Bye Bye Dubai?

As it got dark, we arrived at a clearing haloed in shimmering lights, and a heady smell of aromatic shisha (like a kebab) scented the air. The encampment encapsulated the Arabian nights image, lined with colourful bedu tents and awnings, with low cushions and rugs on the sand to lounge about on while eating a sumptuous buffet meal of grilled meats, salads and Arabian sweets with a glass of wine or beer.

After the meal a belly dancer appeared in the centre of the encampment and began a bewitching dance to haunting Arabic music. Her energetic hip gyrations and catcalling was mesmerising, if not slightly terrifying. With midnight camel rides, Hookah pipes and henna painting all on offer, it made for a unique and adventurous night out.

Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach resort is (at time of writing) one of three resort hotels, and boasts the largest free-form swimming pool in the country. The hotel has two spas with a myriad of treatments ranging from dreamy and relaxing Egyptian massages to invigorating Ayurvedic therapies. For fun seekers, the resort hosts a wide range of activities for visitors, such as diving, snorkelling, volleyball, waterskiing and sailing.

I went on a wonderful snorkelling trip. For divers and snorkellers, Fujairah is the place to go. I have dived on the barrier reef, Malaysia and Thailand, but never have I witnessed such a diverse fauna of aquatic life as I did snorkelling off the coast of Fujairah. We were met on the boat by keen divers who were staying in Dubai, but had spent the last two hours on the boat to getting to the dive site. It took us about 20 minutes!

There are a few great sites for diving, and diving novices can get instruction at le Meridian Al Aqah's dive centre from the safety of the pool before venturing out into the open water. At one point I was following a school of around seven or eight black tip reef sharks, which was a completely new experience for me, and the turtles were great fun, and very friendly. They didn't mind me catching a lift on their back in return for a good scratch on the neck!