For my boyfriend Alex’s birthday I took him for a little trip to Hatta in the UAE. Just over a ninety minute drive away from Dubai, it’s a scenic trip inland pretty close to the Omani border. The drive over is insanely beautiful through the undulating mountain side and seriously reminded me of my holiday to Oman back in March this year. Still not over the beauty of Oman.

We were staying at the JA Hatta Fort Hotel and we checked in around 4pm. Such a beautiful resort with a lovely room, I do recommend this hotel if you’re wanting to stay over in Hatta.

When we got to the room we sat on the balcony with a glass of wine to kick off the birthday celebrations watching the sun set behind the mountain side.

That evening we went for dinner in the hotel. To start with I had the king prawn and crab salad and Alex went for the lentil soup.

For main I had the seafood risotto which was absolutely stunning. I’m not a huge risotto fan but this was filled to the brim with fresh fish, prawns, mussels and scallops in a lobster bisque. A dish that really had my name written all over it, and Alex went for the fillet steak.

After dinner we went up to the hotel bar and sat outside on the balcony for an espresso martini night cap.

The next morning we woke up and went for breakfast in the hotel. Sat outside having freshly squeezed orange juice and English breakfast tea filling up with the sun shining down was a perfect way to kick start his birthday.

After a leisurely breakfast, we went to pack up our belongings and check out. The hotel has an abundance of activities that you can do and we had a round of mini golf before walking up Al Raha to check out the view.

Not a wise decision in the baking heat but nice to check out the view and see the ginormous HATTA sign built into the hillside just like the one in the Hollywood Hills in LA.

We wandered back down and jumped in the car to grab a morning coffee and make our way over to Hatta Dam which was the whole point of our trip.

The old village of Hatta includes two prominent military towers from the 1880s, a Fort from 1896 and the Juma mosque, which was built in 1780 and is the oldest building in Hatta. The traditional water supply was through the falaj system, which also has been restored. Since it is located in the mountains, traditionally it was the summer habitation of Dubai-based families escaping the heat and humidity of the coast. Since the early 1980s, Hatta has been a popular destination for adventuring western immigrants and local families alike ‘wadi bashing’ through the tracks between Hatta, Mahdah and Al Ain.

We parked up the car and went to purchase a double kayak to take out on to the water. What’s lovely is that there is no time limit so you can take as long as you want out on the water.

A great way to top up your tan if you ask me! Not that I tan very well, but you get the picture…

The scenery was absolutely stunning. So natural with beautifully blue waters against the dusty mountain side.

We kayaked around for a good hour chatting away, soaking up the sun and trying to explore every ounce of the water.

Around one corner was even a kind of caravan site with around eight different camper vans spread out with verandas. It looked a great place to stay if you’re thinking of venturing to Hatta! A perfect spot for stargazing too.

We returned our kayaks and walked up and out on the bridge to admire the view before beginning the journey back to Dubai.

It was such a perfect staycation, so nice to venture out of the city and skyscrapers of Dubai and experience some of the natural beauty that the UAE really does have to offer. I need to make the most of the seven emirates of the UAE and explore them all. It’s not just the glitz and glamour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi like everyone thinks here.

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