I Get My Kicks On Route 66

Route 66 in the UAE is the Dubai-Al Ain road. I'm not sure it's quite what Chuck Berry had in mind, but I guess you have to make do, no?

Just past junction 50 on the Emirates' version of the long desert highway is the chill-out delight that is the Emirates Al Maha Resort, the first desert eco-resort in the UAE and still the best desert-de-luxe experience of all. Process-driven fun-free hotel zone Jumeirah opened its 'Bab Al Shams' desert resort as a second player, but it's nowhere near the quality experience of Al Maha: we've been popping in to Maha for a day or two of expat long weekend bliss-out for many years now and it never fails to delight, although there's a certain amount of negative pocket movement to be taken into account.

The good news is that they do a half price summer offer for Skywards members and you can also swap those airmiles for a night there - I'd rather do 24 hours of luxury than an upgrade to Heathrow, to be honest. Literally, it's a 24 x 7 decision!

Their network was down, hence no posts for 48. Too busy wallowing in luxury. Sue me...