Hello my beautiful readers,

I hope you had a fantastic week and an amazing new year so far.

Due to COVID-19, I could not travel to the snow this year. I really missed that winter feeling, so I decided to check into the Kempinski hotel at Mall of The Emirates, with my family.

We live in a country that gives us so many opportunities and the chance to lead a different lifestyle everyday. I mean where else in the world you can have a ski slope and a chalet in a mall? Well luckily, we have that here, in Dubai.

The moment we checked in; we were greeted with the politest staff. They escorted us to the room and when they opened the door to our Aspen Chalet, I was blown away. It felt like I was immediately transported to Aspen or to some beautiful village in the Alps.

The first thing you see is the ski slope, then your eyes wander around to the people skiing, all the way to the open fire. We could almost smell the wood.

The three-bedroom chalet was three stories high, with a private kitchen and our own butler that works around the clock. The dimly lit living room was decorated with a Christmas tree and flowers, making us feel super cosy.

After relaxing for about an hour, we decide to have lunch at Spanish restaurant Salero, located in the hotel’s lobby.  I truly have to say that it was one of the best tapas places I have ever been to in Dubai. It has a cute ambience and made me feel like I am in Spain.

After lunch I had booked a three-hour spa treatment called the “Red carpet Ready.” The spa, SensAsia Stories, had just opened and I was blown away by the place’s architecture and modern artistic design. It was quite spectacular.

My treatments included a one-hour full body scrub, one-hour full body massage, and a one-hour hydro facial treatment. When I left the spa, I swear I felt and looked like a new person.

In the evening, I had invited few friends over for dinner in the chalet for some Lebanese food. We ordered from the hotel’s Middle Eastern restaurant, Olea, and I can easily say it was the best Lebanese meal I had in Dubai. The service was beyond amazing.

After dinner, our butler had organized a private cinema night for us. Since people are scared to go to big cinemas nowadays, because of the ongoing pandemic, this was the perfect solution. They served us popcorn and a fruit platter. If you want, you can even have a three-course meal there. It was the most perfect day followed by a beautiful night.

The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast in our room, and went to Ski Dubai to ski and enjoy the penguin show. It is beyond anyone’s imagination how magical it feels to be in this beautiful winter wonderland, while in reality you’re in a mall in the middle of the desert.

To sum this up, I can easily say that this has been one of my best experiences in Dubai. There are activities for everyone to enjoy from shopping in the mall, to skiing, meeting the penguins, getting a beauty treatment at the spa, or watching a movie in the private cinema.

This adventure is for everyone, and I highly recommend it for families with children. For more information you can visit the hotel’s website.

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead filled with love and prosperity.

Xoxo
Nina

Nina Zandnia is a Persian-Swedish luxury lifestyle icon and a media maven who is based in Dubai. She has worked for major global media networks for over 20 years. She’s the founder of one of the first lifestyle online TV channels in the Middle East called Lifestyle-Dubai.com. She’s also a fashion designer and has housed her collections at Galeries Lafayette. Among her many accolades is bagging a prize at the Great Woman Awards 2016 Middle East. With a following of over 415k on Instagram, Nina has been a key voice in the luxury lifestyle landscape of the UAE and beyond. Follow her @Ninazandnia on Instagram.