Attention brides-to-be: This ones for you! You can thank me later.
Are you looking to have a destination wedding? Well, do I have news for you! Stop looking at all of those other unworthy locations and start booking travel arrangements to the United Arab Emirates! Everything you’ll need for your dream wedding is in the Middle East! Who knew? A recent trip to Dubai opened my eyes to a whole new world of beauty that I was not even expecting. One of the most popular areas in Dubai is the Jumeirah region, which is right along the coastline, and beautiful scenery awaits your wedding and subsequent accommodations.
While visiting Jumeirah, I was graciously escorted to Rixos (The Palm Dubai) Luxury Hotel by hotel industry veteran Tarek Haydar. At his recommendation, I ascended on this beautiful facility already hopeful after seeing the amazing scenery along the way to the property. My task was to locate a venue worthy of a luxurious-style wedding. As soon as you arrive at the property you are warmly welcomed by the staff and you will not want to delay in getting inside. Once in the lobby, you’ll notice a modern art-decoish decor and lavish accents from the exotic flowers to the dangling vases. If you are seated to wait for your party, or just to grab a quick rest, you’ll be approached by friendly staff who will offer you tea while you wait. Afternoon tea is just what you need to pace yourself for the tour of the rest of this resort.
When you walk through the resort, you find high quality amenities throughout and you’ll be begging for more. So at this point, it’s fair to prematurely decide that your bridesmaids will find a home here for a few days while pre-wedding festivities begin. For bridal preparation activities, you’ll find the Rixos Royal Spa at your service. After you enter the spa, you’ll soon see why it’s called “royal.” You’ll feel like a princess as soon as you walk down the corridor to paradise. Once inside, I was graciously greeted by spa manager, Catherine Gerber who made me feel right at home. She asked me what type of service I was interested in having and then she instantly paired me with one of her best massage therapists. I was whisked away to a changing area that was very soothing and at the same time glamorous, in order to prepare for my highly anticipated spa service. A plush robe and slippers were provided and a fancy key locker on a bracelet to keep up with your items. While changing, my dressing room had a curtain that revealed the beach on the other side—talk about serene!
On my walk to my personal spa service, I wanted to stop inside every room! This place has the works! You could almost get lost here; it’s so well planned out to avoid any instances of feeling like being in a crowded space. My massage therapist was the most pleasant and mild spirit you would want to take you to a place of serenity for a great experience. I chose the Balinese Aromatherapy treatment that was worth the hype. This property is a very high-end Turkish owned venue and they do their best to infuse Turkish culture into the experience. There were some techniques that I was unfamiliar with that were very welcome to complete my 60 minutes of bliss. The music was just right, the lighting was perfectly set to the theme of the room and I was guided every step of the way by my very professional massage therapist who had the softest hands in Dubai! It didn’t take very long for the massage to soothe me to a place of semi-consciousness. The Balinese Aromatherapy service I chose included the use of warm aromatherapy oils, acupressure reflexology to allow for a deep release of tense and knotted muscles. This particular massage works wonders for achy joints or strained muscles and is great to overcome injuries.
Of course 60 minutes went by like five and I had to be nudged to get up when it was all done. But it didn’t even stop there! I was next escorted to a room where I was offered a relaxation Turkish tea as a way to setting the mood for when I would very soon have to vacate the facilities. There is also the option of a sauna to come down from your treatment, as well as a pool. Imagine it, you and your bridesmaids congregating in a recovery room after fabulous Turkish themed massages. Everyone will be so relaxed that you can minimize about 65% of any potential wedding drama based on the feeling you have from your “royal” experience at Rixos Royal Spa.
In your planning, you can also consider couples massages for you and your spouse-to-be as the couples’ rooms are very appropriate for the relaxation mood in a cozy environment. The spa offers couples packages as well as some other exotic treatments that are worth trying out. On my next visit to Dubai, I know where my first stop will be! I have to try out the “Slimming Massage”…how can that be bad? The Hot Stone Massage is always a winner as well. Make sure you check out www.rixos.com for your booking needs and for more information on Rixos Royal Spa. Give a shout out to Spa Manager Catherine Gerber when you book and tell her that World Bride Magazine sent you.
Happy Nuptials!
XO
-Kimberly Hayes