found at any other location in Dubai. For the most part, its location outside of the city makes it perfect for a mini getaway when you don’t have time for a short or long trip on a jet plane. The atmosphere is unlike any other in Dubai….you feel transformed into a different and classy world. Where comfort, top of the notch facilities, and a chilled vibe are the only existing elements.

Honestly, I could go on and on about this place without getting tired. But let me take you on a journey of how I spent my day at the resort last week.

I started my day by chilling by the infinity pool…the pool is spacious with a shallow area for children. It also has these cool fountains that are fun to play with for the kids, or just lounge under as an adult 🙂

Peacocks are found everywhere at the resort

After lounging by the infinity pool and going for an incredibly refreshing swim, I headed to Captain’s bar for a light lunch. The bar is located by the 800 meter wide beach, and is completely shaded. I had the Arabic mezza plate and a Caprese salad.

Arabic mezza plate at Captain's bar — Arabic mezza plate at Captain’s bar

Caprese salad at Captain's bar — Caprese salad at Captain’s bar

I had booked a treatment at the spa at the beginning of my day, and so I decided to use the spa wet room facilities before my treatment starts.

The spa wet room facilities include a jacuzzi, a steam room and a sauna room. They can be used by anyone who books a treatment at the spa. My favorite part is without a doubt the jacuzzi. I’ve been day-dreaming about soaking in the jacuzzi for a couple of weeks, if not months!

Tip: Don’t miss out on the experience showers available at the spa. These are to be used in between lounging in the steam, sauna or jacuzzi!

Signature Treatments at the Spa:

The spa offers a variety of signature treatments on a daily basis. On Tuesday – the day that I was there – the treatment was for a traditional Hammam and scalp massage!

I’ve only had a Moroccan bath once, but this was my first time to try a traditional Hammam treatment, and I’m so glad that I did!

The treatment left my skin feeling baby soft and tender to touch. It also removed all the dead skin cells and left me feeling lighter, fresh and so rejuvenated. The therapist was also great as she exerted just the right amount of pressure while scrubbing my skin. I also have extremely sensitive skin and the treatment was gentle and didn’t irritate my skin or anything. The spa used Elemis products in all its treatments. In the traditional Hammam, a Moroccan black soap was used in addition to the Elemis products.

The treatment included a highly relaxing and soothing scalp massage. I didn’t want it to end!

After my treatment was over, I made my way to the beach to catch the last sun rays before the sun sets! and if you’ve been following me on my Facebook Page, you would know that I can’t be at the beach and not have an iced latte!

The JA Beach at sunset... — The JA Beach at sunset…

It may be the end of another day at the chic and classy Jebel Ali Beach Club, but I’m certain that I’ll go back there for more relaxation and unwinding by the beautiful and pristine beach…

All I could think of while waiting for the shuttle bus to take us back to the city, was: I want to just live out here and never leave!

I think the energy in that place is just so amazingly positive, that I always leave a much happier, peaceful and relaxed version of my typically sad and depressed self!

Do you want to know what makes this resort unique?

The fact that you have access to a great number of activities all in one single place! You can choose to do any of the following:

Activities for kids.
800 meter wide beach access.
Access to four swimming pools, including one with salt sea water!
Access to a variety of water sports.
Golf club.
High-end spa.
Two hotels; Jebel Ali Beach Hotel and Palm Tree Court.
A number of dining and bar options.
A boat marina!

As you can see the options are endless of how you can choose to spend your day at the Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa. In case I missed anything, have a look at their web site and plan a day out or more for you and your loved ones 🙂

http://www.jaresortshotels.com/Hotels/Home.aspx

A shuttle bus service is also available to transport guests to and from a number of landmark locations in the city!

Since I didn’t get to spend much time on the beach this time, because of my spa treatment. I’m definitely planning another trip to this magical resort soon. Most likely it will be after my summer term at University ends. And I would love to stay at the Palm Tree Court residence for a night or two. I might even try out some water sports while I’m there. And who knows, maybe, I will finally finish reading that book about blogging!

Ending this post with a picture of where I would like to have a romantic dinner date with my potential partner (once I meet him) 😀

Seriously, who could wish for anything better than this? 🙂

Rebellious Diva signing off…

V-Day with The Committee Dubai!

Some of you might remember the first meeting I had with this wonderful group of ladies. You can read all about it here if you missed that post.

This month, I had the honor to be invited to the group’s third networking event which was held at the newly opened and uber cool Cargo restaurant and lounge. The theme for the evening was a Valentine’s one, and we were all dressed in red to match the warm and lovely occasion. Despite not having a single red-colored outfit in my overly packed and cluttered wardrobe, and not having enough time to shop prior to the dinner, I managed to get my hands on a cute flower hair pin…I also put on my party-mode dark red lipstick and matched that with a “perfect red” shade of nail polish 🙂

Araceli from What I just Love the Blog and I

Cargo is an Asian fusion place with a cool industrial-look modern interior. The restaurant is located at the third floor of the Pier 7 complex at Dubai Marina. This means that you get a panoramic view of the marina promenade and the surrounding area from the spacious terrace. What I liked about Cargo is its contemporary and eclectic edge. It’s not your typical Asian eatery; the place offers a super chilled and hip vibe…where you can enjoy tasty Asian fusion dishes while unwinding after a long day at work.

It’s also a great place to catch up with friends or go to for a romantic and casual dinner.

Just like our first event, The Committee Dubai members had a fun night out catching up and discussing all sorts of topics. The meetup also gave us the opportunity to network with professionals from media-related industries and bloggers.

I’m truly honored to be part of this group of dynamic, independent and intelligent women. The Committee Dubai is hosted by the lovely and sweet Anita Buys.

Signing off with some photos from our Valentine’s dinner at this Asian fusion hangout with a twist…

My Heavenly Valentine’s with Yoga Fest ME :)

My plan for the day involved working on my essay that’s due this Monday, then going for two yoga sessions at Dubai’s coolest outdoor yoga event: Yoga Fest, before going back home for more essay research. But after my visit to the event, I changed my original plan and decided to write this post instead of working on my University assignment, because I didn’t want people to miss out on this great event!

Yogafest is a free sustainable community event that takes place once a year in Dubai Internet City’s Ampitheater. The event brings together teachers and yoga enthusiasts in a peaceful outdoor setting. All while supporting charities and great causes.

The outdoor setting of the event was so peaceful and perfect for doing yoga, pilates or meditation. The DIC Ampitheater is located at the lake side, which means that you get to do yoga beside a lake with a nice fountain. While doing our Yin yoga, I could hear the sound of the birds chirping. That added more serenity to the already relaxing experience.

Throughout the event’s two days, you can attend classes for free at the different tents spread across the green patches of grass. Being able to lay on the grass is a great luxury for us here in the UAE, so me and my friend Olivia were happy just being in the great outdoors and breathing some fresh air.

All the classes at the event are free except for the Pilates and family tent classes. Those have limited space in them and are therefore not included in the day pass. You can find all the information about registration and the classes schedule on the web site.

I can’t even begin to describe how well-planned and organized this event was. And this comes as no surprise when you know that the founder of this great community initiative, Elaine Kelly is a fitness teacher with a strong corporate background.

Although the event only takes place once a year, there is a regular full moon yoga every month at the same location. It is also free of charge….the next one is on the 14th of March. So mark your calendars now!

But since my friend Olivia and I enjoyed our yoga sessions so much, I would suggest that you head out there tomorrow and not wait for next month. It’s the best way to spend your day or afternoon or evening and you will leave feeling energized and blessed.

Olivia’s friends who saw her after the yoga sessions told her that her skin was glowing. I felt more at peace with myself…more positive and thankful for my life. I even decided to write this review instead of postponing it to next week, because I wanted to share my experience with the readers before the festival ended.

So, if you could take some time out tomorrow to do one thing, let it be a visit to Yogafest 🙂

In the end, I want to wish all the single people out there a great Valentine’s…one in which they learn to love themselves more and appreciate the simple things that life gives us every day.

And remember to always embrace life and your present situation, whatever it is…even if you are tired of being alone. There are so many things to discover and explore….endless experiences and moments of joy to share with others.

One of the things that I like about being single is being able to constantly learn new things and try out different experiences…so if I ever meet someone interesting and compatible, he must be up for full moon yoga at Yogafest’s tranquil outdoor tent 🙂

Yogfest's tranquil outdoor setting — Yogfest’s tranquil outdoor setting

Olivia in a moment of pure bliss and peacefulness

For more information, check out the Yogafest ME Facebook Page.

My Valentine’s Night Out With One Republic!

When I heard that American pop rock band OneRepublic are playing in Dubai as part of the Dubai Jazz Festival main gigs, I was so excited as I am a big fan of their music and more specifically the deep and meaningful lyrics they use in most of their songs.

The concert also happened to be on Valentine’s day, which gives us all a great excuse to go out and attend a show and sing along to some famous hits by a world-famous band.

Having passed on a chance to get free VIP tickets courtesy of Emirates Airlines after I had already purchased my own regular tickets about two hours before I got a call from a friend offering me the VIP tickets only meant that I would get to enjoy the real experience of the Dubai Jazz Fest. Or at least that’s what I kept saying to myself and my companion joining me at the standing area as a form of consolation. But as you might expect, it wasn’t a very effective reason.

However, we did have a great time at the venue! We missed the first act: Gary Honor. But when we arrived, we were enchanted by the ultra hip beats of the highly talented Guy Manoukian. I was actually watching a TV interview with him earlier today. And was impressed to know that the successful pianist and composer is from my generation and had already made it big in the music scene. In addition to his global success.Guy explained that the unique sounds he makes are a blend between oriental music from the region (Persian, Middle-Eastern, North-African) and modern house rhythms. Mostly I liked his inspirational words that said how being successful and realizing your dream has nothing to do with your nationality or ethnic background or culture. But all to do with your talent and efforts in following your dream and never giving up.

I was being carried away with the miniature dessert delights from The Ivy and enjoying my deliciously warm sticky toffee pudding, when OneRepublic had got on stage. Luckily, I managed to get back to our secured spot at the grass on time just as the show had started.

I was glad that they performed their famous hit singles such as “Stop and Stare”, “Apologize” and “Good Life”. While at the same time being disappointed that they didn’t sing the wonderfully composed and written “Say”. Which I think would have been a great song for a Valentine’s day concert more so since it is a very sentimental and emotional song.

Another down side was the fact that the show ended at around 11:43 while we all expected it to last until 12 as it was mentioned in the program booklet.

Nevertheless, we had a remarkable night at the festival park. The weather was amazing (as OneRepublic have declared that too), the snacks at the venue were exceptional, the event was well-organized, and the performance was brilliant.

As the night came to an end, most of us were still walking around wrapped in our soft and warm red blankets as we made our way to take the big bus tour shuttle bus back to the mall. Indeed, it was an enjoyable night characterized with a wonderful ambiance, great music and most importantly: love was in the air!

If you missed OneRepublic’s show last night, don’t worry. As they announced that they are having a world tour in April and are 100 % coming back to Dubai! (those were their words, I am just quoting them).

For now, enjoy listening to one of my favorite tracks by the sensational band: