A couple of weekends back, I got an invitation from Splash Tours UAE for a tour around Dubai's coast and its coastal landmarks on board a speed boat.

We ended our August with a much needed staycation (uh huh, this is post is long overdue, sorry!). We intentionally didn't plan for an Eid holiday and postponed it a week later, just in time for our anniversary.

Feels like yesterday when I was drafting a blog post about my first year here in Dubai, and now here I am, working on an entry for my second year! As the cliche goes, time really flies when you're having fun!

Photo taken from HERE.

While everyone else was busy starting the work week, I spent the first two days of it last week just as how I like it, with pure rest and relaxation. Special thanks to Arjaan by Rotana in Dubai Media City! :D

It was also very timely that my girl friend, Cat, and I haven't seen each other for almost half a year, so I tagged her along for our  much needed catching  up. And we all did this at the comfort of a luxury suite!

When I first got to the UAE a little over a year ago, it has been my goal since then to explore all its seven emirates. And although I've already been to Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, apart from Dubai, I know that I'm not even a quarter of a halfway there since there are still a lot for me to explore. It is also still a work in progress considering Mark and I have more important things to prioritize. So when an invitation to try out the Romantic Escape at Nour Arjaan by Rotana in Fujairah came my way, I'm sure you know what happened next. :)

The romantic bed arrangement in our Premium One-Bedroom Suite

After an almost two-hour ride from Dubai, we finally saw the rock mountains adorning the roads to Fujairah. Located at the heart of the city, amidst Fujairah's exclusive areas, Nour Arjaan by Rotana is one of Rotana's luxurious properties in Fujairah. It is ideally located close to several tourist attractions such as Fujairah City Center and Fujairah open beach.

We were greeted courteously by the staff when we arrived at the hotel. Check-in was a breeze and we were already on our way to our suite in no time.

Living in Dubai for over a year now, I've noticed how almost everything seems to be fast-paced here. People also seem to be too preoccupied with work. New structures, new attractions, and innovations seem to sprout day by day, all in an instant. Even weekends seem to just go by in a snap and I would always have that where-did-the-weekend-go-conversations with myself in my head.

I must admit that I miss having weekends at home, my HOME. I miss having laid back weekends with my family, if not having weekend getaways with Mark. Weekends where I could just sit back, be lazy, relax, eat and enjoy life's beauty. But of course, I know that I cannot always have that here anymore, because we have our priorities now. And just planning about a getaway is already a struggle mainly because of the lack of time. Going beyond the city is also not really an option for us. So when an invitation for a weekend escape at Burjuman Arjaan came my way, I gladly accepted it with open arms.

After having some food and refreshments at the media preview of the Halloween at Wild Wadi, we went to the changing rooms and left our things at the lockers. And then our Wild Wadi adventure began! :D

Wild Wadi offers 30 rides and attractions for all the family. It is themed around the tale of Juha, a known character from the Arabian folklore, and his adventure in an island with rivers and rapids.

JUMEIRAH SCEIRAH

This was what Mark chose to ride first. But before we got to the two tandem slides, we first had to climb the 32-meter tower!

Mark with Jumeirah Sceirah at the far end :D

Climbing up the tower already made my knees wobbly, so I wasn't really up to try the ride. But my fear of heights were somehow eased when I saw this spectacular view of the entire waterpark...

...and got a closer view of the majestic Burj Al Arab.

Burj Al Arab

Mark and I, together with Cherry, were privileged to be part of an exclusive media preview of Halloween in Wild Wadi Waterpark last weekend. We got our watches and wrist bands at the ticketing booth at the entrance the moment we arrived at Wild Wadi.

Today marks my 365th day in Dubai. Wait, what?! It's been a year already? Oh how time flies!

People may see me as someone who can do almost anything, most of the time even without someone having to teach me--cook, bake, sing, dance, blog, paint, draw, name it, and for sure I'll excel in all of it. But only the closest to me knows how big of a coward I am when it comes to being all on my own.

Dubai Miracle Garden - February 2015

Mark and I found ourselves in the streets of The Walk, in Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) last Friday, as we were invited for a night of hearty and healthy organic food and drinks at TR!BECA Kitchen + Lounge. It's name was coined from New York City's trendy neighborhood, Triangle Below Canal, and takes a great deal of its inspiration from Manhattan.

Located in Ocean View Hotel in Dubai's JBR, it's as if we were not in Dubai the moment we set foot in Tribeca. The funky interior was what we first noticed as the staff welcomed us and ushered us to our table. We were immediately attended to by one of the staff who gladly took our orders.

Choosing what to have was bit of a struggle, the happy kind of it, as the dishes were all inviting. Tribeca's menu, which is a product of chef Giovanni De Ambrosis' passion, offers a variety of organic dishes directly sourced from regional farmers and fair-trade cooperatives. It is a fusion of contemporary American and traditional Mediterranean cuisine with a bit of Italian inspiration.

Mark only comes to Dubai on weekends since he works in Abu Dhabi. And because he eats at their camp's restaurant every single day, I make sure that he gets to enjoy his favorite dishes even just on weekends.

Although I love to cook, there are also times when I seem to be infected with the lazy bug. And at such times, Mark's invitations on having dinner outs are a music to my ears!

Ravi Restaurant would be our usual dinner  destination when we dine out, but since Mark was craving for Filipino food, we opted for Buongiorno Café, which is just one restaurant away from Ravi. :D I was already delighted when Mark told me not to cook for dinner one weekend night, more so when he craved for Filipino food! Yay!

Mark and I do not really go out on "romantic" dates. You know, all the dressing up, dinner  by candle light, slow soothing background music, and a romantic setting, it's just not our thing. Although I, I mean the hopeless romantic in me, must admit that from time to time I'd picture ourselves in that setting too. Ehem! Ehem!

It was also only once that I decided to arrange a "romantic" dinner for us via a dinner cruise along Manila Bay when Mark and I were still back home, but it was postponed once until it was finally put to a halt and never materialized because of the bad weather. You can read the story about it here and here. :) And since then, I decided to just let go of the idea and just stick with our usual dates. But I'm still not closing my doors. Hi Mark! Hahaha! :p

So imagine my delight when I got an invite from Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, for a dinner cruise on board their Al Mansour Dhow. And of course, the hopeless romantic in me suddenly awakened and got more excited too!

So there, last Friday, Mark and I finally experienced a dinner cruise that we never got to have back then. Seeing the Al Mansour Dhow as we were nearing the Dubai Creek already got  me all giddy, more so when we mounted the vessel.