In the heat of the desert you can really enjoy a truly magical white Christmas in the city of Dubai.  Enjoy a snowball fight with your nearest and dearest, learn how to snowboard or enjoy après ski in an ‘alpine’ café - just some of the seasonal delights you can experience in the sun-filled resort of Dubai.

Arrive at the highly efficient Dubai airport and within half an hour be in a chauffeur driven limousine with a bottle of water taking in the sights of the main drag of the city.  The multi-lane highway whisks you to your resort in less than 40 minutes.  The advertising billboards highlight the fact that you are in no doubt that you are in a Muslim country.

Oman – the real Arabia

(Please note hotel links should go through to Chedi Hotel page on ebookers.com)

If it wasn’t for a colleague recommending Oman, I don’t think I would have ever visited this Middle Eastern country. It certainly wasn’t on my wish list of places

I went to Petra on the return journey back from India. As a whole the trip did not disappoint in any way, but of everything I saw Petra stands out the most. I saw the sun set on both the Taj Mahal and Petra, and it was Petra that for me came out best.

If you are after a relaxing holiday this might not be for you and you’ll certainly need more than one day. It is generally said you have to choose between the two high points (by high points I actually mean very high up, though they were also the best parts of the visit). We did both in the same day, which made for a long tiring day but to me I’d have had it no other way.

To visit Petra you’ll need to stay at one of the local hotels. Many of these look out over Petra, but bear in mind it was lost for a long time for a rea