It is that most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is upon us. It has crept up on me in 2020, a year like no other. And not in a good way! Who could have anticipated such a year of chaos with lock downs, cancelled travel plans and homeschooling. Still, we count our blessings that we are all here, we have our health and each other, and our families and friends are well and safe, even if we cannot be together.
And so we plan our Christmas time, this most wonderful time of the year, for Dubai. We will stay put (#stayhome #staysafe) and enjoy the friends and Dubai family that we are able to celebrate with.
Christmas Eve
At the time when our family are just arriving back home, nearing midnight, from our traditional family Christmas celebrations in Canberra, we are across the other side of the world. Here in Dubai we are preparing for a very untraditional Christmas Eve trip to Bluewaters Island. With the promise of Christmas Markets, music, a Christmas parade, a possible Santa sighting and a drone show, we head out from home with anticipation.
Arriving at Bluewaters Island we park the car and emerge under the Dubai Eye, spotting some sign posts directing us towards children’s activities and the Christmas Markets. The Gulf News write up has promised a ‘Santa’s Island‘ festive extraordinaire and the program for the evening sounds promising. We walk, looking out for the dedicated children’s arts and crafts area or anything that looks remotely like a Christmas Market.
And we keep walking. The boys talk me into a chip stick, and while it doesn’t meet my definition of ‘festive’ I can’t see anything more promising. After a full lap of the waterfront, the only indication that something special may be afoot is a musician performing and a few decorations on the stalls. We do pause to take in the JBR sky line – something that never fails to disappoint.
Another lap and we select somewhere for dinner. This allows us to wait it out in comfort for the drone show and the Santa Claus parade. Ketch Up, a clever burger joint and even more clever play on words, is our choice. The elevated burgers are delicious, the classy cocktails even more so. My Pink Panther cocktail certainly feels like it belongs more to the atmospheric upstairs lounge with some suitably dainty bites, while a beer might be a better match with the burger downstairs.
The fare is un-traditional for Christmas Eve but delicious never the less. I flag the upstairs bar in my mind as a suitable future ladies night venue. As luck would have it, the drone show begins half way through our meal.
Music floods The Beach and surrounds as we stand up for a better view of the 300 drones taking to the skies for the light and sound show. A record in the making, the show runs for 45 days (7pm and 9:30pm, 17 December – 31 January) for the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). The drones move in a synchronized sky dance to make pictures such as two faces, one winks at us, a person jet skiing, motor biking and the DSF logo. They also spell out ‘The Beach’ and ‘Dubai’ at different times during the show. It is quite remarkable.
Finishing up our dinner we head off to seek the Santa parade which is due to start soon. After another lap there is still no sign of the promised ‘roaming entertainment’, the children’s arts and crafts or and parade that is scheduled for now. After another lap of searching we give up and head home.
Unfortunately it seems that the festive atmosphere at Bluewaters Island has been over promised and under delivered. We find our night’s festivities with a night cap beside our Christmas tree before bed time.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day begins early with a good dose of excitement. Santa has been to add his gifts to the already significant amount of presents wrapped and waiting under the tree. Perhaps this goes someway towards explaining his absence last night.
Apart from presents, we spend the morning calling our families to exchange wishes for a Merry Christmas. It’s strange to be so far apart and celebrating remotely together but the boys’ elation at the occasion percolates any lamentations and there are smiles and virtual hugs all around.
Gifts and calls finished for the morning we get dressed for lunch. Shortly after, Candida arrives and more Christmas greeting eschew before heading off for an afternoon of more Christmas celebrations.
We have chosen Reform Social Bar & Grill at The Lakes for Christmas Day. It is close by, has a relaxed British pub vibe and most importantly, has an outdoor area that is suitable for three excited children (and 6 rather excited adults). We have even pre ordered our meals. I am rather looking forward to the smoked salmon parcel filled with cold water prawns to start; the slow roasted pork belly with broccoli, sweet potato mash & jus for main; and some traditional Christmas pudding with brandy cream to finish things off.
We arrive a few minutes after our 12:30pm booking and are promptly seated. The lawns down to the lake are spread with tables, festively decorated, the band is playing Christmas music and an Elf is blowing bubbles near the children’s playground. It all looks wonderful and spirits are high.
The boys quickly disappear off to the jumping castle, a good sign that they will be entertained for the afternoon. We order a round of drinks and wait for the rest of our table to arrive.
Before long the rest of our party – Brad, Diana and Kenny, then Carmen appear and all are present. Everyone takes their seats. There are more drinks and the adults alternate responsibility to check the children’s proceedings at the playground and jumping castle.
After an hour or so, and a couple of drinks, our entrees arrive as ordered. My salmon parcel is both generous and delicious. Layers of smoked salmon encase a creamy mix of prawns and chunks of avocado and the accompanying capers and sweet chili dressing is flavorful, if a little unconventional.
We settle in for another round of drinks, the band begins another set, the kids have made some friends to run around with and all is well with the world. Santa arrives mid afternoon to spread gifts and cheer. The children couldn’t be happier as they unwrap their gifts. The elf is still blowing her bubbles and the children alternate between new toys and new friends.
By about 3:30pm (an hour and a half after our entree), we start wondering when our lunch might arrive. We ask our waiter who seems to indicate that he will arrange our order for us, now that we have requested it. There are several more follow ups over the next hour and a half. By 5pm, hungry and disappointed, we make the decision to leave. We are not the only table that have not received our meals.
Christmas dinner is revived at our place with McDonalds delivery for the children. The adults wait for our frozen lasagne to heat in the oven. We have a platter of nibbles to tide us over and have thrown together enough items to count as a salad to accompany the main dish by about 8pm. Even later, we eat apple pie for dessert, slightly burnt as we are now rather tired and rather tipsy.
Another rather un-traditional day in our Dubai Christmas celebrations.
Good To Know
Madinat Jumeriah puts on proper seasonal festivities in sight of the Burj Al Arab if you seek some Christmas atmosphere with a Dubai twist. Wafi Mall has a spectacular Christmas tree display and a lovely Santa’s grotto for smaller children who have been nice enough to warrant a visit in order to lodge their wishes with the jolly fat man.
The Christmas meals at Reform looked delicious, it’s just a shame that we never got ours. Even if the meals had turned up (very) late, the celebrations could have been saved and we would have enjoyed the day. As it turned out, we left with a bitter taste in our mouths. To management’s credit, they did do the right thing and refund the cost of the Christmas Day brunch which we had been required to pre pay.
Would I Return?
No. Not for anything festive promised at Bluewaters Island and not to Reform if I can help it. Both were disappointing and neither contributed to making this what it should be remembered for – the most wonderful time of the year.
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