Doing the ‘downward dog’ in Dubai

If there is anything funnier than practising yoga in the ocean, rocking gently on a big floaty paddle board in the warmth of the mid-day sun, I have yet to experience it.

SUP Yoga – short for Stand-up Paddle Board Yoga – is a growing trend in warm countries around the world and is already a favourite of celebs like Jennifer Aniston, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that it’s now available at Dubai’s swish Jebel Ali Golf Resort, which has its own water-sports centre on a glorious stretch of private sandy beach.

Guests need to book at least a week or two in advance and ideally they need to get a group of six together to persuade instructor Camilla to drive all the way out to the resort.

It’s worth the effort if the session is half as delightful as ours; even though none of us had been on a paddle board before – and a couple were new to yoga – four out of six of us quickly found our balance and were able to manage all of the postures. Only one toppled into the (slightly chilly) water.

After the exercise we felt we’d earned our meal that night on Bateaux Dubai, a dinner cruise in a glass boat along the Dubai Creek. The food was surprisingly delicious from the Arabian mezzeh with a modern twist to the melt-in-your-mouth lamb.

Tourism to Dubai is booming, especially at this time of year when it’s one of the closest destinations offering almost guaranteed sunshine. The fact that it’s clean, safe and offers an abundance of top quality hotels add to its appeal.

Dubai is not a cheap destination, however, so tour operators are delighted with the opening this month of the first four-star beach hotel, the Ocean View (see review). So far, it appears to be doing a good job of luring the family market to the United Arab Emirate.

It’s easy to see why kids and teenagers would love this place, there are so many activities from water-sports to camel rides to desert safaris for them to enjoy – not to mention the über luxe shopping.

The Dubai Mall, the UAE’s biggest shopping centre, is so enormous it’s easy to spend a day there, but it’s worth tearing yourself away to visit the traditional souks. The shops in the malls are only the same as in the UK anyway, but slightly more expensive, whereas in the Gold Souk you might pick up a bargain, especially if you’re prepared to haggle.

Head to to the tiny Bastakiya old quarter where you can also shop for gold, leather, traditional oil lamps and jewelled slippers down narrow alleyways. It’s here that you can still see the original coral and gypsum houses with wind towers to keep them cool, the last remaining section of the original city wall, built in 1800, and the Dubai Museum where you can learn about the history of the United Arab Emirate.

If you like, you can take a guided tour of the area, but it’s easy to get a taxi from your hotel (they’re pretty cheap) and walk around yourself. Dip into the shady courtyard of the XVA hotel for a mint lemonade or a plate of mezzeh for lunch and you’ll feel like the clock has rolled back at least 50 years, to the time before the city was dominated by glass skyscrapers, black and white 4x4s and multi-lane highways.

These days it’s easy to forget that Dubai rose like Las Vegas out of the desert, but the sand dunes and camels are still only a 30-minute short drive away. Adrenaline junkies will love the sunset desert safari, where 4x4s will throw you over the dunes like roller-coasters – the louder you scream the faster they drive – stopping to snap the setting sun before depositing you at a Bedouin-style camp for a brief ride on a (grumpy) camel, a buffet dinner, belly-dancing and paint henna on your hands if you want it.

Dubai is a city of superlatives: here you can go to the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, stay at the world’s first (self-appointed) seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab, play golf on one of the world’s best courses, ski in the first indoor resort in the Middle East – or simply lie on a paddle board in the bluest of seas.

Read this week’s hotel review, the Ocean View here.