We have a 10 hour layover in Dubai. Unfortunately, as this layover happens during the evening and into the wee hours of the morning, we couldn’t justify leaving the airport and going into the city. We did splurge a little and booked a room at the Dubai International Hotel (http://www.dih-dca.com/dihnew/default.aspx) at the airport.

We were more than a little pleasantly surprised when we walked into the airport terminal. There to meet us was a representative of the hotel holding a welcome sign with our name on it. This person even expedited our trip through security screening and escorted us to the hotel, through check-in, and to our room. The room is “Holiday Inn +” and thus, featured all the amenities you would expect of this type of establishment; including free in-room WiFi, big screen TV, and even a complimentary fruit basket. Our room even has a large window overlooking the main concourse of the terminal.

The real pleasant surprise was that the hotel features a smoking lounge adjacent to the lobby bar with comfy chairs, big screen TV, a view overlooking the concourse, and even drink service. And better yet, there were no restrictions on cigar smoking! So, before heading back to our room to post to this blog, I enjoyed my first “Dubai Cigar” in the lounge; a Camacho Perfecto #2. Unfortunately, there were no other cigar smokers there but I did manage to meet a few fellow travellers and ended up giving a mini-cigar 101 talk for them.

First “Dubai Cigar”

For those who know me; you might get a kick out of knowing the room comes with a complimentary Prayer Mat.

Complimentary Prayer Mat

That’s it for now; time to grab some sleep before our next 8 hour flight into Johannesburg.