Dubai is golfer's dream with luxury hotels overlooking scenic courses, stellar attractions & return flights for €669
Short stints of travel are usually connected to
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Ann Mooney went on a three-day trip in Dubai to see Rory McIlroy play
Credit: Journalist Collects
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The golf courses are world-class and the good weather is guaranteed in Dubai
Credit: Getty
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McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course last year
Credit: Getty
McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.
The beauty of going to a tournament of this calibre in
I was able to follow Rory and fellow Irishman
Winning such a major event certainly set Rory up to win the Masters and claim his fifth major title, finally achieving the Grand Slam with his dramatic win in the 89th Masters played at Augusta National.
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It's easy to see why Dubai is a favourite for golfers of all abilities and not just the pros.
The courses are world-class, the good weather is guaranteed and the 19th, which to non
It's definitely an annual event to mark up in the calendar and even if one is not a golfer there is so much to see and do.
Beyond the golf there is a host of entertainment and activities to keep visitors occupied including desert safaris, wonderful shopping and sightseeing opportunities. Being a keen golfer myself it was a dream come true to play golf on the Nick Faldo-designed
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I have never played golf at night and the fact that we were playing in late afternoon made me apprehensive about getting the full 18 holes in.
But as you would expect in Dubai, the course is floodlit and it was such a great experience to golf and watch the changing skyline as the night drew in.
Dubai hotel with world's largest waterpark
This championship course was initially opened as The Wadi, which is the Arabic word for valley in 1996. But it was redesigned by Faldo and opened in 2006, bringing together stunning visual design and the exciting challenges of a championship course.
For me, playing at night under the starlit Dubai sky added an exciting and magical dimension to an already superb golfing experience. For great family entertainment and a chance to play golf on simulators the place to visit is Five Iron, where you can enjoy hours of simulated games on many international courses.
The other course we played was the JA The Resort Golf Course, which I loved as it is perfect for the amateur player.
This beautiful and scenic course is spread over 50 acres and is a 9-hole par 35 championship standard course.
SO MANY THINGS TO SEE
It is a fair challenge for players of all abilities and there are four different tee options providing players with a dynamic and varied 18 hole experience.
The hotel itself is luxurious and built on the
After the round of golf, we dined in the Republik restaurant in the magnificent Lake View Hotel and enjoyed one of the best meals we had while in Dubai.
The hotel is the ultimate in luxury with 348 guest rooms and suites with balconies, three pools overlooking the golf course while within close proximity to the beach and marina.
GO: DUBAI
GET THERE:
Ann flew from
STAY THERE:
The price per night for a medium Bedouin room at the 25hours Hotel, Dubai is €84.
DO THIS:
Golf! The cost of green fees on the Emirates Faldo Course ranges from €114.50 to €229, and the JA Jebel Ali Course is €71
on weekdays and €90 on weekends and holidays.
EAT HERE:
Ann ate at Korean restaurant Hoe Lee Kow where she enjoyed a sampling menu including dishes like Chicken Mandu, Grilled Dak Bulgogi, and HLK Chicken. For more information, see hoeleekow.com
There are so many things to see in Dubai — the
So in order to get them all in, we spent a few very enjoyable hours on board a luxury Xclusive Yachts boat, setting out from Dubai Marina, enjoying a chat with the wonderful Captain Rama, who pointed out the many major sights and attractions.
Time was too short to indulge in my other favourite activity — shopping, and so I didn't get to visit the Dubai Mall, which is the world's largest shopping, entertainment and leisure complex.
Think of over 1,200 shops and facilities, including an aquarium, an ice rink, a multi-screen cinema and a huge children's play zone, along with a wide variety of restaurants and food outlets.
LUXURY HOTEL
I stayed in 25Hours Hotel, which wasn't exactly what I had expected to be staying in Dubai where most of the world's luxurious hotel brands are located.
I admit I got a bit of a shock when I walked into my room, which had a glass surround shower sitting right in the middle of the bedroom.
But that is part of the quirkiness of this hotel, which as the name implies, entertains visitors for longer than 24 hours.
The hotel is full of books, antiques, with hundreds of mirrors lining the walls and excellent artwork, and for chilling, it has Dubai's first mixed-gender sauna, as well as its first Bavarian pub and hops garden.
One thing is for sure, it all added up to a whirlwind trip I won't forget!
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Ann boarded a luxury boat from Xclusive Yachts
Credit: Journalist Collects
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Irish golfer Rory always attracts a big crowd
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