Staycation at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

Back in February, I received an invitation from Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek to their Family Fun Day. It was an event to celebrate their newly renovated rooms, and the day was filled with lots of singing, zumba dancing, delicious food, games, and other fun activities with prizes given out. One of them was a muffin decorating contest where kids of all ages showed their artistic skills.  Our girls eagerly joined and to our surprise, the muffins by Sophie and her partner (the two youngest participants) were the ones that caught Chef Uwe Micheel’s eye and were declared the winners. Throughout the event, people were taking pictures and actively sharing them on their social media accounts. Naturally, I joined the bandwagon, and lo and behold, my photo of the kids having fun on the bed was chosen as the Best Instagram Post. That’s 2 winnings in 1 night! Wow!

What’s New With Radisson Blu’s Fish Market?

If you haven’t heard, Fish Market in Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek re-opened with its revamped look last September 6. And fortunately, Hubby and I were invited to experience its legacy the new way one night last week with Veronica, the hotel’s Senior Sales Manager. I remember we had dinner and Friday brunch there a few times before and as far as I can recall, back then the restaurant had the ambiance of those markets in Thailand where fresh seafood and vegetables are laid out, and the interiors are mostly made from bamboo. Well this time, it hardly looked like anything to what I remembered, because there were three major things that changed with Fish Market:

Aseelah Restaurant, Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek

Aseelah. In Arabic, it means “one belonging to a great heritage and family.” However, if you haven’t heard yet, Aseelah is also the newest restaurant at Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek that opened on the 1st of June.

Having visited the hotel a few times and always seeing the wall announcement that it was “Coming Soon,” I was curious when the restaurant would actually open and what kind of food it would serve. When I had a taste of the camel sliders during the cruise on Al Mansour Dhow with my sister, and again at the Taste of Dubai last March, at least I had an idea of what to expect. But these just made me look forward to its opening even more.

Post-Birthday Weekend Stay at Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah

Unlike the past years, we didn’t have any party or “big” celebration for Sophie’s 3rd birthday this year. I simply took the day off to take her for a date at Dubai Mall; and then in the evening when Hubby got off work, our family had dinner at TGIFriday’s (more about this in a separate post, I promise). However, we were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend the weekend after her birthday at Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah, so this treat was simply perfect timing.

Our stay was for the first 3 days of October, from Thursday to Saturday. Naturally, being the last day of the workweek and the building that caught fire that afternoon, we expected to arrive at the resort pretty late because of the traffic, and yes, we did. However, we did manage to avoid most of the main roads that had really heavy traffic. Caila and Sophie both fell asleep on the way, but as soon as we arrived and I told them we had finally reached the “nice, nice house,” they became all excited and re-energized.

Making Radisson Blu Memories on Al Mansour Dhow

Back in 2006, Mama and Gabe were in town for a visit when my sister treated all of us to a dhow cruise on the Al Mansour Dhow. It was my first time on a traditional Arabian boat and all I remember was enjoying the experience all throughout. Fast forward 9 years later, I received an invitation to an exciting dinner on board the newly renovated dhow. And since it’s been a long time since Ate Ning and I went out just the two of us, I tagged her along because…well, it just made sense.

Walking along the creekside of Baniyas Street, you can’t miss Radisson Blu’s famous dhow. She was docked right across the hotel, brightly lit to welcome everyone who boarded.

Ramadan Camel Race

Hi everyone! How’s your Ramadan so far?

Don’t you just love the shorter work hours during this month? We get to go home early and spend more time with our families…and who can forget being invited to an Iftar and/or Suhoor at least once?

But these meals are not the only things people should focus on during Ramadan. Being charitable and joining in the spirit of peace and harmony are also important.

Our Staycation at Radisson Blu Resort, Fujairah (Part 2)

The next morning, Caila woke up before any of us. Maybe she wanted to enjoy the early morning peace or she didn’t want to wake up me or Hubby, I don’t know…but when I woke up, I saw her sitting on one of the balcony chairs looking out and staring at the scene in front of her. She was deep in thought and didn’t notice me until she heard the camera after I took this picture.

Our Staycation at Radisson Blu Resort, Fujairah (Part 1)

Remember how I was on leave for about 3 weeks last year because our nanny had to go to the Philippines? I was stuck at home the entire time except for the occasional errands, trips to the mall, and visits to friends with my family. But when I returned to work and the Corporate Sales Manager from Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek found out that we didn’t even go out of town, she made some arrangements so that we could visit Fujairah and try out their hotel there.

Radisson Blu's New Zabeel Ballroom

The newly renovated Zabeel Ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek opened its doors last Wednesday and Hubby and I were fortunate to have been invited to the Gala Dinner celebration.

We were met warmly as soon as we entered the hotel lobby, and upon being recognized by one of their managers, we were led to Zabeel Ballroom where we were given colorful and tasty welcome drinks.

The ballroom was very elegant, and the Arabic theme could be seen on the pillars and walls all over the venue.

image taken from the hotel's Twitter account

image taken from the hotel's Twitter account

The cool ice carvings that distinctly represented something special for the occasion were the ones that really caught my eye. The coffee pot was obviously Arabic, to match the theme.

The falcon of course is the UAE’s national bird.

As for the horse that lit up in different colors every few seconds, I thought it was because the locals enjoy horse racing.

it looks small here because I put images of different colors together, but I assure you it was a big sculpture

But after some research, I found that there was a thoroughbred racehorse named Zabeel. You learn something new every day, huh?! =)

The hotel’s General Manager, Mr. Tim Cordon, welcomed everyone and showed us images of their plans, which were all very impressive.

As the night went on, we helped ourselves to a buffet of Japanese rolls, peking duck rolls, dimsum, roast beef, and assorted desserts.

Throughout the dinner, we enjoyed live entertainment in the background as a band performed songs from the past few decades.

And upon leaving, all the guests were each given a bag containing these sweet treats from the hotel

chocolates and a vanilla scented candle

Thank you for the invitation, Radisson Blu.  And congratulations once again!

Please excuse the quality of the pictures.  I didn't bring a camera with me so I just made do with the one in my phone =)