Dubai

We took a big, adventure trip to Dubai this summer and it was amazing!  John had been to Dubai, a small middle eastern country which is part of the United Arab Emirates, a few years ago on business and he always wanted to go back and take us along to see it. I kind of resisted, not really thinking it was a good idea to take three kids to the middle east these days but John finally convinced us it was a very safe place to visit, so off we went.
It's a long flight - 9 hours to Amsterdam then a 6 hour layover and then another 5 hours to Dubai.  I can't decide if flying direct would be easier or not.  John and Noah actually took a shower in the Amsterdam airport and we did some duty-free shopping as well.
We arrived around 8 in the evening so we didn't anything the first day but our hotel was amazing - it was Le Royal Meridien Hotel & Resort and was right on the beach.  The rooms were huge and very, very clean - I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone.  The next morning we headed to the beach pretty early - trying not to give in to any jet lag! The grounds and pools (5 of them) were not crowded at all - this is the off-season for Dubai - and very beautiful.  The beach itself looked like it had been vacuumed - I swear it was that clean!  The water was very warm and I enjoyed it much more than I do in Hawaii.
The week flew by! We took a day trip to Abu Dhabi which included a tour of the Grand Mosque.  The girls and I had to wear traditional Arab women's clothing called abayas and wrap our hair in scarves. We also got to check out the Formula One racetrack which was probably the highlight of John's day.
We visited the Mall of the Emirates where Ski Dubai (indoor ski hill) is located. So funny that we had to take a trip to the desert to get us all out on skis! Well, not quite - John and I skiied, Zoey took a ski lesson, Noah took a snowboarding lesson and Alicia took a lot of pictures!  We also spent a day at the Atlantis resort which is on Palm Jumeirah island.  The island is man-made in the shape of a palm tree - amazing!
The dress code is a little tricky and we had to pick up a few pieces of clothing to make sure we stayed modest - especially for dinner.  John and Noah had to wear long pants and collared shirts.  The basic rule is keep your knees and shoulders covered. Overall, it was a great trip with lots to see and do and I would definitely recommend it as a vacation destination.