Life & Style | Leisure

Hip hangouts: Christmas Day unwrapped

Turkey, trimmings and Santa galore in our pick of the places to spend Christmas this year

By Catherine Langley, Deputy Editor, Scene magazine
Published: 16:38 December 12, 2012

Image Credit: Supplied picture
Created by Rhodes himself, the tasty four-course Christmas set menu will include all the festive favourites such as succulent turkey, crispy roast potatoes and pudding with brandy butter.

Rhodes Mezzanine, Grosvenor House, Dubai - 12:30pm - 3:30pm - December 25 - 04 3998888

Why go?

1) When it comes to culinary royalty, they don’t come much more majestic than Gary Rhodes. While the spikey-haired gourmet will be out of town on December 25, his talented team of chefs will be whipping up a festive feast of epic proportions.
2) Created by Rhodes himself, the tasty four-course set menu, with four delicious choices for each course, will include all the festive favourites such as succulent turkey, crispy roast potatoes and pudding with brandy butter.
3) While Christmas ‘aint Christmas without turkey, out-of-left-field diners would do well to defy convention and opt for the delicious roast beef, which is prepared to perfection with typical Rhodes style.
Cost: AED620 per person

Festive flavour
There’s still a couple of weeks to go but if your yuletide senses are going into overdrive, head over to Raffles Dubai where a festive-themed afternoon tea is on the menu at Raffles Salon. After chowing down on holiday delights such as turkey and cranberry sarnies and teeny Christmas puds, make your way to the lobby where the merry team is counting down the days to Christmas with a wall-sized advent calendar. Up until December 24, each day will reveal surprise giveaways.
Cost: AED 299 per couple
Bur Dubai- 2 to 7pm until December 31 - www.raffles.com/dubai

Sail away
If your plans for December 24 involve the Jersey Shore Crimbo special and a dinner of left-over Christmas tree chocolate, think again because Bateaux Dubai is running a Christmas Eve Cruise. Boarding commences at 7.45pm and the scenic boat journey, which travels along the historic Dubai Creek, includes a five-course a la carte menu, which is served with unlimited house beverages and a complimentary welcome drink. All aboard!
Deira Creek - Boarding at 7.45pm December 24 - AED540 per adult and AED250 per child - www.jaresortshotels.com

UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championships
If you missed the tyre-screeching action at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, fear not because the F1 of the sea is here in Dubai, and it promises to be an adrenaline-charged extravaganza. Class 1 Powerboat drivers from around the world will be zooming into town for the highly anticipated event, which is the penultimate leg of the season, having begun in Doha back in March. International teams including Dubai’s Victory Team, Team Abu Dhabi and Spirit of Qatar will be causing a splash as they rocket around Dubai Marina at breakneck speeds of over 200km/h. And the best bit? It’s free to watch!
Dubai Marina - From Thursday December 13 to Saturday December 15 - wwe.class-1.com