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vacation to United Arab Emirates
Aisling McInerney, 7th April 2022This trip to Dubai was the most impressive trip I have ever been on. The hotels were incredible, the tours were so informative and exciting and the food was delicious. From the very first moment of speaking with Nikki from Mahlatini, the organization of the holiday was an absolute dream. She was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, responded quickly to any queries I had and was a real a pleasure to work with. We received all of the information, trip planner etc in a very easy to read yet comprehensive format and were in no doubt where we were going, what was included and the timeline. The arrival process once in Dubai was extremely smooth, as promised by Mahlatini we had someone waiting for us to whisk us through the customs etc and accompany us straight to our organized transfer. The hotels were absolutely superb, we felt like royalty. Every tour was on time, every transfer was waiting for us as planned. We had no hiccups on the trip what so ever. Dubai itself was an incredible experience, the luxury of the hotels was unparalleled. This was my first experience working with Mahlatini and it certainly will not be my last. I would highly recommend them. It really took the hassle out of trying to research everything myself and I trusted that what Nikki had planned for me would be amazing and it certainly was.
Countries Visited
United Arab Emirates
“Dubai was like nothing I had ever seen, and I have travelled to many countries across the world. What struck me immediately was the elegance, absolute opulence and immaculate cleanliness of Dubai. The buildings were stunningly beautiful and modern, the roads were spotless. The city really is an architects dream. The contrast of the huge skyscrapers amidst the backdrop of the desert was jaw dropping.
Dubai is an adults paradise, it has just about every experience and activity you could imagine from sky diving, skiing, scuba diving, helicopter riding, boat rides, the biggest malls in the world, the tallest building in the world, the longest swimming pool in the world, camel riding to name just a few. The food options are immense from casual dining to 7 star Burj Al Arab dining, whatever your budget you can find something amazing. The sky is the limit for the luxury that is offered. It was extremely safe and very westernized. You can wear whatever you like and do not have to be covered like some of its Arab nearby countries, however we always tried to be respectful to their culture. What I loved was you had almost two holidays in one, the city and the desert. Both were very different whilst only being one hour away from each other. Dubai is extremely warm, we went in early April and it was 37 degrees in the day in the city and 43 degrees in the desert. I would probably recommend going in November/March timeframe however we were only available in April which is why we chose this time. Dubai was one of the most beautiful countries in the world in my opinion.”
Accommodation Visited
Habtoor Grand Beach Resort
“The Grand Haptoor was really incredible. It was a huge hotel, with many many rooms and large grounds and facilities. It had a great location and the pool had a backdrop of huge skyscrapers and was right on the beach. It suited us perfectly as we are in our early 30's and the hotel offered all the facilities we could wish for, a large gym, badminton, water polo, a large pool, private beach access, a large variety of restaurants. It was perfect for families also as we saw many people with young kids. If you are looking for a quieter resort for an older age group this may not be the hotel for you. Our room was elegant and spacious, we had a balcony however bear in mind the balconies are small, fully glass (apart from the floor) and very high up on the side of the skyscraper therefore if you are afraid of heights like I was, you may not be standing or sitting there. We took the half board option and there are many restaurants to choose from. Each day we chose a different restaurant. What I loved was the half board included breakfast which was a huge buffet and either lunch or dinner you could choose. The lunch or dinner were both 3 courses and each restaurant had a set menu of options which we felt was very nice. Each restaurant had many more options also but then you would have to pay. The portions were a very good size so we only needed the two meal times a day. The hotel staff were very polite and friendly. I would definitely go back to this hotel.”
Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa
“This resort and spa was absolutely magical! I would give it more than a 5 star rating. You could not compare the grand haptoor and this resort even though both were a 5 star, this was much more elegant. It was pure luxury and opulence but in a very elegant and traditional way, not in a showy/glitzy way. It was located in the middle of the desert and the resort and grounds were very picturesque. It is built on a conservation. Each room was its own little building in the desert, you had complete privacy and it was laid out like a little village with meandering little brick roads very in keeping with the desert. We were upgraded for free to the Arabian suite. It was absolutely huge, 2 bedrooms with an incredible infinity pool. The Arabian sand gazelles were everywhere and they came right up to our infinity pool while we were in it. You feel like you are alone in the middle of the desert with sweeping views of the sand dunes. The food was absolutely incredible. It was really like Michelin star dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was a mix of local and western food with many options. It really was like white glove dining. We felt like royalty. They offered many activities from which you could pick two per nights stay. We chose the camel trekking and the falconry. The camel trekking was fun although quite touristic, most of the resort did the camel riding at the same time so there were about 20 camels tied to each going at once. You had a nice glass of bubbles at sunset on the dunes. The falconry was really great, it's at 6am in the cool part of the morning so there were only a few people that came so it was lovely and quiet. This luxury resort was an escape from reality and a haven of peace.”
Staff Review
“This was my first experience with Mahlatini and it will certainly not be my last. Nikki was absolutely incredible, she was extremely professional, informative, very approachable, quick to reply to my queries and extremely kind. I could immediately tell she had vast experience and I immediately felt I could put my trust in her. She planned every detail and forgot nothing. The whole process was an absolutely breeze especially upon landing in Dubai we had to think about nothing, we just had to enjoy ourselves! Every transfer was on time, every tour was on time and the hotels were even better than I could have imagined. It was really a pleasure. Mahlatini give 7 star service! 5 star wouldn't do them justice. Even when Nikki was out of the office for a day and I had a question, I called Mahlatini and her colleague Claire helped me straight away. I really felt taken care of and spoiled from the get go. I am used to planning all of my own holidays and I was referred to Mahlatini by my mother who had used them for years and highly recommended them, and I can safely say they are my new way forward! It takes the headache out of trying to research every little thing yourself and their knowledge was fantastic. They had local contacts on the ground who had first hand knowledge if they ever needed to check something. My only question now is where am I going to book with Mahlatini next!”
