Home and away

Keeping my arms rigid, as I’d been told, I pushed down hard on my skis and, balancing precariously, managed to stand up. “That’s it, you’re a natural,” the instructor yelled as I struggled to keep upright.

Learning to waterski wasn’t half as difficult as I’d imagined. Heck, next time I might even leave the safety of the beach – where I was practising with a piece of rope tied round a palm tree – and go out on the Arabian Gulf.

Instead, I kicked off my waterskis and ran across the warm sand to jump in the boat as my husband tried his luck being towed across the waves. It took him eight attempts but finally, with the Burj Al Arab behind him, he was waterskiing.

Surprisingly family-friendly, my children had fallen in love with it the moment we drove past the dancing golden Arabian horses in the sweeping tree-lined drive of Al Qasr – one of the three hotels in the Madinat Jumeirah Resort, which also includes Mina A’Salam and our hotel, Dar Al Masyaf.

“The buggies are gold too,” my children exclaimed, begging to have a ride as soon as they spotted them. Of course, they wouldn’t believe these carts weren’t 24ct – but they’re a necessity not a luxury as the complex is huge.

We could have caught an abra to our villa, but we decided to save that until after dark and marvel at the stunning views– and statues of camels dotted around the immaculate grounds – from the buggy instead. The camels became navigational tools during our stay – “head for the blue camel, then turn right,” my five-year-old daughter would tell the buggy driver. But they were an interesting piece of local art, too, with graphics and paintings of the Dubai landscape and flag decorating each one.

Sinbad’s is a supervised kids’ club with its own pool and slide, as well as themed activities, face-painting, dancing and even dinner and movies (there’s unlimited access during the day and a small extra charge in the evening so parents can enjoy dinner at a leisurely pace), and so I lost my little girl for the rest of the day.

My 10-year-old son decided to hang out with us oldies, and we went to Wild Wadi Water park, which is complimentary for all the hotel guests, and made a splash on all the rides. Then it was back to the beach.

I flopped down inside a beachfront cabana, watching families like ours playing in the sea. I would have drifted off but I had to keep awake for a massage in the spa.

The Talise is as upmarket and elegant as the rest of the resort – and had the biggest relaxation room I’ve ever seen. We dropped our boy off at Sinbad’s and then my husband and I had matching signature aromatherapy massages side by side in the couple’s treatment room. It didn’t matter that we were together as the therapists were both so good we were soon snoring. “Well that’s a sign of a fantastic massage,” my husband said as we left, feeling relaxed and ready for dinner.

Before heading off though we went for a majlis mingling on the ground floor of our villa, where the guests can get together for nibbles and drinks. It was great talking to visitors from all over the world, all of who were very jealous that we live in Dubai and were on a staycation.

Then we meandered over to the abra station and sailed majestically towards MJ’s steakhouse, the twinkling lights of the villas and Madinat Jumeirah making an exotic backdrop to our journey.

All the day’s activities meant I was ravenous, and I happily tucked into the most elegant-looking vegetarian Caesar salad, followed by macaroni cheese, mashed potato and corn on the cob. It sounded very casual but was presented in tiny copper pots and tasted incredible – somehow the chef had turned them into fine dining fare extraordinaire. My family went for their usual surf and turf combinations and their empty plates spoke for the high quality.

It was a fantastic end to our first day – and after a sumptuous breakfast the next morning we dropped our daughter off at Sinbad’s and went to watch our son rock climbing. The website had described it as 6.4 metres of challenging adventure and it certainly was. Harnessed up, he made it all the way to the top, and loved every moment – while I, like most mothers, was terrified he was going to fall (impossible with all the safety measures) and clapped with relief when he stepped back on terra firma.

The rest of our stay was a blend of relaxing by the pool, splashing in the sea or in the cabana, while our children made lots of new friends at the kids’ club and majlis.

At the end of our staycation I was already planning to come back – for longer next time. Why face the hassle of going to the airport for a long-haul flight when we have incredible hotels like this right on our doorstep?

Entering the lobby, I was awe-struck by the chic and sophisticated architecture, with hundreds of midnight-blue lanterns suspended from the ceiling – a gorgeous, modern Arabesque touch. And then I was whisked to the Marvellous Room – yes, that’s my new home-from-home’s name – where nothing has been spared to create the ultimate in decor and design. After settling in, I made my way down to WET – the name of the fibre-optic-lit pool – to enjoy a laid-back afternoon with a backdrop of chilled lounge music.

Big is not always better, as the award-winning One & Only on The Palm proves with its bijou but beautiful beach hotel. A top destination among honeymooners from across the globe, it is family friendly – if your children are the sophisticated, quiet kind.

In keeping with the rest of this seven-star-style resort, the activity club is cosy but huge on entertainment. As well as the usual toys, crafts, puzzles and computer games, there are interesting programmes for different age groups that include tennis, henna painting, paper weaving, pass the parcel, shell decorating, talent shows and a giant chessboard. Our children loved Karen, the entertainer, and begged to stay in for the remainder of the day.

That left us free to relax by the chilled pool, on the giant sunbeds. Unlike other loungers, these really were beds, and unlike the rest of the hotel, they were giant. Glamorous couples lay on oversized loungers all around us, but the only sounds we could hear were the clink of ice in tumblers of water and the waves lapping the shore a few metres away on the shore. Bliss.

Mid-afternoon I managed to drag myself the few steps to the Private Spa for an ESPA body massage. My therapist Zaniang was, of course, tiny. She couldn’t have weighed more than 45kg and asked if I wanted an invigorating or relaxing massage. “I’ll have the Unwind one, please,” I told her. I’m glad I did, because she might have been teeny but she was strong.

Within seconds of me lying down on the most comfortable ‘bespoke’ therapy bed ever – with the flick of a few switches, it literally fits to every curve of your body – she had jumped on my back and was using feet and elbows to destroy every ache, niggle and tension in my muscles.

An hour later, I left, smiling, safe in the knowledge that she’d pounded the knots in my sore shoulders and back into submission. So, after picking up the children, there was time for a quick bath in the tub overlooking the beach, before dining at 101.

Elegant, atmospheric and with lively music, a resident DJ and fantastic food, this is the place to be seen eating. I loved my white asparagus starter, while my pasta pesto was as good as any I’ve eaten in Italy (verified by my Italian husband, who was quite grumpy that it was made by a French chef and not one of his fellow countrymen). My family hardly spoke for the first hour as they feasted on sumptuous Mediterranean dishes – melt-in-your-mouth veal and succulent seafood paella and fish.

Legs crossed, arms on my chest, eyes tightly shut, I hold my breath and wait for the ground to open up beneath my feet. Whoosh! Everything goes black, wind whistles in my ears and I plunge into oblivion until, seconds later, there’s a stupendous splash and I’m propelled into the welcome waters at the end of the Liwa Loop at Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi. Now if that’s not an exhilarating way to start a staycation, I don’t know what is.

We were at the capital’s largest water park as part of our stay at Yas Island’s magnificent Viceroy hotel, which offers complimentary Waterworld access to hotel guests.

Our home for the night was one of the spacious deluxe rooms with a view of the F1 circuit. Just using the key-entry system felt like operating a space-age control pad with all of its sleek and mysterious buttons and flashing green and red lights.

Inside, the futuristic feel continued: flanked on all sides by an undulating marble table ledge, skirting the room in a reflection of the race track outside, the interior was all fluid lines and smooth curves in a luxurious palette of cream, tan and chocolate. With a giant LCD TV, customised mood lighting and an all-glass bathroom with rain shower – very welcome after an afternoon wallowing in chlorinated water – we could have easily whiled away the evening in the modernist surroundings of our room, but we’d already booked in for dinner at one of the hotel’s seven international restaurants, Angar.

The next day I headed for the shady rooftop infinity pool – one of two in the hotel, which has one dedicated to adults only and the other for families – while my husband sweated out the previous night’s calories in the gym.

For wellness fans the tranquil Espa is unmissable, and is located in the marina wing of the hotel – which feels like another world, with all-glass walls flaunting spectacular views of yachts bobbing outside – where you can also catch art exhibitions at The Light Box Gallery.