Sheraton Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

August 2016

As far as hot goes, not many places get hotter than the UAE during  August. The insanity of holidaying here during summer – when temperatures reach 50 degrees – can be rectified only through shopping in the stupefyingly glamorous and large air conditioned, sweetly fragranced malls, and /or swimming in chilled pools. Forget dipping in the Arabian Gulf, unless you desire being immersed into water that hits 35 degrees…which nobody actually does. That s$&t burns. And erase romantic thoughts of wandering through Arabian cobbled alleyways since it is well documented that one can fry an egg on our bitchumen. It’s brutal out there.

So the only sensible solution to summertime woes therefore is to combine shopping, swimming and hotel staying in the one package. We did just that, spending a splendid time at the Sheraton Hotel Dubai Mall. Firstly, the hotel has two entrances: at street level, and my favorite: through the Mall itself. Whichever way you choose, know you will be nurtured immediately, for dates and cardamom-infused coffee await your pleasure, handed to you by a strapping Arab as a welcome gesture.

Take a moment to enjoy the spectacular ceiling art and lighting installation above the various foyers. Then take yourselves directly to the 24th floor, poke your head in at the Spa, promise yourself a session at the well equipped gym…then head directly out to the magnificent pool deck for a cooling dip in the three pools on offer. Whether you prefer direct sun or a shaded canopy, sip a cheeky cocktail with all of Dubai laid out infront of you. The view is breathtaking from up there.

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Hotel entrance from inside the Mall of the Emirates

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Guests greeted with traditional Arabic coffee and dates

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View onto the pool deck from inside one of the shaded canopies

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View to the Arabian Gulf and Burj Al Arab from the spa and pool deck’s 24th floor

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Arabian life by the hotel’s pools on the 24th floor