Dubai with baby and Christmas in UAE

Dubai with baby and Christmas in UAE are quite a no-brainer: 7 hours flight from London to warm weather, blue skies, luxurious hotels and great services.  How could that be more appealing ?

Christmas in UAE with baby

Four Seasons Dubai

Best things to do in Dubai with baby? If you are like us with a curious little explorer younger than 10 months old, we swear by hopping around great hotels, lounges, pools, beaches, restaurants and scenic walks.

As cosmopolitan, festive and custured London is, late falls tend to be on the dark side, with plenty of germs and versions of flu going round.  So December 12th we embarked on first longer journey with baby, which turned up into one amazing holiday, consisting mainly into parents hopping around great hotels, restaurants and lounges. Baby on cloud no 9, all of sudden two parents around, just one layer of clothes, lots of dips and nice walks in the sling and in the pram, breastfed by the pool and balcony. So all in all, Christmas in UAE and Dubai with baby for us have been a recipe for a very happy family.

Is Dubai baby friendly? We found it super friendly, glam and easy breezy. Breastfeeding in any of these places was never frown upon; finding trustworthy babysitters for 1 parents outing was easy; and there were plenty of scenic walks with baby in the sling.

Our tested hotel in Dubai? We stayed at Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers.  We chose it for the value for money offered by their service flats and the heated pool. Their one bedroom apartment proved to be very convenient, with room service providing excellent late breakfasts and late snacks – taking into account the 4 hours difference our breakfasts were around 11 or 11:30am and dinners close to midnight. The pool proved great for a 16 weeks old, with water over 32 degrees at all times and many areas in the shade. Location wise also ok, 15 minutes walk to Dubai Marina. So Dubai with baby in here was a great choice.

Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers

For lunching & wining Dubai with baby, we loved:

–           One & Only Royal Mirage, Jumeirah – buffet lunch at Olives has been one great treat. Their swimming pool and seaside area lovely to chill and play after one long lunch, sipping tea while watching sun going down. Lots of cosiness and charm, compared to the newer and slightly posher sibling on the Palm.

Baby in Dubai: One & Only

–           One&Only The Palm, Dubai – birthday lunch.  Delicious food in quiet and elegant surroundings. Parents enjoyed the Michelin star cuisine at ZEST while baby took his lunch nap, while in the afternoon we sipped exotic teas in the outside LOUNGE area facing the swimming pool – baby and parents loved it.

Christmas in UAE : One and Only

Some other trips around Dubai with baby we enjoyed:

–           Ritz Carlton, Arabian night, baby friendly and good to chill after a long walk in the Marina over a beer and some mezzes. Great service, accommodating us just with some dishes as the buffet looked too rich and overwhelming.

–           Jumeirah Beach Hotel. One expensive beach day, with access to their beach and pool at over £50 per person. As we only wanted 1 beach day in our 8 days stay in Dubai we really wanted to see the best and the prime position facing  Burj Al Arab seemed very appealing. In hindsight now deeming it as a waste of money, the 2 bays are ok and the beach bar serves some edible food, but I could think of many better spending it.

Winter sun Jumeirah Beach

And right after the winter sun Dubai with baby, we headed to Abu Dhabi; about an hour drive, for further treats and fun and Christmas in UAE – you can find all about in here. For more inspiration in the Middle East with kids, head to our 10 days Oman adventure holidays around Muscat, Al Hajar mountains, the wadis, dessert and Ras Al Jinz turtle reserve.