Outside U.A.E

Destinations you may want to consider flying to while you're in Dubai. Brilliant short break destinations with comfortable flight durations and itineraries you can COPY. So the hard research has been done for you.

March 6, 2017 by monica Leave a Comment

BABYLONSTOREN CAPE TOWN

Babylonstroren Cape Town is a magical place that’s certain to delight people of all ages. Here’s why we think you MUST make time to visit Babylonstoren Cape Town.

What is Babylonstoren Cape Town

Babylonstoren is a working farm, shop, garden and restaurant complex set in 3.5 hectares of glorious Cape farm land. It originates in the 17th century and has a Dutch heritage. There is a small boutique hotel you can stay at. There is also a wine tasting room on site.

Do you need a visa to visit Cape Town? Depends where you’re from: Check out if you need a visa using this BBC FEATURED TRAVEL SITE.

We visited for lunch on a Sunday afternoon as part of our 5 day Cape Town trip. It’s the only wine estate that charges an entry fee in the area, but it’s well worth it.

Where is Babylonstoren Cape Town

Babylonstoren is an easy 45 minute drive outside Cape Town about 15 minutes before the town of Franschoek. We hired a private taxi to take us there, stay with us and bring us back. You could easily do the drive yourself though, roads are good and well signposted. Here’s a map showing you the exact location:

What did we have to eat at Babylonstoren

The lunch menu at Babel restaurant is split into stirrings, progression and culmination. Most dishes are offered with or without a wine pairing option. I found that really helpful. You can choose your stirrings/starters by colour, the options were red, yellow or green.

I chose red and can say this was one of the prettiest, most creatively put together starters/light meal I’ve ever eaten!

The gaspacho soup in a glass was zingy and fresh, it usually comes in a large black bowl but as we were sharing, they split our gazpacho into 2 small glasses. I had the excellent beetroot risotto to follow which was creamy, salty, fresh and wholesome all at once. Everything cooked at the restaurant is made using ingredients grown on the farm, so there is a genuine farm to fork philosophy at work here and they work with what’s in season.

An idea of prices at Babylonstoren Cape Town

The picture speaks for itself! We were speechless at good value these prices represent. (The printed prices are in South African Rand)

We LOVED our prickly pear snack we were offered while waiting for our lunch!

What to buy there

That will present you with a problem as there is so much to buy from Babylonstoren! Decide if you’d like things that are perishable, like bread and cheese or things that will last, like beautiful coffee table books, scented candles and soaps. It’s the perfect place to stock up on gifts!

I particularly liked the oud and rooibush candle as that was a perfect mix of South Africa and the Middle East for us!

How to book a meal at Babylonstoren

You must book your meal before you go to Babylonstoren. You can make your booking 2 months prior to when you’d like to go but not before. We sat in the air conditioned area of the inside of the restaurant as it was very extremely hot the day we visited . You can sit outside on the terrace in the garden of Babel restaurant where we ate.

There is a smaller coffee shop The Greenhouse where you can have a drink or a snack. That’s more casual. You don’t have to book for the coffee shop.

Have you been to Babylonstoren or has this article inspired you to go? We’d love to know!

Their website.

Looking for a Cape Town hotel? Read about our experience at the One and Only Cape Town.

Need ideas of where to eat and drink in Cape Town? Read the insider guide to Visiting Cape Town.

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March 6, 2017 by monica Leave a Comment

CAPE TOWN HOTEL

Cape Town Hotel – The One and Only

There are a handful of up market hotels in Cape Town, here’s why we think you should choose to stay at the One and Only Cape Town.

Location in Cape Town

The One and Only hotel Cape Town is situated a few minutes walk away from the iconic Waterfront area of town. We felt completely safe walking around this area of Cape Town. There are also a number of very smart apartment blocks in the vicinity, not high rise buildings like Dubai, but low rise style flats set in palm lined avenues and streets. It’s an easy 25-minute car journey from the One and Only hotel. We took the hotel private shuttle service from the airport.

Rooms at the One and Only Hotel

We stayed in a Mountain View King room that overlooked Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain. Our room had a balcony with 2 chairs and a table and was my favourite place to have a cup of rooisbush tea in the morning. Cape Town is 2 hours behind Dubai so you will wake up early, that’s a good thing in Cape Town as there is so much you’ll want to do! Get some Cape Town ideas and facts if you’re planning a visit.

I honestly couldn’t fault my room. It was a very good size, it had a large balcony window so there was a great deal of natural light. There was a sofa in front of the very comfortable bed. The linen I think felt as if it was at least 600 thread count!

The kettle for making hot drinks was filled with water for us and wasn’t hidden away in a cupboard with a difficult to reach plug! The bathroom was particularly well laid out with separate areas for showering, dressing, make up etc

Facilities at the One and Only Hotel – Cape Town

I only used the pool at the hotel, which was filled with natural water and almost seemed like a lake pool. Cape Town can get quite cool in the evenings so despite the pool being heated, us Dubaians may find it a bit cold! So swim in the middle of the day when it’s warm if your schedule permits. I loved all the birds that settled on the pillars at one end of the pool and the backdrop was very natural. The hotel also has a full service spa that I didn’t get time to try.

Restaurants at the One and Only Hotel – Cape Town

We ate dinner at Reubens, then later that night joined some friends for dessert at Nobu. Both restaurants are on the ground floor.

My favourite meal was definitely breakfast at Reubens on the terrace in front of the lake with the agapanthus dotted around the edges. The setting was perfect but do be warned, these tables are very sought after! I loved the proteas (Cape Town’s national flowers) set in bud vases on our table too.

Dubai folks listen up, these flowers are real even though they look artificial. So I haven’t even started seeing what’s on offer for food, but I’m already delighted! If you’d like to buy some proteas to take home then I recommend Caroline Fine Flowers in the Waterfront Mall.

The breakfast spread is outstanding. I particularly liked all the local fresh fruits on offer from Cape gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. There is an emphasis on everything being freshly made. It almost seems like things taste “home made” despite us being at a hotel buffet!

I ordered a decaffeinated soya milk cappuccino thinking that may present an issue, but that wasn’t a problem at all! In fact Cape Town is filled with healthy cafes and restaurants. The breakfast set up reminded me a little of the Broadmoor hotel in Colerado in the States, especially with the mountains at the back.

While Reubens was superb for breakfast, I felt our dinner there could have been improved upon. I don’t eat beef so all the steak options were out for me, but there were too many deep fried items on the dinner menu at Reubens.

Having said that the wine list at Reubens is outstanding. They have 3 areas or wine lofts on different floors of the restaurant that house some incredibly good reds, whites and rosees. We let our sommelier Musa select for us based on our food, and we were very impressed.

Check if you NEED A VISA for visiting Cape Town

We tried dessert and after dinner drinks at Nobu with some friends much later that night. Dessert was very good and our friends (some of whom are strict vegetarians!) were very happy with their food. It was fairly late, around 11pm or so on a week night, and the restaurant was quite quiet, but unlike Dubai, I don’t think Cape Town is a very late night place mid week.

Stand Outs at the One and Only Hotel – Cape Town

I’d definitely stay at this hotel again if I was visiting Cape Town. It’s not cheap, but we found most hotels in Cape Town to be expensive. There were a few stand outs that made this hotel worth it.

Location and safety
Room size and views of Table mountain
Linen quality
Breakfast at Reubens

Find out MORE about Cape Town

Find out more about what to do in Cape Town as far as eating and drinking goes. You MUST make time to go to Babylonstoren too.
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September 6, 2015 by monica Leave a Comment

NAIROBI TENTED CAMP

Nairobi Tented Camp

DoinDubai has personally spent time with GameWatchers staff, visited their offices in Nairobi and experienced one of the packages on offer from start to finish to ensure what you are getting is exactly what is offered. I have every confidence in the integrity and organization of Gamewatchers and so should you.

DoinDubai is delighted to offer our subscribers 30% off rack rates for some of the best safaris around including this brilliant safari at the Nairobi Tented Camp. Have a look at the OFFER. Our subscribers will be sent a newsletter with the unique offer code they can use to avail the discounts.

Safari in the City within Nairobi National Park

with Gamewatchers and Nairobi Tented Camp.

You don’t have to buy an expensive flying package to the Masaai Mara to experience a Kenyan wildlife safari. Nairobi – under 5 hours direct flight time away from Dubai – has it’s very own National Park that is home to Lions, Hyenas, Giraffe, Buffalos, Rhinos, Ostrich, Hippos and of course all manner of gazelles and plains game. The park is 117 square kilometers in size and entry to and from the park’s 2 official gates is strictly controlled by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Getting to the Nairobi Tented Camp

in Nairobi National Park

Our family chose to do an overnight stay at the only camp in the park – Nairobi Tented Camp – with Gamewatchers Safaris who organized everything very smoothly for us from start to finish. Gamewatchers can either pick you up with an English speaking driver and vehicle from your accommodation in Nairobi at an allocated time or collect you straight from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta international airport. That way you can travel direct to the park on arrival in Nairobi. If you arrive any time during the day, it’s possible for Gamewatchers to take you through to the park using the East gate on the Mombasa road resulting in a smooth 20 minute journey to start your safari (traffic permitting) If you arrive at night, you go through the main gate that’s still only around 45 minutes or so away.

Entry fees to the Nairobi National Park

Entry fees to the park are completely independent of any safari or game drive package as this money goes directly to the Kenya Wildlife Service. Expect to pay USD 85 for an adult and USD 50 for children aged between 3 and 18 years old if you are not Kenya citizens and are planning on spending the night in the park. We paid in cash. They have change in US dollars if you don’t have the exact money. Local Kenya citizens pay only USD 5!

Game drives and excursions within

the Nairobi Tented Camp

Upon arriving at the park, Gamewatchers transferred us and our over night bags to a real safari style open topped vehicle that would take us on all our game drives and deliver us to the Nairobi Tented Camp. Andrew Saruni, our guide who was also our driver was extremely competent and knowledgeable. There are some obvious but sensible rules you have to obey while in the park to ensure your safety and an enjoyable time. Do listen carefully to the driver and take the rules seriously to avoid any mishaps.

Your game drive starts as soon as you enter the park and some animals we saw at first were not what we expected! We first saw a very well camouflaged tortoise and plenty of different safari birds. There is a real atmosphere of excitement at spotting the animals and even adults become very competitive and eagle eyed from the moment they enter the park! There is nothing quite as majestic as when you see your first giraffe walking slowly down the road to meet you! Hyenas that cackle in the night are not so friendly!

It is incredible to see rhinos and buffalos against the backdrop of a developed city. This is one reason visiting this park is so special. It’s also remarkable how so many species literally live side by side in such harmony! I didn’t realize that the park is open from the South side so animals can wander into the grounds of the park from Amboseli.

Nairobi Tented Camp in the park

Game drives can last from between 2 to 3 hours and you will be incredibly relieved at the site of the camp where you can unwind and relax for a while. Nairobi Tented Camp has been open for the 6 years and has been managed by Gamewatchers for the last 4. It has 9 sleeping tents and I would class them as comfortable more than luxurious, but the hot water bottles in your bed under soft duvets on a cold night are getting pretty close to luxury in the bush! Tents have their own en suite washroom facilities and safari style showers. It’s very atmospheric to be woken up with a tray or coffee, tea or hot chocolate before dawn being slipped into your tent! We felt completely safe throughout our stay. Meals and snacks are taken in the dining or the Mess tents which are a minute or so walk from the accommodation tents. Food is of a very good standard and there is a generous drinks allowance included in the package. We all loved sitting round the fire after dinner but do bring your own marshmallows for toasting though!

What to expect at Nairobi Tented Camp

Good quality, comfortable accommodation with meals and excellent game drives. If you have any special dietary requirements then do inform Gamewatchers before hand and they will do their best to cater to your needs. Expect to experience bush life without the inconveniences of roughing it out in the wild. I was very impressed with our guide’s knowledge of the animals and the park. Although there are 135 lions in the park, you are not guaranteed to see them especially if you only do one game drive. You will however be guaranteed to see plenty of other animals. Running water is available in all tents. Gamewatchers also provide you with a very thoughtful flask of drinking water. Remember roads are very rough and rugged so you will feel a little like washing does in a machine at times!

What to take with you to

the Nairobi Tented Camp

A small overnight bag with a change of clothes and basic toiletries, that way if you do go from the airport, you don’t have to unpack your main suitcase. Good, comfortable walking shoes are essential. I suggest you bring hiking boots or at least trainers and a few good pairs of thick, cotton socks. Do bring layers with you, it’s cold in the mornings so we needed warm fleeces and jackets, but as it warms up, you need to de layer quite a bit. Do bring all your camera equipment, binoculars and a good pair of sunglasses with a string around them. I also suggest bringing some mosquito repellent to have handy. Gamewatchers also own and manage a number of other camps in different conservancies outside the Mara, the most luxurious of which is Porini Lion Camp.

Want to know more about Nairobi ?

Then link to the Visiting Nairobi post. You’ll read about off the beaten track places to eat and stay as well as ideas for the best bits of Kenya’s coast.

Have a super city Safari and Nairobi break!

September 5, 2015 by monica Leave a Comment

VISITING NAIROBI

Why bother visiting Nairobi in Kenya

Take a closer look. It’s only 4 hours 27 minutes on a direct flight from Dubai at reasonable times. Nairobi is only one hour behind Dubai so no jet lag and the weather is delicious. It’s one of the greenest cities on the planet in terms of sheer numbers of plants and trees and now seems to have a fabulous dining scene as well.

Read about the best places to eat and shop at in Nairobi as well as how you could easily do a safari without leaving the city!

Where to eat when visiting Nairobi

Nairobi loves it’s food. There are a number of good restaurants and cafes in Nairobi, just ensure you know how long it will take you to get to your chosen venue, don’t underestimate the traffic! Indian and oriental food is very popular. For an upmarket, authentic Thai meal, I recommend Soi at the Dusit D2 Design hotel on Riverside Drive. Tasty Thai food cooked well and presented very professionally. Good choice of cocktails too. Soi is a very safe venue in a secure, modern hotel complex. Open for lunch and dinner. You can have drinks on their terrace before or after your meal. The restaurant had adults and grown up family groups when we visited for dinner. A meal at Soi makes for a sophisticated and relaxed evening out. I particularly liked their Red Prawn Curry and Spicy Squid. Papaya salad was good too and portions generous. But prices reflect the quality and your surroundings, so expect to pay KSH 1800 for the prawn curry – International prices.

Urban Eatery

For an eclectic, modern eating experience try the newish Urban Eatery in the Westlands side of town. From Masala Dosas to Mediterranean salads, this contemporary but accessible restaurant is located on the ground floor of the PWC towers Delta Corner Estate in Westlands. The breakfast choice looked comprehensive and very good too. I thought the cakes and desserts were of an excellent standard for Nairobi. This restaurant is light and spacious and has a number of open kitchen areas where you can see the chefs at work. We visited at lunch.

Zen Garden

If lush, verdant surroundings are your main criteria for choosing where you eat, then I highly recommend Zen Garden. Again a fairly eclectic choice of Oriental and Mediterranean cuisine in very mature garden type setting. There are 3 restaurants in one here, all of which have very green settings. Vases full of roses are very abundant here. I liked the very generous pizza with ham and rocket, this was perfect for sharing. We went on a Saturday afternoon and the place was very busy with family groups of all ages. It seems also to be a popular destination for wedding pictures as well!

Art caffé

If it’s just a coffee and snack you’re after or a substantial breakfast, then I recommend the Art caffé in the Village Market mall complex. Get a table on the terrace outside on a Sunday or any other day for breakfast. But go early else the croissants will run out! This café has a real European feel about it, it’s very popular with expats and local residents alike and is very near the UN complex. I liked the sourdough bread toast and jam. The smoked salmon and eggs benedict breakfasts looked huge and were served on large compartmentalised glass platters. More of a brunch than a breakfast.

Accommodation when visiting Nairobi

This would depend on where you’d like to be located, but I recommend either The Tribe hotel, which sits adjacent to the buzzy and busy Village Market area or the very modern Dusit D2 Design hotel in the Riverside Drive area of Nairobi. The Dusit 2 has very generous room sizes with balconies as well as great bar area and unusual swimming pool with a sunken majlis type arrangement. That’s not unusual, it’s the piercing scarlet coloured water in the pool of the Rouge Deck that I found bizarre. Apparently it’s quite a hit with visitors. See for yourself! Other hotels worth considering are The Sankara in Westlands (very near the swanky Capital Club) or the Serena in Nairobi townside.

Safari in the City when visiting Nairobi

You don’t have to get a flying package to the Masai Mara if you want to experience a bit of Safari life when in Nairobi. A great and very convenient option is to book with Gamewatchers Safaris and stay at the Nairobi Tented Camp in the Nairobi National Park. In fact Gamewatchers can pick you up from Nairobi airport and you can be in the park within 45 minutes.

We did this overnight Nairobi Tented Camp safari and loved it. A fabulous deal. Gamewatchers has a number of very smart camps in it’s own conservancies just outside the Masaai Mara including the very exclusive Porini Lion camp and Porini Rhino Camp. I didn’t realize that 70 % of the game is actually located outside the Mara! We are currently negotiating some favourable rates discounted from list prices for all our DoinDubai subscribers, so do subscribe and keep an eye out for this amazing offer. We’ll write the details in a fresh post and email all our subscribers directly. Packages to include airport drop offs, game drives, visits to the Sheldrik elephant orphanage and gin and tonics in the evening! OFFER NOW HERE

Shopping when visiting Nairobi

Try the Village Market mall complex that has a variety of shops and stalls, it even has a MAC make up shop in case you need something to match your safari suit! But I always have a wander in the Masaai Craft Market, which is on every Friday morning usually in the grounds of the Village Market mall. However at the moment this market has been relocated to an area of waste ground near the mall. You need to go in a car. Bargaining hard is de rigeur. I recommend you buy cotton kikois in a variety of colours and designs, great for the beach or pool here in Dubai. I paid KSH 500 or so per kikoi. And then whatever takes your fancy, I liked the sets of 3 flat baskets in one in neutral colours, perfect for all those en suite Dubai bathrooms! Beaded key chains make great stocking fillers for Christmas. You will see stalls along the roadside that also sell pet baskets (too big if you’re travelling economy!) lined with tell tale red and black Masaai check fabric and larger very colourful laundry baskets, easy to collapse into your suitcase and bring home. A good rule of thumb is that KSH 100 is roughly USD 1 so very easy to convert.

You need to check what the rules are about bringing in produce to your country of residence but I always bring back some fine Kenya green beans and fresh cut roses and lilies in a large checked in card board box. At USD 2 for 10 roses, how could you not? Especially if you live in Dubai. They last about a week if you put them in mineral water. Don’t assume your box will exit with your cases on the same conveyor belt at Dubai airport! Keep a sharp look out for your boxes being plonked down elsewhere in the vicinity! I bought my flowers from the main florist shop on the ground floor in Sarit Centre mall. Ask for Peter, they can also supply the boxes you need.

Best beach from Nairobi

No doubt about this one in my mind, it has to be Diani beach on the South Coast. Fly to Ukunda airport on one of the airlines mentioned below and marvel at the wide, velvet white sands. Hotels include Kole Kole one of 3 hotels in the Robinsons Baobab complex. Do try and get rooms on the ground floor in Kole Kole, but don’t expect too much of the food, breakfasts are fine. This is a great hotel for evening walks and entertainment. Diani Reef and Swahili Beach are much larger hotels on the same stretch of beach. There are some boutique options, the best of which is Al Manara. You must try Ali Barbours’s cave restaurant for dinner one evening (and have a drink at the sister establishment 40 Thieves! at the same time) and Lymingtons for lunch, also a great place for Kite Surfing. It’s worth having a drink or a coffee at Nomads hotel as well. Sails restaurant at Al Manara is probably the most upmarket dining choice around. Ukunda airport is just 15 minutes drive from the hotels on the beach and most hotels will come and pick you up, but do reconfirm this. Lantana is a complex of apartments and cottages on the beach. It also has it’s own restaurant serving good Italian food on site.

Internal Travelling when visiting Nairobi

We have flown with Precision Air, Safari Link and more recently Jambo Jet. Jambo Jet is Kenya Airways little sister and it flies from Jomo Kenyatta airport (the international airport) the others fly from Wilson and are smaller planes, but all of them have been fine. Delays though do occur, take a pack of cards with you and some extra cash to buy snacks at the airport. I would avoid taking the last flight in the day in case it’s cancelled altogether ! If you want to visit Diani beach in the South Coast then you must fly to Ukunda, it’s much more convenient than flying to Mombasa and taking the ferry.

Do let me know if this post has tempted you into trying Nairobi. Tell me what puts you off and I’ll try and answer any other questions you may have. I have travelled there for the last 25 years or so!

The Kenyan tourist board in Dubai is represented by Magical Kenya GCC and you can contact them on Tel: +9714 316 6333 and if you want to find out what’s going on in Kenya then I recommend this really informative site KenyaBuzz, packed with current information about Nairobi city.

Thank You Monica

Outside U.A.E

What is Babylonstoren Cape Town

Where is Babylonstoren Cape Town

What did we have to eat at Babylonstoren

An idea of prices at Babylonstoren Cape Town

What to buy there

How to book a meal at Babylonstoren

Cape Town Hotel – The One and Only

Location in Cape Town

Rooms at the One and Only Hotel

Facilities at the One and Only Hotel – Cape Town

Restaurants at the One and Only Hotel – Cape Town

Stand Outs at the One and Only Hotel – Cape Town

Find out MORE about Cape Town

Nairobi Tented Camp

Safari in the City within Nairobi National Park

Getting to the Nairobi Tented Camp

in Nairobi National Park

Entry fees to the Nairobi National Park

Game drives and excursions within

the Nairobi Tented Camp

Nairobi Tented Camp in the park

What to expect at Nairobi Tented Camp

What to take with you to

the Nairobi Tented Camp

Want to know more about Nairobi ?

Why bother visiting Nairobi in Kenya

Where to eat when visiting Nairobi

Urban Eatery

Zen Garden

Art caffé

Accommodation when visiting Nairobi

Safari in the City when visiting Nairobi

Shopping when visiting Nairobi

Best beach from Nairobi

Internal Travelling when visiting Nairobi

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