It's 33C and sunny here in the UAE, and life is good

[World's End Stella]

My mohito is quite exceptional, the Cowboys are 5-1, Arsenal are 2nd on goal difference only and the Guildford Gondoliers are top of the league.

Next up, lunch.

[Burney]

My mohito is quite exceptional, the Cowboys are 5-1, Arsenal are 2nd on goal difference only and the Guildford Gondoliers are top of the league.

Next up, lunch.

It's 'mojito'.

[Sir C]

My mohito is quite exceptional, the Cowboys are 5-1, Arsenal are 2nd on goal difference only and the Guildford Gondoliers are top of the league.

Next up, lunch.

Enjoying the local culture, stunning architecture and slave labour?

[World's End Stella]

Enjoying the local culture, stunning architecture and slave labour?

No, no and no. I'm eating great food, drinking great drink and doing sod all other than enjoying the sun and the heat.

All of which has more than made up for 7 hours in economy on the way here, Charles. It was unpleasant :-(

[IUFG]

Dubai?

I'm there again next week.

The GBP has been absolutely farked against the AED*. Beer about £15 a pint? :-(

*and all other currencies.

[Sir C]

No, no and no. I'm eating great food, drinking great drink and doing sod all other than enjoying the sun and the heat.

All of which has more than made up for 7 hours in economy on the way here, Charles. It was unpleasant :-(

On a flight to Sri Lanka last year I noticed a couple whose children and nanny were despatched to sit down the back. This made sense to me.

[Burney]

No, no and no. I'm eating great food, drinking great drink and doing sod all other than enjoying the sun and the heat.

All of which has more than made up for 7 hours in economy on the way here, Charles. It was unpleasant :-(

I'm genuinely curious: what does one actually find to do in such a place? You can't spend the whole day eating and drinking and lounging around by the pool, surely? What is there to go and see and experience? Are there any landmarks, sites of cultural or historical interest? Is there local cuisine to be had, things to be seen or experience?

[World's End Stella]

Dubai?

I'm there again next week.

The GBP has been absolutely farked against the AED*. Beer about £15 a pint? :-(

*and all other currencies.

Fujairah, about 2 hours east of Dubai. And while I generally loathe all inclusive packages, this place does it really well. Last night I had beef carpaccio to see start followed by a chicken dish with morels and foie gras. Quite sublime.

Tonight it will be a Thai/Asian restaurant that is equally good. UAE really does service and quality very well albeit while sacrificing history, culture and ethics on pretty much every level.

[IUFG]

The food out there is generally farking great despite the lack of bacon.
If your all inclusive, great. If not, expensive.

[World's End Stella]

I'm genuinely curious: what does one actually find to do in such a place? You can't spend the whole day eating and drinking and lounging around by the pool, surely? What is there to go and see and experience? Are there any landmarks, sites of cultural or historical interest? Is there local cuisine to be had, things to be seen or experience?

No, there is none of that, but you seem to miss the point, Burney. Holidays of this sort are about doing nothing and doing it very well. I did my activity holiday in Canada in August. This is about relaxation and luxury, and there's loads of it about.

[World's End Stella]

The food out there is generally farking great despite the lack of bacon.
If your all inclusive, great. If not, expensive.

Yes, exactly. This place has 5 restaurants and we have the dine around package which allows us to eat at all 5 with no limitations beyond the Omani lobster and Wagyu beef. Genius.

[World's End Stella]

No, there is none of that, but you seem to miss the point, Burney. Holidays of this sort are about doing nothing and doing it very well. I did my activity holiday in Canada in August. This is about relaxation and luxury, and there's loads of it about.

Oh, and there's the playing with your children bit as well. Speaking of which, I wonder where the f*ck they are?

[redgunamo]

I'm genuinely curious: what does one actually find to do in such a place? You can't spend the whole day eating and drinking and lounging around by the pool, surely? What is there to go and see and experience? Are there any landmarks, sites of cultural or historical interest? Is there local cuisine to be had, things to be seen or experience?

Shopping, innit. It's a religion there.

He has the right idea, it seems; a man simply casts his wife, and any teenage daughters he is unfortunate enough to have been cursed with, loose into the streets and then orders another drink while muttering a quiet prayer for forgiveness to mighty Mammon, not forgetting to include humble tribute to American Express.

[Burney]

No, there is none of that, but you seem to miss the point, Burney. Holidays of this sort are about doing nothing and doing it very well. I did my activity holiday in Canada in August. This is about relaxation and luxury, and there's loads of it about.

Oh. :-( So, it's basically an upscale Marbella, then?

I have no interest in sedentary holidays myself. Half a day of doing nothing is about all I can manage before I'm climbing the f@cking walls. I see no point in travelling thousands of miles and spending thousands of pounds and not coming back with a better understanding of the place I've travelled to.

[redgunamo]

Oh. :-( So, it's basically an upscale Marbella, then?

I have no interest in sedentary holidays myself. Half a day of doing nothing is about all I can manage before I'm climbing the f@cking walls. I see no point in travelling thousands of miles and spending thousands of pounds and not coming back with a better understanding of the place I've travelled to.

Yes, that's why the world is in such a mess, you see. Go somewhere, get pissed up, pay through the nose for everything and leave the locals and their culture out of it, imo. Far better for everyone.

[Burney]

Yes, that's why the world is in such a mess, you see. Go somewhere, get pissed up, pay through the nose for everything and leave the locals and their culture out of it, imo. Far better for everyone.

Where would we be if everyone had that attitude, r? We'd have no potatoes, curry or baccy for a start!

[redgunamo]

Where would we be if everyone had that attitude, r? We'd have no potatoes, curry or baccy for a start!

Join the army, they say; it's a man's life :shrug:

[World's End Stella]

Oh. :-( So, it's basically an upscale Marbella, then?

I have no interest in sedentary holidays myself. Half a day of doing nothing is about all I can manage before I'm climbing the f@cking walls. I see no point in travelling thousands of miles and spending thousands of pounds and not coming back with a better understanding of the place I've travelled to.

The difference is that I like people. You meet people on holidays like this, you talk to them, get to know them, exchange views on sport, politics, life in general. I can understand that misanthropes would find it dull.

[Sir C]

The difference is that I like people. You meet people on holidays like this, you talk to them, get to know them, exchange views on sport, politics, life in general. I can understand that misanthropes would find it dull.

But... surely you meet the sort of people who go to :gulp: Dubai on holiday? :-(

[TheCurly]

But... surely you meet the sort of people who go to :gulp: Dubai on holiday? :-(

To put it bluntly Sir C,if you see me in Dubai hit me one enormous kick up the hole.

[Sir C]

To put it bluntly Sir C,if you see me in Dubai hit me one enormous kick up the hole.

I've had to go there on business in the past, c. It was fúcking depressing.

[TheCurly]

I've had to go there on business in the past, c. It was fúcking depressing.

Anywhere there is a strong possibility that the mercury will touch 50 degrees can go fúck right off as far as I'm concerned

[redgunamo]

I've had to go there on business in the past, c. It was fúcking depressing.

Business travel is always depressing. It fundamentally wounds the spirit when confronted with the fact that our firms can treat us to a lifestyle we cannot afford for ourselves and our families. Most chaps can't even visit a strip joint or go on a decent holiday unless somebody else is paying.

Globalisation has bantered us off basically.