STAYCATION DIARY – MANZIL HOTEL!

10:30 AM
It’s a beautiful Friday morning as the alarm rings. Without a snooze I manage to step out of the bed with a feeling of “Today is the day!” And a special day it is! 2 years together with John and what better way to celebrate than with a stay-cation!

As I’m usually very unprepared before I travel it has reached to a point that the only way to get me packed up is with John’s military supervision. It has proven in the past I might not be a total champ with my time management; missing flights, 150km/h race to the airport and forgotten passport are hard to deny that traveling with me is stressful..
This all had led to the current situation in which John strictly stands in the bedroom while giving me a deadline of 2 hours to get ready and pack my suitcase.. Full of confidence I open some cupboard doors and chest drawers to pull out a pile of stuff with a result of his disapproving look, followed by him saying “sweetheart, we are just going for a day, do you really need 3 pair of heels? – to which I reply – “ Well.. there is place in the suitcase right? You can never be too prepared.. Can you help by handing me the sunscreen in factor 6,20,30 and 50 please..?!”- big smile.

 
14:45
When he finally manages to get me out of the door we step into our car, put on some simply red tunes, and the atmosphere is set. A great start to a good old Stay-cation!
On the back-seat lays our hand luggage; One modest suitcase from John and one – “ If I sit on it, the zipper will close, trust me!”- suitcase from me.
As my luggage is definitely not close from being approved by any Ryan-air flight I’m secretively very proud of myself for packing it all within the absurd deadline on 2 hours.
 
15:00
We slowly drive up to a beautiful entrance where the porter – dressed in an arabic costume – sprang from nowhere to open our door, grab our bags and valet park the car. The high ceilings and the arabesque lighting of the entrance looks absolutely stunning. We arrived at our final destination; Manzil downtown hotel! An upscale boutique hotel with a contemporary Arabesque design offering and Arabic hospitality…

 
 
15:04
A beyond warm welcome from a lady with cold towels for our mucky fingers awaits and while we sip on some delicious fresh apple lemonade we smoothly check in our hotel room. The staff here could not be better; friendly, efficient, professional and attentive are just a few words to describe what I noticed minutes after arriving.
The energy in the hotel feels extremely peaceful, welcoming and the smiles on the faces of the staff – who all address you by your first name – immediately make me feel at home!

  
15:15

As we say goodbye to our suitcases – which are taken up to the room for us – we take the elevator to our deluxe room. We open the door and the first thing we observe is the stunning arabic font wall art above the bed! The room itself is spacious but still looks warm and cosy while the decor is best described as a beautiful fusion of western and arabic design.
A centrepiece in the room is the xxxl bed covered with lovely soft cold linen, which makes me want to take a huge dive into the bed! A step into the white tiles of the bathroom leads to a discovery of a huge bathtub and a separate shower and toilet – Which is needed as the walls in the bathroom are partially made out of glass.. My personal favourite… a huge assortment of great smelling toiletries!
Looking out of the window we see a picturesque view on the courtyard and pool,
which immediately makes us want to take a splash into the water.

   
           


15:45

Just 45 minutes after we arrived in the hotel we already unpacked our suitcases and changed into our swim gear to not miss a minute of the sunshine. The perfect look? My Jean Paul Gaultier beach dress coverup, a crisp white vixx bikini, a matching Panama hat from Hamac beach wear and rope sandals from river island. Ready to switch off, sunbathe and swim!

18:30

The temperature drops which is a sign for us to leave the pool. Feeling extremely relaxed and satisfied we make our way up to the room where the bed I messed up is already tidied and a little anniversary surprise awaits us..

21:00

An outfit change and a few chocolate cake bites later, we head down to the restaurant in the hotel for some dinner. “The Courtyard”, which is located in the centre of the hotel, is a Mediterranean restaurant and Shisha lounge full of ambience! Elements of an enchanted outdoor garden are perfectly complemented by the beauty of it’s Arabian surroundings. 

The food menu offers a combination of traditional Arabic dishes with global multicultural tastes. We selected a few classic arabic mezze to share with smokey grill flavoured lamb chops and King prawns as our mains. When we look around us we can see why this place is packed with Arabic guest, the food tastes absolutely authentic and amazing! As a dessert we ordered a double apple Shisha (my favourite) while soaking up the amazing Arabian courtyard vibe! 

 The best part throughout the night was the DJ, who effortlessly created a high energy by playing a fusion of Western meets Arabic lounge tunes. Masterfully blending colours, designs, tastes, and sounds, the Courtyard experience is unique. It is especially known for it’s relaxed ambience, good food and flavourful shisha, and has earned a reputation for its laid-back atmosphere, ideal for enjoying the company of family and friends. After that we decided to go back to our room, where we opened the windows to fall asleep to the relaxing background tunes in the courtyard. The prefect way to wrap up the day!

9:13
I open my eyes and for a second I have no clue where I am. I look around into the bright room and realise that today there is no work, no phone and no tasks to tick off the list. I turn around and dive with my head back deep in to the pillows. There is nothing much better than a wakeup without an annoying alarm!

  


9:51
We take our time and without any deadlines we take a shower – with an amazing selection of shower gels and toiletries – get dressed and make our way down for some breakfast at the Boulevard kitchen to be surprised with one of the best royal buffet style breakfast I have EVER had! With a scoring in my “top 3 best breakfasts EVAHHH” you can imagine how amazing it must have been. We indulged in yet another of my all time breakfast favourites.. Pancakes with fresh fruits and maple sirup! 
   
 

The fresh pancakes, yogurt, extensive collection of nuts, eggs, muffins, croissants, cheeses, fresh juices, fruits and cold cuts make me wonder if there is still anything to possibly add? hmm.. epic amazing service – CHECK.

10:58

With a satisfied tummy we take a quick stroll outside to admire the Burj Khalifa (tallest tower in the world) and to have peek inside at the cute hotel shops. The hotel is located just minutes away from Dubai mall, DIFC, burj Khalifa and the beautiful dubai fountains.

By the time it reached 11:23 we are back to do what we do best.. laying at the pool. So talented!

Vince the lifeguard – was very chatty and entertained us with his funny stories! His positive attitude on life put a smile on our face!

My essentials for day 2 at the pool..
 
   

Panema hat – hamac beach wear // sunglasses – Prada // Sandals – Sam Edelman // sun protector factor 50 (!!!) – Hawaiian tropic
 
13:46

All that swimming obviously makes us hungry and when the thermometer hits “I-can’t-handle-the-heat-anymore” we race over to the restaurant hotel Nezesaussi sports bar & grill to fulfil our food cravings (like as if we did not already eat enough)
Perhaps women might wish to turn a blind eye on the athletic interior that screams testosterone and beer – but I could immediately see a smile on Johns face when we walked in. Anything to do with sports and beer will literally make his day – such an easy date!

 As we are on a break from everything we do regularly we decide to stay in theme by ordering a big fat unhealthy burger and a yummy rack of ribs. But first we have some crispy squid and a delicious spicy sauce. 

The burger that follows, hardly fits in John’s mouth.. extremely entertaining to watch! 

The ribs are so juicy and full of smokey bbq flavour but the highlight of the whole meal is definitely the thin cut fries that came as a side dish with the burger. Believe it or not.. these fries must be one of the best served in Dubai and I would even go back again just to have an other basket of those! Crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside and a really nice coating of flavours which leaves the best after taste ever! Did I already mention that I would go back just for the fries?

15:00
You know how they say “what a difference a day can make..” And so it did. 24 hours ago I had a million things on my mind, but this little hideaway just a few minutes from home has managed to make me feel completely relaxed like I was on a real holiday! From the comfortable room, to the amazing swimming pool, the extremely kind staff, the great location, the yummy breakfast and the best fries ever – we could have not wished for a better way to spend our weekend!

I am in Love! – See you soon Manzil!
 
Manzil – downtown hotel
plus points:
Price – extremely well priced for what you get
Location – middle of downtown close to Dubai mall
Staff – best trained staff I have seen in a hotel in dubai
Pool – small but soon relaxing! Love the sun beds!
 
Minus points: (if I really have to give a minus point)
TV – interface of the TV was a bit complicated
 
TIP: staying over in the weekend? Go and try out the amazing picnic brunch next door in Vida hotel! Every friday you pay  AED 265 inclusive of unlimited soft beverages and juices; AED 295 inclusive of unlimited selected beverages and AED 495 inclusive of unlimited bubbly – Such a good price!  We had so much fun composing our own picnic basket and chilling at the pool with amazing tunes!! Also opt for a cabana for just 100 ead PP extra. 

Not a big fan of the heat, parties and pools? Sitting indoors is a perfect option too! As this brunch got an amazingly good party vibe outdoors – indoors it is a bit more chill so you can even bring your kids! Make sure to try out the cheese fondue, the deserts and my highlight – the cheese table! Sooooo good!! With brunch timings from 1pm till 5pm you are surely going to have an afternoon you won’t forget!

Details:

Manzil Downtown Dubai
Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard
The Old Town, Downtown
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 428 5888