Debbie Robertson

This country has so much to offer! From the hustle and bustle of Kao San Road night life in Bangkok, eating deep fried scorpion or Pad Thai on the side of the road. 
Then there’s Chang Mai in the north with its fantastic temples, buddhas and amazing night markets. The walled city is a magical place to be especially in wet season where the heat and rain create the most amazing storms.
Or try getting an overnight train to the islands of the south. On a budget stay in a small beach hut and enjoy watching the monkeys collect coconuts from your palm trees, and eating traditional Thai Green Curry for breakfast, or the luxury hotels with infinity pools overlooking the ocean! Just perfect!

No matter where you visit in Dubai, its luxury summed up in one city! From the 5 star elegance of my hotel, sipping cocktails from a pineapple while sitting in the pool at the bar. 
My absolute favourite place in Dubai was The Madinat! The most stunning modern but Arabic styled group of hotels, shops and restaurants in the most beautiful setting right by the side of the 7 * Burj Al Arab! You can book afternoon tea in the Skyview Bar on the top floor of the Burj Al Arab for even more luxury! I can highly recommend it as the best Champagne Afternoon Tea I’ve ever tasted. With a private beach buggy to bring you back to The Madinat via the beach for some snaps by your driver.
For the whole family, there is the desert safari! Up and down the sand dunes in a 4 x 4 was amazing, finished by a night in the desert with camel rides, dancing and food afterwards! Amazing experience! Then head to Atlantis on The Palm for a day at the waterpark and Aquarium. The list is endless, I will never get bored visiting Dubai! 

Saariselka in Finland was the most magical place I have ever been! We went with our 5 year old who agrees with this! We crammed so much into our 3 days, and staying only a 5 minute walk away from Finland’s largest Tobaggan run, which is FREE, where any down time we had was spent sledging! We spent a day searching for Santa, with amazing activities such as snow hockey, ice fishing, mini skidoo, we had a thrilling husky sleigh ride, reindeer sleigh ride, met the funniest and cheekiest Santa’s helpers who really do make the holiday from start to finish! We heated up with hot berry juice and lunch in a cosy cabin. We drank in a real Ice Bar, went into a real Igloo and met the elves who taught us all about the real reindeers! Then there’s the main event himself, meeting Santa in his own special cabin was the icing on the cake to end the day we could never have imagined! 
Our gorgeous Finnish cabin was perfect, with a traditional Finnish sauna inside to heat us up! There were so many activities to do, what I thought was a once in a life time trip was definitely the first of many winter holidays to the Arctic! It’s the perfect way to start or end the festive season, whether you have children or not.