Before Christmas I popped over to Dubai to do some filming for Daily Mix TV. I stayed at the Atlantis hotel which is right at the top of a man-made island shaped like a palm tree that sticks out into the sea. (Only in Dubai, eh?) It’s difficult to describe the Atlantis in a way that fully conveys the sense of majesty when you enter the marble lobby, the delight when you see the massive Aquarium that sits inside the hotel so that you feel as though you are living under the sea. It’s also hard to get across to you quite how bizarre and OTT some of the decor is – oversized clam shells jutting from the walls, gargantuan golden pillars that look as though they’ve been plucked from a giant’s wedding cake – and so I shall just say this:

If Liberace had shacked up with the Little Mermaid, then Atlantis would have been their show home.

Not quite to my own personal taste (I prefer the smaller, more boutique hotels) but I have to say that it was a lot of fun. I can imagine that kids would be blown away by the aquarium (you never grow tired of looking at it) and the hotel has one of the best buffets I have ever seen (everything from fresh thai noodle salads to sizzling deep-fried Churros with butterscotch sauce). The pool and beach have plenty of loungers, there’s an incredible waterpark to keep busy people happy and there’s a “posh” adult beach with white beds and a poser-y vibe for those who want to feel watched. (I have never seen to many women wearing thong-backed bikinis. I was rather taken aback. A-back. Get it? Hohoho.)

I’m more of a “quiet beach” person than a “let’s listen to helicopters taking off and landing every two minutes” kind of person, but I can understand the appeal of this kind of resort. You don’t need to leave it, for a start, so if you’re just looking for some guaranteed winter sun that doesn’t require any thought then it’s a good, if expensive, option. (You could try the holiday resorts in Egypt for similar temperatures at lower prices, or Morocco for shorter flight times and some very cool accommodation! Mind you, I’ve done both Egypt and Morocco at this time of year and Dubai was significantly hotter.)

If you want to have a quickfire tour around my hotel at the Atlantis then either click here if you’re reading on email or simply scroll below. Views of the famed aquarium are in my behind-the-scenes video. You can see the full impact of the Atlantis on their website here. Brace yourselves!