by Candice DeVille | Jan 9, 2015 | sponsors, Travel
One of the best words I can use to describe Dubai is “Surreal”. The way the light hits the buildings, bleached of colour and towering in stature. The grandeur in its clean and tidy splendour that feels simultaneously ancient and new.
Although it has a long and rich history, nothing in Dubai is truly old. The city has sprung to life from the ashes of the old, with the speed and glamour of an F1 racer. It is easy to be so overwhelmed by the final picture; it is difficult to see which colours went into painting it.
Being the history lover I am, learning more about the story of Old Dubai held (and still holds), a great fascination for me. Unlike many big cities where the old sits along side the new, this is not the case in Dubai; the adventurer in you must seek it out.
The obvious starting point, and where I began my journey not long after stepping off the plane (not rest for the wicked), was in Old Dubai. Somewhat of a misnomer, Old Dubai (or Al Fahidi Historic District) is instead a replica of the old style of buildings, alleyways and quarters that made up the earlier Bedouin settlements on the mouth of the Gulf. Many of these settlers were Iranian, and their style of architecture is mimicked in these buildings. Their open turrets providing the first known natural air conditioning, with poles and wet sheet systems.
I consider myself very fortunate to have had the most excellent guide who shared so many nuggets of history with me. Xavier has a real passion for his adopted city, and I was to discover, the majority of the population are all adoptees. With me for the week, Xavier (of 1001 Events) gave a whole new depth to my journey that could not have been gained from guidebooks, answering my incessant questioning with insight and humour. Not only of the historical and economical, but also the idiosyncratic.
Wandering the warm alleyways of Old Dubai, I felt I’d landed in quite the other world. Perhaps it was the jet lag and the warmth, but there was a distinct feel of stepping out of the Tardis and into another realm. Sandstone walls took on a silken texture, colourful enamelware whispered stories and a lone Raven called from atop a towers edge.
A generation of shopkeepers stops to tell me the stories of the enamel portraits, painted by great artists and the brush of a single hair. Pride and awe fills their voices as tales of beauty light their eyes.
by Candice DeVille | Dec 19, 2014 | sponsors, Travel
The Dubai Aquarium and Zoo is a place of wild things and wonders.
I am a bit odd when it comes to water. I love to look at it, I’m obsessed with aquariums and sea creatures, but I absolutely cannot dive. In fact I can’t even really snorkel. I do try, but there is a subconscious gear that kicks in and stops me from breathing so it isn’t the safest option for me. This is probably why I’ve developed such a love of aquariums.
Watching everything swim by as if flying, free and elegant, fins billowing in the currents. I will take any opportunity to sit for hours and contemplate my existence in such surrounds. I sitting in the dark listening to music and watching iridescent jellyfish pulse by is bliss to me.
When I knew I was coming to Dubai, a visit to the aquarium and underwater zoo was very high on my agenda. Seeing the huge expanse of water filled with sharks, parrotfish and leopard stingrays with the cheeky grins, made me insanely happy. While everyone else walked through the inside of the tunnel, I wanted to sit on the floor, with my cheek pressed to the glass and have a bit of a chat with the occupants.
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You may think me a little bit crazy, but there is such a sense of serenity in this I wanted to try and capture a little piece of it for you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a grown up with a thing for the otherworldly, or a wide-eyed child, this is an experience that everyone can enjoy. I highly recommend you take the time to not only see this beautiful display, but also just to be. In the oversized glitz and glamour of The Dubai Mall, this small piece of serenity will make you hold your breath for all the right reasons, as you stop and let this clear blue world float by.
by Candice DeVille | Dec 16, 2014 | Travel
When was the last time you sparkled? The last time you felt like a diamond in the perfect setting, where the light could touch each facet of your face and throw a different colour? This is how I feel right now.
The last two weeks have been made up of the moments that change you forever. I cannot imagine a more perfect setting for my story than The Address Downtown Dubai; my personal castle with a glittering court of service staff.
While the castles of legend overlook a deep and treacherous moat, The Address Downtown plays host to the most spectacular view of the Dubai dancing fountains. From high up on the balcony of the cigar lounge, we watch as light and water interplay in a single dramatic song. The sandstone arches of the Souk tinged with the blue light of evening, the Burj Kalifa presides over all.
by Candice DeVille | Dec 11, 2014 | Travel
There are only ever a handful of moments in your life that make such a deep and moving impression on you, that you know you will never be the same again. Last night this happened to me.
Even as I type this for you I can feel my chest getting tighter and my eyes welling up; such was my sense of awe in the desert of Dubai.
For every film you’ve ever seen or any landscape you have imagined of this golden landscape, nothing can adequately prepare you for what lies in wait for you in these rolling dunes. At once more vast than you can comprehend, yet the smallest ripple in the sand is nature’s perfect and transient work of art.
by Candice DeVille | Dec 8, 2014 | Shopping, sponsors, Travel
Dubai is a city for the sophisticated.
It is a haven for those with a sophisticated palate, a sophisticated mind and a sophisticated aesthetic. It is a crucible of beauty in all its forms.
As I sit here resting my weary legs with the scent of a lily bouquet floating through my room, I hardly know where to begin with my stories of Dubai. But like a true connoisseur, I shall attempt to create each one with care so that you can see them for the individual jewels they are.
It seems the Dubai Tourism team were able to discern my style quite quickly. Before I arrived here I was selected to stay at The Address Downtown, a stunning hotel right next door to The Dubai Mall. From the moment I checked in, there have been so many little notions that this is just the place for me here, and this afternoon I experienced another.
After a morning of touring many wonderful offerings, I took a little time to myself to explore a place that had captured my imagination from the very first image I’d ever seen of it. The Souk, attached to the mall, is utterly entrancing. The lusty scent of incense trails through the amber lit alleyways, diamonds call to you from every store window and your inner Princess finds her head.
With deep brown twinkling eyes, a fragrance salesman beckoned me over to sample his wears and my Princess agreed. Perched up on a soft leather stool, I sat and chatted about the passion the Arabic people have for fragrance. Golden flasks each stood ready to woo me, but I already knew I wanted only one.
“Would Madam like to try this beautiful Rose perfume?” he asked. This Madame smiled and said, “Actually, I’d much prefer something smoky and dark. A rich tobacco.” It was as though I’d said a magic word, his eyes lit up and a single flask instantly selected. With a flourish he indicated towards my arm, “please may I? All perfume must sing with the skin to be true.” Perhaps this was a part of his usual sales manner, but in my current poetic surroundings it carried the perfect trace of fantasy.
There is a truth that appears in someone’s eyes when they truly love something, and that is what happened next. I was enveloped in a heady cloud of warmth and velvet, a scent you could almost stroke. As it rose from my skin I wanted to close my eyes and fall back into a deep leather sofa. I could not resist myself. He smiled at me, the crocked smile of a co-conspirator, “see?” he said. “On you, this sings.”
I have searched for many years to find my signature fragrance. I knew just how I wanted it to smell. I had come close before, but not close enough. The mass produced synthetic perfumes of the big brands have left me cold with their soulless offerings. But here in Dubai, amongst the alleys of the Souk, I have found my fragrance. And even more exciting to me, is that my fragrance has a story.
by Candice DeVille | Nov 28, 2014 | Travel
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I have the biggest packing challenge of my life ahead of me.
From Melbourne spring, to Dubai, then from Dubai straight into winter in New York. All this and only two pieces of luggage allowed.
If I were just doing a basic, pared down tourist style adventure (who are we kidding, I never do that), it would be easy. Instead I need to pack for safaris, swimming, cocktail parties, spa days, conferences, photo shoots and walking in the snow! Organisation isn’t the half of it.
I have called on all my packing expertise and fashion knowledge for this one, pairing up silks, merino wools, layers of stockings, pashminas and scarves, with plenty of bling and one huge dramatic coat.
When you consider that I also have to pack a load of photography and video equipment, this becomes a precision exercise. My worst nightmare is arriving some place without all the proper plugs, chargers and cables. They are much harder to buy in an emergency than a pair of sparkly heels.
The extent of my travel wardrobe is such that I think it deserves it’s own post, but the most important thing I’ve learnt over my years of travel is this; weight. Not just the weight you are allowed by airlines, but also the weight you are prepared to lug around.
Let’s take for instance, that one time I was in Tokyo at midnight in the rain, with two 40kg suitcases, handbag and carry on, no umbrella and no cash for a cab. New swear words were invented that night as I vowed to never again travel with so much weight and certainly not in stupid two wheeled suitcases that failed to navigate gutters and almost cut my legs off!
Even empty, many of my suitcases weigh in at 7 kilos, and I’m not about to loose precious packing weight to some clunky monstrosity. I can thank American Tourister for the most beautiful hot pink, ultra lightweight, one finger-gliding suitcase that will be a godsend on this trip.
