WATCHING the sun creep up from Dubai’s desert and the colours of the sky turn from midnight black to a dozen shades of orange is nothing short of breathtaking.
I’m in a hot-air balloon and it’s totally worth the 3am wake-up.
Dubai is a glittey gem on the cusp of the Arabian desert
Celebrity Style Editor Nana Acheampong loved the ‘party city’
I spot camels walking across the sands, as tiny as ants since I’m so high up, before a cheetah sprinting over the plain makes me feel like I’m in an episode of Planet Earth.
Hot-air balloon rides cost from £279 per person (Balloon-adventures.com).
Shifting sands
It’s a spectacular start to my Middle East adventure.
Slightly less relaxing is “dune bashing”, but the adrenalin junkie in me can’t get enough of my 4×4 bumping into the side of massive sandhills.
It feels like a cross between riding a rollercoaster and bumper cars!
I take a breather to watch the sunset and snap at least 100 photos, while sipping on prosecco and feasting on falafel and samosas.
Hopping back into the 4×4, it’s time for dinner at a desert camp.
Sitting on floor cushions under cosy torch-lit canopies adorned with tapestries, carpets and brass artefacts on the low tables, I tuck into a buffet of mouth-watering barbecued meats, fish and vegetables, plus rice and curry.
A spectacular show of fire-breathing and belly dancing ends the night in style.
Desert safaris cost from £70 per person (Desertsafaridubai.com).
Aqua-cadabra!
Days here are best spent by the infinity rooftop pool at the NH Collection Dubai The Palm hotel, with its fantastic views of the city’s tallest skyscrapers, plus its long, white-sand beach and sports bar that’s open until 2am.
For the ultimate pool action, however, I head to the world’s biggest waterpark, Atlantis Aquaventure.
Here, there are 150 slides and attractions, as well as a huge aquarium. The lazy river is addictive, and whatever your age, there’s nothing like jumping in a giant rubber ring and whizzing down a flume for a thrill!
Day passes cost from £80 per person (Aquaventureworld.com).
After hours of splash action, I hit Latin-American-themed restaurant En Fuego for a lively dining experience.
Along with amazing guacamole and chips, £16, and Wagyu beef burrito, £29, I catch salsa performers and take to the dance floor, where the DJ performs with a brilliant live band (Atlantis.com).
On my last day, I board a 100ft yacht, which looks like it’s straight out of a music video, and set sail from Dubai Marina for a party on the water.
When I’m not dancing to classic tunes, I’m jumping off the middle deck into the warm water. It’s the kind of experience I’d love for my next big birthday!
Private charters cost from £32 per person per hour for up to 20 people (Centauruscharter.com).
We stop opposite the largest sightseeing wheel in the world – the Dubai Eye – and as I watch its mesmerising light show, I’ve never felt so lucky.
FYI
Five nights in Dubai with Travel Republic, including return flights and B&B accommodation, cost from £551 per person (Travel republic.co.uk).
Hot-air balloon rides cost from £279 per person and give a stunning birds-eye-view of the golden dunes
You can spend days by the infinity rooftop pool at the NH Collection Dubai
Visit the worlds largest waterpark at Atlantis Aquaventure
Enjoy buffets of mouth-watering vegetables and other foods