Tag: vacation

VOSS, Mermaids and Al Badia Golf Club Picnic

by gina dillon, posted in Misc.

real-voss-pic2VOSS water makes me feel like a metallic mermaid or one of those ladies carrying a ruffled parasol. It makes me feel fancy just by drinking it. A little upper-crust, a little high-brow; which is very hard to do because I live in the land of oil, wealth, and excess. One rule of thumb when visiting a place of leisure — if they serve VOSS then it must be nice. So the afternoon I spent at the Al Badia Golf Club’s Picinic Brunch was nice, actually something out of a George Seurat painting. I felt like a character in A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. Leisurely picnicking on the lake with a cascading waterfall overlooking some of the most magnificent greenery I have seen in the UAE. Right there on the 9th hole. I felt like I died and woke up in Florida or some place even nicer.

The Al Badia Golf Club’s Picnic Brunch is a cozy, romantic, gastronomic daydream with red and white checkered table cloths on picnic level tables with gourmet food stuffed in classic woven baskets. The ambience is magical with a guitarist serenading in the background as little girls in princess costumes twirl in circles. Along with the picnic basket stuffed with gourmet goodness there was a large buffet and live stations scattered around the garden. After the meal guests relaxed on large comfy bean bags chatting it up with friends as the kids entertained themselves in the kid- friendly area. I remember thinking to myself that this moment would only be better if everyone I loved was right here beside me. It was a great day. It was a lovely surprise. I truly did not expect to be so in awe of the experience. If you haven’t been to Al Badia Golf Club’s Picnic Brunch. Please go. Do it now while the weather is perfect. I promise you, It will not disappoint.

Information on the Al Badia Golf Club’s Picnic Brunch (hosted both Friday & Saturday) can be found on their website. Just a short drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai’s Festival City you must take the opportunity to experience this unusual relaxing afternoon. Be sure to bring your friends!

Information is as follows:

AED 275 with soft beverages

AED 375 with house beverages

Days: Friday and Saturday, 11.30am – 3.30pm

Email: restaurantreservation.dfc@ihg.com

vosswater

Would you like VOSS water delivered to your home in the UAE? Vossdirect.ae offers a comprehensive list of sales and product information, including prices per size, style of the bottles including high-grade PET or glass. In addition, there is the option of paying by credit card or cash on delivery and also provides estimates for shipping and taxes. The launch of the website coincides with the recently launched home and office delivery service. This new service, offers customers the convenience of artesian VOSS to be delivered directly to their door. Tailored for various consumption events, VOSS’ numerous product offerings can be viewed online, offering accessibility to all across the United Arab Emirates.

For further information or to order please visit http://www.vossdirect.ae or contact the team directly on +971 4 384 6797

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* a big thank you to Shippey Photography

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5 Things to Remember When Your Expat Family Comes Home For the Summer

Featured by gina dillon, posted in Featured, Misc.

 “Gone Girl” was filmed in my hometown…how exciting! Stay tuned for more on this subject.

Whew! The summer has come to an end. And for most expats we are very excited to get back to our own lives. Not that we don’t love you. Not that we didn’t love visiting you. But the summer exodus to our hometown is absolutely, positively, exhausting with a capital “E”. Ever wonder how it feels to be a displaced person no place to call your home roaming from place to place? Well, we do. Not that we don’t love you. Not that we didn’t love visiting you. But coming home is kind of weird.

Continue reading “5 Things to Remember When Your Expat Family Comes Home For the Summer” →

The Expat Trade-Off

Featured by gina dillon, posted in Exotic Travel, Featured

IMG_0012_2Life is a trade-off. I have the Maldives and you have Miracle Whip. You have NY&Co and I’m trying to squeeze my arse into French fashion. Expats do not have Girl Scout Cookies, Andes Mints, and beef that tastes like home. Chili powder, Cheerios that taste right, and good New York bagels. Pork? Forget it! Whatever they do in the UAE twists the taste into something unrecognizable.

We traded a country that operated pretty much like a well oiled machine for a multi-ethnic experience where we only comprehend answers to questions, directions, and a restaurant menu about thirty percent of the time. And since we have no other choice, we have learned to trust people with things that would absolutely shock Americans. 

Yes, we live an exotic life.

 

Which may sound like a dream to some, yet in reality it is a trade-off for things expats hold dear but gave away for the experience of traveling the world and seeing places and things many only see when they close their eyes.

Loved ones die and we are not there.

Families have holidays, weddings, reunions, birthdays and graduations; and we wish them our best from across the globe.

We miss the loved ones we really love, the ones we only like to see once a year and even the dysfunctional ones that cause more grief than good. We miss them all.

But we get to see place like the Maldives, Malaysia and Rome because they are as close to us as Florida, California and Mexico are to you.

Two of the top regrets for dying people are they wished they would have traveled more and they wish they would have lived their lives authentically. I believe I am doing both — but it comes with a price.

Expats trade the comforts of home for the excitement of the unknown. Instead of regular hugs from grandparents, our children see Buddhist temples, ancient history and the wonders of the planet many children will never experience.

But they miss hot dogs. Doritos with the good cheese. Chicken in the Biscuit crackers.

Life is a trade-off. You can’t have it all. We chose the Maldives and you chose Thanksgiving with family.

The best thing about this experience is that we can both live vicariously through one another. Keep sharing your pics of home cooking, family get-togethers, your dogs and your other experiences; and I promise to show you the world.

Deal?

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