Late deals
AS SOON as the school bell rang and faster than you can sing, “School’s out for summer”, my son and I were winging our way towards a Middle Eastern sunrise on an overnight Emirates flight from Glasgow to Dubai.
The experience was more than comfortable. The food was every bit as good as the dishes that feature in my M&S Friday nightstyle supermarket sweep raid. Every type of movie that I would ever want to watch was on offer and I got a sleep. A proper, actual sleep – unheard of on a plane – which meant that as soon as we touched down, we were refreshed and ready to go.
We were propelled with excitement as we hit the road and headed towards our home for the week – the world famous Atlantis, The Palm.
The arrival at the resort is an experience in itself. Looking upwards at the majestic, coral-hued towers connected by that world-famous Bridge Suite as we stepped out of our car and into the sun, it felt almost impossible to believe that we’d been pegging it through the torrential Glasgow rain with our luggage trolley less than 12 hours before.
Dubai is a very, very different land, but reassuringly so. Yes, it’s hot in July, and there will be points during the day where it feels unbearably warm, but it’s a destination built for tourism. So when it’s too hot, you’ll still be spoiled by a choice of amazing things to do out of the sauna.
Travel 25m per second upwards for the At the Top experience on level 124 of the world’s highest tower, the Burj Khalifa. You can enjoy awe-inspiring 360-degree views of Dubai and pause for ■ Flying from Glasgow on December 17, seven nights half board at the four-star Sentido Aequora Lanzarote, Playa De Los Pocillos, from £387pp. ■ Flying from Glasgow on December 18, four nights self-catering at the four-star Parque Santiago III & IV Tenerife, Playa De Las Americas, from £197pp. ■ Flying from Glasgow on January 9, seven nights at the three-star Hotel Riudor Costa Blanca, Benidorm, from £297pp. ■ For these deals and more, please visit www.barrheadtravel. co.uk or call 0141 222 2223. reflection in a super sci-fi, sky-high bubble environment.
Visit Motiongate, the Middle East’s “Hollywood in the Desert”. It’s the star attraction of the Dubai Parks and Resorts theme park. Take a ride on a rollercoaster inspired by The Hunger Games.
If you prefer something tamer, try Shrek’s Merry Fairy Tale Journey, or get some splash time at the neighbouring Legoland water theme park, where you can build your own Lego raft and cool down in the lazy river.
And when it’s not too hot – all morning and in the later part of the afternoon – you can get a sunshine recharge and some R&R lying by the pool.
Atlantis, The Palm resort is everything you’d want and everything you didn’t even know you wanted until you glide into that jaw-dropping lobby. It’s a holiday dream rolled into one.
Entering the lost city underwater themed mega-resort instantly feels like a complete departure from the real world, where the biggest life decisions of the week centre around which restaurant to eat