Madinat Jumeirah Al Qasr Dubai
I can’t believe that it has been over a month since my amazing Dubai adventure. Right now, I’m having serious Dubai withdrawals! So today, I’m taking you back to show you one of the magical places that I stayed in – the beautiful Madinat Jumeirah Al Qasr – a hotel that will truly take your breath away! Madinat Jumeirah Al Qasr is a luxurious, 5 star Arabian resort, that is so beautiful, you almost don’t want to leave the premises. And why would you? This Palace (Al Qasr translates to Palace in english) is so beautiful and has amazing facilities all around it. If it wasn’t for a tightly packed schedule, I could have easily just stayed right here 🙂 So much to do, so much to see and beauty all round. The Al Qasr hotel forms part of theMadinat Jumeirah, or “City” of Jumeirah, which is a cluster of resorts, world-class restaurants, bars and cafes, the Talise Spa and a traditional souk, filled with Arabian gems, all interlinked via meandering waterways. You explore the complex by jumping on an Abra, which is a traditional Arabic boat made of wood! It’s such a fun experience, and a fun, authentic way to take in the beauty of the Madinat Jumeirah. Inside the hotel you instantly feel the majestic elegance. From the Royal architecture that showcases Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah like…
View PostPacking and Travelling Like A Pro
I’m constantly looking for ways to pack smarter when I travel, and since I do a lot of travelling (locally and internationally), I thought I’d put together a little guide to packing like a pro, because it’s easier than you think! Your Suitcase Matters On my recent trip to Dubai, I travelled with the amazing TUMI TEGRA-LITE® MAX Large Trip Expandable Packing Case, and it is awesome with a capital A! You guys know I love my TUMI Tegra Lite Carry on, and it was amazing to take the “big boy” with me this time! The Large Trip Packing case fitted everything for my seven-day trip, including; outfits, accessories and shoes (don’t forget the shoes) for about 15+ outfits. The case itself is super light weight, weighing under 7 kilograms (6.44kg to be exact) and since it’s made from a protective material, it kept everything perfectly in place and safe. The thing I love the most about this case is how seamless and effortless it was to wheel around. It moves in every direction, with double turning wheels, and since I was responsible for lugging my own bags around – I found it very easy to manage on my own. I even…
View PostView From The Top! Burj Khalifa & Armani Hotel Dubai
Not too long ago, I was (literally) on top of the world! One of the highlights of my Dubai trip was a visit to the Burj Khalifa! At 829.8 metres, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world! Myself, Tyashnee from DTMC SA, Kelly from Marie Claire and my ninja partner in crime – Irina (you’ll see what I mean by ninja soon – just keep reading…) At 124 floors, the Burj Khalifa is so tall that you can watch the sunset from the base of the building, get into the elevator right to the top, and watch the sunset all over again! How insane is that!? It’s a view that cannot be understood until you experience it, and if you are ever in Dubai, I highly recommend checking it out! Everything looks so extremely small, that your mind will have a hard time trying to put things into perspective! Cars look like matchboxes, people are not noticeable at all, and roads look like strings of spaghetti! Within the Burj Khalifa is the exquisite, chic and elegantly minimalistic ARMANI Dubai Hotel, which occupies the concourse level through to level 8, as well as levels 38 and 39. This hotel is pure elegance, and every design detail was overseen…
View PostCruising Around the Dubai Marina
Take me back to Friday the 10th! It was a perfect day to spend a blissful afternoon, cruising around on a private Yacht, taking in the breathtakingly beautiful Dubai Marina! The Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city that has been built along a 3 km stretch of shoreline. Picture deep blue Persian waters, surrounded by residential sky scrapers all round. Good company and good food is all you need… Irina, Me, Kelly from Marie Claire. Mpumi from Destiny and Mbali from True Love The Crew: From top left: Mpumi Sinxoto from Destiny Magazine, Kelly Fung from Marie Claire, Mbali Soga from True Love Magazine, Irina Doman from I’ll Take It All , Tumi Voster from 5fm, Shashi Naidoo, Lorinda Voges with singing sensation LeAnne Dlamini and the two girls that made it all possible; Lucy Mussett and Tyashnee Gounden from DTCM SA. It’s the perfect way to view a definitive Dubai landmark, The Burj Al Arab setting sail “out at sea”. Or brave jet skiers that put on a little show… Or, the ideal place to take a mandatory Yacht photo… having your “titanic” moment! All round, a fabulous day! If only I had worn my swimsuit, as the water looked amazing to take a dip!
View PostThe Garden Opening at Dubai Fashion Forward
One of the highlights of my Dubai trip, was attending my first international Fashion Event – Dubai Fashion Forward Season 5. I’ll be sharing some looks fresh from the catwalk soon, but for today’s post, I wanted to show you guys some of the amazing pieces I snapped at the Garden Opening Party. The Garden is like a mini expo where you can view really cool pieces on display and even make a purchase. For me, I had already spent my allowance on my handbag, so it was purely window shopping for me. Cute and very unique clutches from LA ROSE DE SIM. How cute is the little VW bug clutch and that evil eye one… Need! Obsessed with these Grecian style cuffs by Francois Ayoub! This piece by POSE/ARAZZI was absolutely amazing! My pics just don’t do it justice, but it was a very stiff jacket with horizontal boning to keep it upright. The back was even more wow worthy, with a spinal column effect. Details I tell you, Details! RESId3NT had some really funky and unique iPhone pouches. Like the Arabic woman and the building cell phone holders. I went crazy for this leather jacket with the most incredible shoulder detail by Syrian designer PONSOT PAR. But the most stand…
View PostThe Fairmont Dubai
During my incredible Dubai visit last week, one of the hotels we stayed at was the five star Fairmont Dubai! Owned by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Fairmont is classy, chic and very close to everything you need. The decor is very glam and elegant, with just touch of Moroccan inspiration. Around the corner of the building is the stylish Cavalli Club, and on the road outside, a strip lined with coffee shops and food places. Not forgetting that the hotel is within walking distance to the Dubai Metro. Irina and I buzzed with excitement (and fuelled with Costa Coffee). We couldn’t resist exploring the streets of Dubai at 11pm at night after we checked in. The Fairmont Dubai is the first property for the Fairmont brand in the Middle East. It has 394 rooms, 200 of which are standard rooms. On the 34th floor there are six penthouses and a 500 sqm suite – that’s bigger than my first house – including the garden! The hotel itself houses the new Catch Dubai Restaurant (which I’ll tell you guys more about in my Places to eat in Dubai Post coming up next week), the Noire Restaurant, which is the one and only dining in the dark concept in the Middle East, as well as a number…
View PostMy On Board Beauty Essentials
I’ve just returned from the most amazing adventure in Dubai, that you will no doubt be hearing a lot more about, but since I’m in the midst of unpacking, I thought I’d quickly show you guys what I keep in my on-board beauty bag. I’m a bit of a hoarder and NEED everything with me, but these are my essentials that I took with me on the plane and they all came in handy! I keep everything in this nifty little clear, zip bag. I can’t remember where it’s from, but it’s the perfect little bag since a lot of airports expect you to keep your liquids etc (under 100ml’s), sealed in a clear plastic bag. In Dubai they didn’t ask to see my liquids, but on my London trip at Heathrow they asked me to take out my liquids and place them separately, so now I just like to be prepared. So here’s what’s inside, and why I like to use these products… Dettol Instant Hand Sanitizer: Is just one of those handy things you need in your travel beauty bag! Dettol Wipes: Again, because you always need wet wipes handy. Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Body Lotion: Becuase flying really dehydrates your skin, and since this body…
View PostArabian Nights
You can’t come to the Middle East and not go on a little Arabian Adventure in the desert. It starts with getting picked up in a Landcruiser, en route to the Desert Camp, but not before some serious Dune bashing along the way. It’s a fun experience, however, I recommend you don’t sit in the back of the Landcruiser as it’s a really bumpy ride. Speaking of bumpy rides, you also get to ride a camel, however our group was having too much fun that we totally missed the opportunity. Our first treat was a Falcon show with a South African Falcon trainer and his friend Bomber. Then onto some sunset photo opportunities. We had T-H-E most amazing tour guide, Bukhari who is not only a talented driver with a world of knowledge on Dubai, he’s also an amazing photographer! We got dressed up in our Abaya’s and posed for some epic pics on the dunes! Irina from I’ll Take it All and I creating a mini sandstorm in the desert Crazy kids… Irina, Me, Mpumi from Destiny Magazine and Kelly from Marie Claire We ate (and ate) traditional Arabic food, enjoyed a mesmerising belly dancer and before the night…
View PostBurj Al Arab
Dubai is absolutely amazing guys! It’s midnight here right now and I’ve had such an exciting day, that I just can’t seem to calm my mind and get some much needed rest for tomorrow’s adventures. One of the highlights of the day was no doubt visiting the gorgeous Burj Al Arab – the only seven star hotel in the world I believe. It’s beyond gorgeous and a truly a must see to fully appreciate it’s beauty! Rich with bursts of colour, dripping in gold with no detail left unnoticed. We were treated to a full hotel site tour; which involved a lot of ohhing and ahhing along the way… Every room in the Burj Al Arab is a two floor suite, that has it all! Even a gold coffee machine… I mean!!! The Royal suite is out of this world. It has a separate King and Princess quarters that are both equally impressive. The Kings will love the bed that turns and being able to change their view without getting out of bed, while the Princess’ can enjoy pajama parties with girlfriends sipping champers whilst lounging around on cozy leopard print couches or getting ready for a glam night in…
View PostDubai Bound
Good morning fabulous people! I hope you all had a lovely Easter break! I’ve been up since of the crack of dawn, giddy with excitement…. can you guess why? I’m on my way to an epic Dubai adventure with the fab folk at Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing South Africa (DTCM SA). Our itinerary is jam packed with seven days exploring and experiencing the very best of what this magical land has to offer. Amongst high tea at the Burj Al Arab, a dessert safari, private yacht charter, skiing, shopping at the gold, textile and spice souks, we’ll be attending Season 5 of Fashion Forward – one of Dubai’s hottest fashion showcases. Enjoy a sneak peek from my Dubai adventure by following me on Instagram (@stylescoop) where I will be sharing this amazing adventure through my iPhone lens. #stylescoopgoestodubai #stylescooptravles I’m all packed up with a ton of clothing options. Normally, I like to travel as light as possible (so that I can shop up a storm ya know), but since this is a media trip, every single outfit has to be planned – which means a hell of a lot of clothes, shoes, accessories, curling irons, straightener’s – the…
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