Road-Trip: Qasr Al Sarab

Rainbow Sheikh's LandRover

We left AD after a pancake breakfast, and arrived around 12:30. The drive was pretty uneventful--except for the humps (aka speed-bumps) we almost flew over, by the Rainbow Sheikh's Car Museum. I think we were distracted by the rainbow gate, and so we missed the 'humps ahead' signage. We really enjoyed seeing all the camels grazing in the farms along-side the road--what a difference when you are used to seeing only cattle! Additionally, it was beautiful to see the colour of the sandscape change--from white to rust, and from low lying foothills to higher sand dunes.

Qasr Al Sarab was very well signed all the way--although I must admit I was a bit nervous when we were directed off the paved highway onto a sand-road, used by trucks. However, shortly after some smooth 'off-roading', we were rewarded by the sight of the resort, which looked much like a large spread-out sand-castle.

Our Chariot

What a beautiful resort! Made even more beautiful by the upgrade we received--from a one-bedroom suite to a one-bedroom villa! Little A loved being chauffered back-and-forth from our villa to the main reception area via golf cart. She also really enjoyed the really COLD private swimming pool we had (and as a result now has a runny nose), and all of our space. She asked several times if this was our new home, and could be heard running around in circles saying 'I love it! I love it!' at various times during our stay. Even baby N had fun navigating the space (which we quickly baby-proofed for him by removing all the breakables from his reach), using every edge he could get his chubby grasp on, to bring himself to standing position.

Blue Lips

Unfortunately, shortly upon our arrival, Peter began to feel sick--and he joined our little ones for their afternoon siesta. Everyone was awake in time to make a run to try and catch the sunset. It was our goal to try and climb the UAE's highest sand dune--but my 'condition' and the time of day prevented us from doing so. We were also side-tracked by some camels, who were positioned just for tourists like us. Though she is a big fan of camels, A absolutely refused to sit down and be pictured with them. This was the closest we could get her to go.

Sunset and Camels

We noticed how the temperature instantly dropped after the sun set, and just our luck, a sand-storm began, as we were heading back towards our villa. We trekked back as quickly as we could to our villa (and had a laugh as A and I got stuck in the sand) and spent the rest of the night relaxing. Around 7 pm, there was a knock on our door and Ivory, one of the staff, appeared with a delicious chocolate mousse cake for Peter's birthday. Only A and I had the cake, as Peter wanted to be cautious because of his stomach.

I slept very little that night. Originally we all started out in the bedroom together. Baby N was the easiest to put to sleep and made the most of the baby cot. A was trickier, as she refused to sleep with her dad. Ideally, I wanted to sleep on the couch, but gave the king-size bed the 'old-college-try'. Around 2 a.m., I gave up (B3-baby 3-was likely crunching my lungs) and moved onto the much firmer sofa. N woke up around 4:30 and then Peter traded me places--I returned to the bed (we figured that N's yodels might wake her up).

Around 5 a.m., I had to get up and trade places with Peter again. As is typical, we generally cannot spend a night in a hotel without one of our children falling off of the bed---and this time it was N's turn. So, I took him outside to the cabana, where he fell asleep instantly, wrapped in a fuzzy bath sheet blanket. Despite how exhausted I was, I could not help but watch his little face, framed in the moonlit sky. He looked so perfect and sweet. Every time I tried to close my eyes, I had to open them once again to take another look.

Seriously Sweet

A joined us shortly after 6 (and that was the end of sleep-time for us all). We snuggled for a bit, and then moved to the front steps to watch the sun rise, in our pj's and bathrobes. It was so soothing, being buffered in by the dunes.

We had an early breakfast and then walked around to take a few pictures. We returned to the room where N and Peter had a little nap, while A watched a movie on the laptop. A insisted on swimming in the pool once again (even though it was still freezing). This time, I managed to convince her it was too cold (she only got knee-deep before she agreed) and instead we made use of the luxury bath tub. She had a great time with the bubbles (as you can see), while N honed his climbing skills.

All good things must come to an end, and so, we ended up saying good-bye to QAS around 12:30. We have so many great memories and I would love to go back again one day (although next time I will require a free upgrade to the TWO-bedroom villa!!). We had a very quiet ride back home, as both A and N slept the majority of the way home.