I bloody LOVE Dubai at Christmas time. Aside from missing family at home in the UK (not missing the weather though guys!), the divine temperature, endless chilled days and myriad festive activities make December in Dubai the perfect time to enjoy the city over the school holidays. Barely a day goes by when we don’t hang out at the beach (the sea is still lovely to swim in during December before it gets a bit nippy in January), and I’d be cool with that. But in the interest of keeping the kids entertained, here are a few of the other treats they enjoyed over the Christmas 2019 break that I would absolutely recommend:
Ballet and the Burj
My romantic side would love to have an established tradition of watching the Nutcracker ballet each December, so Leo and I went to a production at Dubai Opera. She bemoaned the lack of words, massively missing the point, but hopefully she will grow into it. And the abra ride we took to watch the Dubai Fountain afterwards made the day magical, albeit not necessarily for sugar plum fairy-related reasons.
Dubai Fountain Lake Ride; Dhs65
Sparkling Sundowners
Got guests in town? Sundowners at Folly by Nick & Scott in the Madinat Jumeirah makes for a low key, yet high impact evening. Don’t miss the Marmite-marinated almonds from the bar snacks menu, or the Instagram-gold views over the Burj Al Arab. The new wine bar terrace offers delicious small plates and emoji-driven wine tasting notes (vote yay, meh or boo) and when the sun dips down and the fairy-lights come on, you’ll want to linger long into the night.
Views of the Burj Al Arab from Folly by Nick & Scott
Salt Baes
The queues that stretch way back onto the beach are testament to the institution that is Salt’s perma-location on Kite Beach, complete with aluminium food trucks (one for ordering, one for delivery) and milkshake bar serving up the kids’ favourite lotus shakes (sweet doesn’t even begin to describe it). Propped-up with surf boards, inflatables and boho rope swings, the fairy-lit décor makes for a magical place to round off an evening (and saves you having to cook the kids’ tea).
Christmas burgers and fries at Salt
Shorts in the Snow
Of all the Christmas pop-ups in Dubai, the Madinat’s festive market holds the crown (it’s the singing Santas cruising round on abras that swings it for me). From the traditional carousel to the giant Christmas tree, the set-up is gorgeous and the kids never get tired of having snowball fights in their shorts. Queues can be epic, so try and get there off-peak, and the voucher system is perennially confusing (just me?), but it’s worth it for the most uniquely December-in-Dubai experience there is.
Where else can you enjoy a snowball fight in your shorts than Fox’s favourite place in Dubai?
Brunch Bunch
It’s not like you need an excuse to drink and eat over the holidays, but Brunch in the Hills at Hillhouse Brasserie in Dubai Hills golf club is the perfect excuse to up the indulgence quotient even more. To a live Rat Pack soundtrack we got stuck into endless oysters and an old-school roast while the kids enjoyed a bouncy castle, visiting Santa and loads of space to run around. A great addition to the limited ‘places grown-ups can have a drink while the kids play’ roster.
From 1-4pm; Dhs345 with free flowing wine, beer, spirits and cocktails
Fox, Kit and Leo with Santa at Hillhouse Brasserie in Dubai Hills golf club
She’s Behind You
We went to not one but two family stage shows this month: Peter Pan at the QE2 theatre and Cinderella at the Fairmont, both staged by H2 Productions. Cinderella in particular harnessed all the aspects of traditional British panto that I grew up with, and with a cast that we’ve seen every December for the last few years it really feels like Christmas when the finale song The Best Dance of All Time comes on and all the kids dance like loons in the aisles.
Panto time!