On Thursday after work we took the trip out into the desert to Qasr Al Sarab (Palace of Mirages). This is a new desert resort which only opened in the Autumn but looked amazing and a great way to experience the desert in luxury. I bought the trip as a surprise Christmas present for John as I knew he'd be ready for a break after the rigours of the WFES.
Once we'd got off the main road we just headed for 150km into nowhere on one long straight road. Gradually the sand started to look more picturesque and less like dust and John saw some camels over in the distance. We saw several camels riding happily in the back of trucks on the way out of Abu Dhabi, heading for the camel beauty contest at the Al Dhafra Festival. Criteria for a beauty in camel terms involves having good teeth, pointy ears and uniformity of hump in case you were wondering!
The last 12km was amazing - a vaguely metalled track through the desert, off even the main road and up and down a range of dunes. It was very exciting and I was very happy to be in the Jeep and not the BMW. We arrived after what seemed to me behing the wheel, an epic journey, but was in fact just over 2 hours from Abu Dhabi.
We had a beautiful room, with a bath big enough for about 5 people as well as a walk in shower, a huge bed and a picture window overlooking the biggest sand dune and valley. But most amazing was the outside terrace which was as big as the room with all kinds of different seating arrangements and great views. It was so calm and peaceful after the city and so lovely to look at. Time seemed to stand still, though sadly it did get to be time to come home long before we were ready.
We ate in the rooftop restaurant, though inside on the first night, as it was a bit windy. On the second night we were able to eat outside, listening to the silence and the lights twinkling in the dark - it's a bit like being on the edge of a very calm sea, being so close to the desert. The food was magnificent and we enjoyed some delicious Rhone wine.
After a long walk round the hotel, which is really a small village with Center Parc type villas, with their own little pools as well as the balcony and terrace rooms, and a climb up one of the smaller dunes, we settled ourselves around the pool. The water was lovely and warm and even hot in the jacuzzi. It was warm enough to sit in the sun and we had a lovely chill out. Later on I joined the people heading up the largest dune to watch the sun set - amazing to see nothing but desert for miles around. Climbing the dune was hard work but worth the effort and it felt great to run back down in bare feet.
I am going to bring all visitors to Abu Dhabi out here to see this for themselves - imagine having this on your doorstep?! However, unlike the lake district, which is a similar distance for a weekend break from Manchester, I would never tire of the view from Bramrigg House, but I think the sand would start to get a bit wearing if you had to look at it every day!
Anyway we headed back to the city on Saturday, fired up for another week at work. We were excited by the news that Mum and her friend Jo are planning a trip to Abu Dhabi which fired us up to go and look for some more furniture for the apartment. I rather ran out of steam after I'd got most things sorted so the time feels right for a few more furniture shops. We didn't find anything but I am sure we will when we are not so spaced out by our amazing trip to the desert.
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