Every year my family and I hop on a plane and fly over to Dubai for 2 long weeks, it mostly consists of sunbathing, shopping and eating. But there is one place my mother loves to go every time this place is called 'The Madinat Souk'
This place is a little devil to find, it is hidden in-between the Al Qasr hotel, and the Madinat Jumeriah Hotel, and once you've found it its even more of a devil to get your way around, but it is definitely worth the confusion and map spotting for what you get to see on your explorations
In the day the Souk is a mad jumble of people, you have to swerve dive and even duck on occasions to miss fellow passer Byers however, the trick of the trade is to venture there late in the evening and you are faced with a quiet romantic burst of luxuriousness
Oh and I have completely forgotten to mention the views well need I say more once you have had a sneak peak at my pictures below
At night the restaurants along the river come to life, there are men rowing individuals back and to to their hotels in beautifully sculpted abra boats
But thats not the best part within walking distance you are surrounded by some of the best and most iconic hotels in the world, where you can pop into to enjoy the wide range of bars and dining cuisines
The Al Qasr is one of the most extraordinary hotels I have ever stayed at the eye for detail is unbelievable from the beautifully encrusted chandeliers to the arabic fine art it creates the most incredible experience
Then there is the Jumeriah Beach world renowned for being the shape of a wave, this hotel is far more modernised than the Al Qasr, but the Jumeriah Beach has the ability to not only create excellent activities for adults but it also has Wild Wadi, one of the best water parks may I hasten to add right next door, what can get any better than that for children
Then finally there is the Burj Al Arab, up there for the worlds most world renowned hotel in the world, it sits there taller than most hotels and was one of the only 7 star hotel in the world at one point once you have spotted it the hotel is stuck in your mind for ever more
Anyway back to the Souk, I'm sorry hotels are my weakness so I get rather over excited about them
The Souk has so much to offer, from modern shops such as Lulu Guinness, Pandora and many more
Beautifully sculpted arabic shops that have shiny goodies on offer
Im sorry I couldn't resist
And it also offers lots and lots of restaurants to choose from either situated indoors or out on the river
But one little stand that caught my eye was one filled with hundreds of beautifully painted elephants, I got chatting to the most polite women that explained the story
Each elephant represents one that has been saved in the wild, be it from slavery, poaching or inadequate living circumstances. They all get sent over to the wild life sanctuary in Asia where they are given outstanding living facilities. So each elephant you buy the money goes straight to the sanctuary where it helps them build new enclosures or gets put towards food and other supplements elephants may need
Once I left having just about stopped myself from buying the entire cart, trust me if I was in England and didn't have an already full bag my room would be from floor to ceiling full of Elephant figurines
Just around the corner there are stalls filled with jewellery, every shape, size and colour you can think of
There are also stands that showcase excellent works of art, featuring the outside surrounding of the Souk
Yet again I wish I could grab them all, but unfortunately I couldn't maybe next time
Anyway thats enough from me, otherwise this post will be never ending
Has anyone else been to the Madinat Souk before if so what did you think?
Labels: Al Qasr, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, Jumeriah Beach, Madinat Souk