Luxury travel: Necessity or root of all evil? We know people and travel companies who say they are all about luxury travel. Others practically have steam-clouds of indignation coming out of their ears at the mention of luxury. Is luxury high thread-count sheets? A butler with a silver tray (and an imperious attitude)? A personal sommelier? Someone who unpacks for you, … [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...]
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...]