Our travel in 2014 2014 was the year that we went from casual travel users to wild-eyed travel addicts. And, following in the footsteps of the late Amy Winehouse we won't go to rehab. We say "no, no, no" (but we do hope for a happier outcome). So, without further reference to dead rock stars here's our 2014 travel year in review: Doha What we liked: The … [Read more...]
Do you care about a resort’s character?
What's a resort's character and who are we to judge it? Neither is entirely clear to us but we'll take a crack at the first part of that question. Earlier this year we were in Abu Dhabi and then in the Maldives. When planning our trip we were thrilled to discover that between us we had enough Starwood points to stay at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort for … [Read more...]
Africa has “The Big Five” and Arabian Bedouin culture has “The Big Four.”
If you've ever gone on a safari in Africa your guide has probably gone to great lengths to make sure you see "The Big Five". They are a lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo. Somehow that phrase took off years ago and has caused many a giraffe, zebra and hippo to suffer from self-esteem issues. Some say The Big Five refers to the animals people used to … [Read more...]
Two western women, four days, Abu Dhabi
Our 4 days as Western female tourists in Abu Dhabi were actually spread over 2 years. The first time we did what we rarely do - a group tour. We signed up with Gate 1 for a trip to Dubai. So it was with Gate 1 that we went to the Grand Mosque We did a write-up on it that you can read here. The mosque was one of the most beautiful buildings we have ever seen and it … [Read more...]
Ruffle your feathers at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital
When Blonde and Brunette began planning our trip to Abu Dhabi Brunette noted the Abu Dhai Falcon Hospital is the #2 rated attraction on Trip Advisor. We contacted the hospital and swooned with gratitude and delight that they gave us a tour and we got to meet privately with Dr. Muller. She is world-famous for her work with falcons, has won lots and lots of awards, is … [Read more...]
We are off to collect more beautiful ceilings!
As Blonde and Brunette prepare to embark on our next adventure we hope to bring back memories of food, nature, architecture, horrifyingly inappropriate giggling fits, high falutin' hotels, nervousness navigating customs out of our comfort zones and fabulous ceilings. Ceilings? Blonde is a sleeper who would sweep the gold medals if the Olympics included sleeping as a sport. In … [Read more...]
Dubai for the dubious – what not to miss
We went to Dubai for the very well thought-out reason that one day an email showed up in Blonde's in-box with a trip to Dubai from GateOne Travel and the prices looked good. Oh, and one or two times Brunette had expressed an interest in Dubai. What more do two women need to know to plan to fly 13,000 miles roundtrip to a country whose dominant religion requires its female … [Read more...]
The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is as advertised – grand!
On a recent trip to Dubai Blonde and Brunette's itinerary included a day trip to Abu Dhabi. This was a guided tour which is generally something we avoid the same way we do Donald Trump and poisonous spiders.But the price was right and Dubai didn't sound like a good place to "wing it" for two very Western sisters, one with a decided tendency to not behave demurely. For several … [Read more...]