25-06-17 Hilton JBR with the Hassans

Sunday 25th June 2017

Without a pause to think about the answer, whenever I ask Kingsley what we should do today he replies ‘See Wyzie and Layla and Miss Camilla’. He’s smitten with these three Hassan girls; rightfully smug knowing they’re his friends (I am too!); so excitable when I surprise him with ‘well let’s go to the pool with them!’ And that’s what we did today: took the metro to JLT then walked a kilometer to JBR, turned into the Hilton and pulled up at the pool deck bang on 12 noon.

There waiting for us in bathing suits and floaties are Layla and Maya. Within seconds clan Hartley is swimming in chilled water, we’ve the kickboard and green beach ball out and everyone is splashing. No one complains of the 45 degree heat for Dubai hotels are the champions of temperature controlled pools: the water is deliciously chilled. None of us gets out for hours.

Within the first hour all of our floatations rings, kickboards (both ours and the Hassan’s) and balls are scattered throughout various pools (2 x children, adult, infinity) and onto the beach or grassy areas. We’re having too much fun to care after all Kingsley’s stroke has improved so much he now swims underwater and dives deep for sunken toys. Every now and again I spot a bunch of adults playing with our green ball and I distinctly recall seeing our lime green kick board balancing on the edge of the infinity pool. All five of us are by 3pm -three hours after we met up – incredibly happy to be a) together again each weekend, b) high from Vitamin D overdose, c) alternating our swimming environment between pools and the Arabian Gulf.  The kids simply go nuts in the outdoors. We figure we’ll find our gear at some stage.

Our gear never got found; we all turned mahogany and by sundown Kingsley’s cheeks are so burnt even I agree to leave the preposterously fabulous Hilton by Doubletree at JBR. The Hassan’s and the Hartley’s vow to reprise our day at the beach/pool next week (once the sunburn heals).