“Repose, leisure, peace, belong among the elements of happiness”- Josef Pieper

I often wondered 🧐 when we go on exploring a new country or a far distant place, the whole agenda shifts from relaxing to carrying a whole bunch of things to do, food to try, culture to merge ourselves into, and days & days of packing (I am super guilty of this) !!

And yes, I must confess it’s no longer hassle-free…at the end of it I am kind of tired…

Guys, let’s be honest packing clothes to shampoos to lotions to phone chargers to what not is an absolute pain when it comes to travel.

Well as much as I love to explore, I realized over the years ‘getting relaxed’ should not be an expected outcome of traveling! At least the way I pack and plan. Rather, the outcome should be more focused on exploring and just going with the flow which is absolutely fine. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This compels me to look at other options where the whole and sole agenda is to Relax, Relax and Relax! 

And that’s how I ended up deciding now whenever I feel a need to take a break or escape the routine that too in a day or two’s time- guess what?

The best solution is to give yourself a treat of booking a perfect hotel/ resort in town which goes with your vibe.

Cause its – ‘ The Dubai ‘.

You got it right this town has endless options to cater to every possible taste.

Weekend gateway seems an ideal way where you just need an hour of packing and can unwind and tranquilize! (What a blessing from a baggage point of view!)

Let me walk you through my recent experience at Bab al Shams Desert Resort and Spa, Dubai.

This time, me and hubby just decided to try a desert resort.

For us, this was the first time, and it was more of a – Let’s give it a shot kind of spontaneous decision. Glad we did! 

We went for two days at the beginning of this month- December.

The entire experience was so good cause it was a combination of being away from routine, old charm, heritage architecture (which we normally miss being working in an urban jungle), perfect weather, good food, and just two of us.

Amidst the vast desert, far away from city lights, wrapped itself in Arabic heritage, this stay was extremely enchanting!! 

And is Life’s better at pool side 🏊🏼‍♀️? Oh yes! Absolutely.

This was probably one of my favorite parts during our stay and clearly, the place we spent most of our time.

The key highlight was the amazing weather which was around 22 degrees. Dubai in December is extremely pleasant.

The pool was uber clean (something I always end up noticing). On both the days, post breakfast until lunch, I was enjoying the water, then reading a little bit pool side.

Also, how can I possibly forget to mention the sheer fun of having a big pizza 🍕 all by yourself once you are done playing in the water (which makes you X3 times far hungrier)

In case you are wondering how it looked at night, it was just splendid!! And I was attentive enough on my ‘what to wear’ list to pack an evening gown for a dinner date 💕!!!

@Breakfast -if you are a vegetarian couple like us and are worried what are the possible options …let me assure you, there are plenty to choose from. 

Time off is really very important and rightly fully so. We all need that so-called break in this crazy demanding lifestyle we live in!

However, the frequency of those breaks and at what length we need is totally up to each individual.

For us, we have small breaks on weekends, and then once in a year, we will plan either a travel or a staycation depending on time, budget, and priority for that year.

“Taking time to do nothing often brings everything in perspective! “– Doe Zantamata

Of course, there is a part of me that believes, place does matter but to an extent rather it’s people and company you have along the way that matters.

When doors are closed, with two people under one roof only important thing is their own personality traits and what they bring to the bond.

All the accomplishments and how the exterior world thinks of you doesn’t really mean much. It boils down to basic fundamentals of one’s perspective to look at things. 

Surprisingly, we had a beautiful long conversation over a coffee during one of our evenings… time just passed by…we were not thinking of any responsibility or mundane chores or anyone to reply to….

Above is a picture from our room. The fun fact is that we got a FREE room upgrade with a beautiful balcony during our check-in time. The guy at the reception was generous enough to listen to my request in spite of hotel being fully booked during this season. Maybe we just got lucky!! 🙌🏼

Below is a shot of our evening coffee ☕️which was the most memorable cause of the amount of crazy stuff we spoke…

I must say, the beauty of Dubai which is something to adore is one doesn’t feel like it’s the same place where you work and at the same time where you can find the perfect escape from routine life. The city offers best of both the world, to ex-pats like us.

I came back with loads of memories, laughter, amazing pictures, and a fresh mind to start my next day at work.

Cheers to Dubai !!!

I hope you find your own ways to unwind and relax in whichever corner of the world you are!

Happy Holidays and Loads of love. ❤️