One of the things my mother-in-law wished to do while in Dubai was to have tea in the Burj Al Arab.

"Every time there's a TV programme about Dubai (on Indian channels), the Burj is always shown," she said, explaining the reason why she had to get into the iconic hotel. After great persuasion my wife agreed to accompany her, and made the reservations.

During her three-month stay in Dubai, my mother-in-law has become more knowledgeable about the emirate than me and has visited all the malls and even knows where the important people live.

Inspired with her enthusiasm for this city (where I have been living for the past eight years), I rashly promised to take her inside the Zabeel Palace. I was under the impression that it is open to the public on certain days.

When someone told me that visitors to the Palace usually take a bus to a holding area and are then ferried inside, I didn't double-check this fact because it was never on my ‘to-do' list. (Some selected journalists are invited to the Palace for iftar during the month of Ramadan, though I am not one of those fortunate ones.)

But before taking my mother-in-law there last Friday I looked up the Dubai Tourism Department website and there was no mention about it being open to the public. But a blog advised that you are allowed to take pictures of the peacocks roaming the grounds.

We headed off to the Palace as I could not afford to lose face. My credibility as a journalist was at stake. I am a newshound, I am supposed to know everything, according to my mother-in-law; even the name of the Chrysler Towers look-alikes on Shaikh Zayed Road. (I think they are called the Jewel Towers, but don't bet on it).

When we went past the gold-coloured domes I said, "Watch out for the colourful peacocks", but for some reason that day they must have gone away somewhere and all we could see were two armed guards at the entrance.

"Can't we ask them to let us in?" asked my mother-in-law from the back seat.

Meanwhile, my wife was hysterically shouting, "Turn back, turn back," sure that I would stop and do my mother-in-law's bidding. "No harm asking," I told my wife, but took the U-turn back.

Reservations

When I had earlier called up the Burj restaurant reservations, I was told that it would cost Dh250 per person for breakfast at a restaurant on the first floor (between 9am and 10.30am) or we could have tea for Dh350 per person. (When my wife called up to book later the price for a breakfast at another restaurant was cheaper at Dh190 per head.)

I asked if we could look around after the breakfast and was told that we could saunter about in the lobby. (There are some blogs which tell you how to get in free into this world's tallest hotel which is more than 321 metres high and built in 1999.)

When I pulled up at the entrance with the print-out of the restaurant reservation, a security guard wearing a Stetson checked it and waved us through.

I asked him if I could sit around outside waiting for the ladies.

"I am the driver," I told him to embarrassed laughs from inside the car.

"Drop them and go and have tea in some [canteen] nearby," I was told.

I went back home to have my humble breakfast of oats, and then my wife rang up and said they are now on the 27th floor.

"They give you an hour to look around," she said.

Later my mother-in-law said she was disappointed with the breakfast.

"Everything comes in such petite portions," said my wife, who is fond of gorging at buffets.