For as long as I have been in Dubai, Al Qasr has been THE place to have your Christmas lunch.  They were always recognised as one of the best and if you hadn’t booked between July and September, then you weren’t getting in.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I called in mid-December and got a table!  I was just being cheeky really and hoping to get put on the wait list!  I was over the moon!

And you know what, my excitement was very well placed!

Welcome to the most Christmassy hotel in Dubai.  Ok, so I haven’t been to them all but I am finding it hard to imagine that anyone else has such a fabulous Christmas display!

And that is just the lobby entrance!

As you go down the stairs into the main brunch area, you see this fabulous display:

Then, the tables are all Christmassy:

Poinsettia – Tick!

Table runners with snowflakes – Tick!

Panettone – random, but Tick!

Bottle of Moët & Chandon – Tick, although I forgot to take a photo of that!!

Christmas crackers – Tick, with terrible jokes!

If that wasn’t all enough, look at the bloody amazing Christmas tree that we sat under!

Have a couple more of this because it was really spectacular!

Just wow.  Without even getting to the food I could understand why people love this venue for Christmas Day.  Everyone was so happy and there was such a mix of people that it felt great too!  What a lovely atmosphere and visual entertainment.  How could it not be a great day!?

Answer: It was just a great day!  No ifs, buts, or maybes.

Mum and I did spend quite a long time having a look around before eating so I missed out on the pork belly which made me a little sad, but they had sausages and bacon so I made my own pigs in blankets!  Christmas lunch wouldn’t be right without them!

There were HUGE turkeys and they weren’t mean about the cuts either.  So delicious.  I love turkey.  If you didn’t though you could chose from duck, goose, beef, lamb and chicken too.  They catered for everyone.  Their roasted vegetables were perfection, and they had cauliflower cheese too!  Amaze!

It my not look like the best laid out plate ever, but it was hugely delicious and hit the spot!  I was worried before I went that it wouldn’t feel like a Christmas lunch but this did.  I didn’t miss out and I didn’t have any washing up!  Perfection!!!

After our Christmas dinner plate which we had planned in advance to be our first, and a small break of course, we had to explore a bit more to see what else caught our eyes.  Rather a lot to be honest.  It was a hard decision what to have next.  I opted for some sushi and seafood, and Mum on the cheese and biscuits.  Both fairly Christmassy so staying on theme!!

On our travels though we also found more nods to Christmas, for example…

The last couple of times I’ve been to Al Qasr I have been a little let down.  It had lost it’s shine.  I am so thankful to report that Christmas Day established it’s superiority again.  We had SUCH a good time and I cannot imagine having spent it anywhere else.

Thank you so much to all the staff – both that we met and behind the scenes.  You made it a Christmas we are never likely to forget!!

P.S.  Sorry this hasn’t been a very wordy post but the pictures really say so much that I don’t feel the need to ramble on at you!!