Dubai - The Culinary Tour?

We were thrilled when Beth's parents stopped by for a visit after their trip to Turkey.

Although they were here for just under a week, we had an aggressive schedule of touring in store for them and managed to cover many of Dubai's highlights.  

Our first stop on the trip was the Burj Al Arab - the world's first seven star hotel - for afternoon tea and a good catch up.  We lounged for much of the afternoon, eating far too many sweet treats and sipping on champagne and sparkling date juice.

This definitely kicked off an aggressive eating schedule as we hit many of Dubai's hotspots to taste what they had in store.  These included:

• Riding the Mina A' Salam's hotel gondola along its man-made waterways to get to Zheng He's Chinese restaurant
• Venturing onto the man-made Palm island for seafood at the Sofitel's Moana restaurant
• Savouring a five-course dinner in the desert at the Al Maha hotel
• Enjoying an evening of dancing fountains and Italian fare at the Armani Hotel 
• Savouring a regal lunch at a former palace turned Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi

At each of these places, we marveled not only at the incredible food but also the way they could blend it with such spectacular architectural backdrops.

Although Dubai city may not have the long history of some of the other great cities of the world, it certainly can offer visitors some truly divine and memorable eating experiences.