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Holiday Ball

What's the appeal of a Dubai holiday?

It seems like everything is happening in the Middle East these days.

Firstly, Abu Dhabi's massive tourism investment programme got underway with the opening of the Ferrari World theme park. The Guggenheim and Le Louvre museums will follow in an initiative designed to re-model the face of the emirate forever.

More recently, and much to the disappointment of England, Qatar won the 2022 World Cup bid with the promise of exciting new stadia in the pipeline. A controversial decision it may have been, but the Middle East really is being re-born and it seems lots of places are catching up with the market leader.

Of course, that market leader is Dubai, which really did get the ball rolling in terms of it being the first real area to have such grand scale investment.  Construction programmes are still continuing now and I suspect they will for some time. But what's the main appeal?

Well, the appeal of a Dubai luxury holiday begins with its year round sunshine promise, continues with its attractive beaches and warm hospitable seas, reaches new heights with its blend of authentic souk and gigantic mall shopping and the icing on the cake comes in the form of its enormous spectrum of attractions and excursions for the entire family to soak up.

But in that paragraph, I've only really scratched the surface. Dubai features some of the world's most distinctive modern architecture (see the Burj al Arab and the City Monorail) not to mention some of the finest luxury hotels on the planet as well as a desert backdrop where you can take 4x4 excursions or go on camel rides! It's also home to the tallest building in the world.

Such diversity in one location is very rare. The culture vultures will love the old town and the Dubai Creek where you can ride on an authentic Abra or barter for a bargain at one of the traditional bazaars. You don't have to stay in the middle of the action either, there are some amazing off the beaten track places to stay meaning you can experience old and new, the best of both worlds.

Resorts like Jebel Ali and Palm Tree Court offer a great package for families incorporating private beach, kids club and a host of leisure pursuits like golf course, spa and tennis courts all situated about 30 minutes drive from Dubai's main hub.

I write about Dubai a lot and last year I had the opportunity to visit for the first time. I expected excess, frantic busy streets, horrendous traffic and extreme commercialism. I was pleasantly surprised. There is construction work, there is commercialism, and there is traffic – but owing to the size of Dubai none of this seems like a negative. It's difficult to explain – but then again, Dubai is a hugely unique place to stay with an identity all to itself.

Nothing left to say other than...strongly recommended!

About the Author

Hello, pleased to meet you.

I am an experienced travel writer with a broad background principally covering luxury long haul destinations. I hope my posts on here will be of interest to you. http://www.destinology.co.uk; www.been.co.uk; www.sensesouthafrica.com

 

Do you have a good rum ball recipe to share?

Looking for a good rum ball recipe, I was also wondering if you can use Captain Morgans Spiced rum? Any recipes would be appreciated and if you also have another holiday treat recipe to share that would be wonderful!!!

Merry Christmas

Booze Balls

Ingredients
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
20 chocolate wafer cookies (about 1/2 a 9-ounce box)
1/2 cup finely chopped pitted dried plums (about 15)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup bourbon or 1/3 to 1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar, or colored decorating sugars, for garnish
Directions
Put chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium power for a minute. Stir and repeat until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes in all depending on the power of your microwave. Alternatively, put the chocolates in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan (without touching the water). Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.

Process the cookies in a food processor until finely ground (you should have about 1 1/2 cups ground cookies). Alternatively, put cookies inside a heavy re-sealable plastic bag and crush by moving a rolling pin over the cookies.

Stir the cookie crumbs, dried plums, confectioners' sugar, bourbon or brandy, and condensed milk into the chocolate until evenly combined.

Cover and refrigerate the mixture until firm enough to roll into balls, about 45 minutes. Scoop a tablespoon or so of the mixture into small balls with a cookie or small ice cream scoop and set onto a baking sheet or a large plate. Roll each portion by hand into a smooth ball.

Store booze balls in an air tight container at room temperature for a day to allow the flavors to come together. Store balls in the refrigerator for a week or freeze for up to 1 month.

To serve, put the sugar on a plate and roll the balls in it to coat. Serve at room temperature.

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These taste great.

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