Yesterday I had another quiet one around the apartment, letting the cyclone clear the area. In fact there was no rain at all or winds but it was overcast. Lucy had some workmen scheduled so I watched over them and also took in the food delivery we ordered from the supermarket. It was so well parcelled. The frozen stuff and fresh meat and fish were in a freezer bag and the other grocery items were in cardboard boxes, arranged by “type”. Impressive. We had another Netflix night and I cooked dinner – some fresh grilled sardines on mixed grains and pulses with baby spinach and a yoghurt dressing.

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Today the sun was back with a bang and the sky was cloudless. I decided to spend the day at one of the beach clubs that was offering a special Ladies Day.   Nearly all the hotels and beach clubs do this on one or two days a week – generally not a weekend, but you can find one most days. The deals offered to women range from totally free access and a free drink, to about £30 or £40 for a day including a generous amount of food and drink. They are generally really good value and fun and a way to enjoy a luxe atmosphere without paying top dollar.

Zero Gravity is on the edge of the marina and is a beach club not a hotel.   They offer paragliding and parachuting from a tiny airstrip next door and there is a trendy bar and restaurant, a nightclub and cinema on the beach some nights.   The deal for ladies is that you get free access to the lovely private beach, the pool, very lux loungers and umbrellas plus 1 free  cocktail and a present which today was a bottle of a Swiss facial cleanser.   What’s not to like!!!!! 

I was a bit apprehensive given it’s nightclub background, it might be a bit party-party and I’d be the beach granny but this was not so.   It was a very mixed adult crowd – there is a strict over 21 rule in place here.

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I decided to pick a lounger on the beach reasoning that the pool – which was an amazing infinity layout and glass sided – was likely to get crowded and being near the live music stage was going to get noisy. There were plenty to choose from, most under large umbrellas and all well spaced out. I had brought a beach towel but there were freshly laundered ones provided on each lounger.

There are armies of servers catering to your every whim, even bringing round free iced towels and offering to spray you with suntan oil!!!!!   It was great. For lunch, I had a large bottle of perrier and scrambled egg on avo and sourdough with mushrooms and a goats cheese and pine nut salad.   As well as my free cocktail of course.    The whole lot came to £12. 

It was boiling today easily 37/38 and I lurked under the umbrella with dashes to the sea.   The sea was the warmest I can remember anywhere. Like a warm bath.  Not actually refreshing. But lovely for a wallow. It reminded me of a visit we made years ago in August to Death Valley in California where we stayed in a hotel which had a pool. It was shockingly hot, (hotter than the sea today) and you got cool by getting wet and then coming out and standing in the wind. It was a hot wind too but for about a minute there was a cooling effect. Weird.

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It was interesting to watch the little plane take off and then the parachutes coming down and also the paragliders coming in to land. Must be spectacular over the skyscrapers of Dubai and the Palm Islands.

The clientele today seemed to be a mix of Russians and Italians and there was lots of Insta-posing going on which always makes me laugh. You know….. stomach sucked in, arms up floating a scarf or sarong in the breeze and pouting to the camera….. I must admit a lot of the girls had extraordinary figures and looked amazing in their bikinis. Damn them…….

By 3pm it was pretty busy and the music was notched up as it began to morph towards its evening persona. A live saxaphone player came on and did a set. It was loud, even on the beach. By 4 I’d had enough and summoned a uber.

Really enjoyed my day and will no doubt do something very similar tomorrow.