Today was my 65th birthday!  Where did all those years go?   But what a place to celebrate!

It started well – Lucy delivered me some cards and a cup of coffee and informed me that a taxi would pick me up at 945 to take me to a birthday celebration courtesy of Bob and Daisy, that she had helped arrange.  She would join me at 330 after work.  It all sounded very exciting.  All I knew was that i had to ask for the spa on arrival.

I was just out of the shower when the doorbell rang and it was a man with a beautiful bouquet of fragrant white roses – from Bob!  What a beautiful start to a fabulous day.

The taxi arrived on schedule and took me onto The Palm, the massive island reclaimed from the sea that is now home to a number of luxury hotels and villas.  It’s an extraordinary sight and its unique design means that the coastline of Dubai has been amplified many many times over.  The taxi took me almost to the end of the outside frond, to the Kempinski Emerald Palace hotel website

It looked – and was – amazing.  What an incredible place!  As per my mission instructions, I asked for the spa and was directed there.  The reception staff greeted me with a cool drink and some grapes and after a questionaire I found out that I was booked in for a spa day, to include full access to their hamam suite (amazing), the pools, the scrub rooms and atmosphere showers and to have an hour’s massage, plus a full lunch of charcuterie and salads plus unlimited rose wine.  We started with the massage which was probably the best ever.  I was like jelly by the end.  Afterwards I relaxed in their relaxation suite on gauzy curtained beds and was fed tea, fruit and nuts and small cakes.  I was just on my way to the steam room when they called me and escorted me around a corner in the spa where I found the whole staff assembled with a birthday cake and a present.  They all sang happy birthday to me and amidst much giggling, I had to blow out the candle.  More giggling because it was one of those that relights itself.  Much more giggling when they couldn’t get it to go out as they tried to remove it.  Anyway, such a sweet thing to do.

I enjoyed the spa so much – honestly – look no further if you fancy a day there, and then moved out to the outdoor pool at about 1pm.  Wowser and double wowser.  What a spectacular spot looking back towards the skyline of Dubai across the water – and a gorgeous pool.  Very quiet.  They were setting up for an enormous wedding tomorrow for some very wealthy Indian people.  It was obviously going to be an extravaganza judging by what was being put up.  We have seen such events in Goa, and they go on for about 3 days with a cast of many hundreds.

I perched down on a poolside lounger and got chatting to a lovely Finnish lady and her Swedish friend, who were next to me.  They were also not guests at the hotel but had purchased a pass which gave them pool access, the lunch and rose offer.  They invited me to have lunch with them which was so nice, and we went in together and had a modt congenial time.  The lunch was very good: cold meats – Italian style – cheeses, salads, dips, flans, cold savouries….. it was all very tasty indeed.  And the rose (soft drinks were also available) was very good – a grey Provencal rose, not too sweet.  I had three glasses!

Back to the lounger and some swims and then Lulu arrived and we lay there for a few hours more enjoying the views and chatting.  Left at around 4pm.  Just one of the best birthdays, only bettered if Bob and Daisy were here too.

The only problem was that by the time we got back I wasnt at all hungry and neither was Lucy, so we decided to have a quiet evening in.  Plenty more opportunity for evenings out in the rest of the week.  A perfect day and many thanks to all.