Avoid the misery of a Middle Eastern midsummer with a ski vacation in one of the hottest cities in the world.
In Dubai in June, the heavy, hot Middle Eastern sun has reached its zenith. The average temperature is above 40C, the sea is like a warm bath, the golden sand burns your feet and the ubiquitous tarmac is starting to sizzle. But there’s no reason to panic; Dubai – never known to take the status quo lying down – has found an extreme solution to the misery of midsummer.
While most people know the joys of Ski Dubai, the infamous man-made ski centre at Mall of the Emirates, not everyone is aware that you can also have a ski vacation in one of the hottest cities in the world.
Operated by the Kempinski Hotel, 15 luxury ski chalets gaze over the slopes, allowing visitors to watch the bambi-on-ice skiers slip and slide down the slalom or applaud the smooth boarders as they twist and carve their way down. The two-to-six people accommodations come with a fake roaring fire and Nordic style decor, and the hotel’s chefs will deliver five-star dishes to your in-chalet dining room; fondue anyone? If you want to indulge in some après ski, head to Apres, the ski-lodge bar within the mall, for a warming hot chocolate.
Guests also get free entry to the Snow Park, the non-ski slope part of Ski Dubai, where you can make snowballs and snow angels, try sledding and toboggan runs and indulge in all your mid-winter, cold weather fantasies while everyone else is sweating rivers outside.
Georgina Wilson-Powell is the Dubai Localite for BBC Travel. She also writes the hotel review blog sogoodtogetoutofthecity.wordpress.com.