It didn’t take me long to settle on where to go to celebrate my 30th Birthday. Dubai has a special place in my heart. From the amazing people who make it what it is to the jaw-dropping luxury, it’s me summed up in a destination. And we discovered my new favourite place: Grosvenor House Dubai

I flew out with my sister with Royal Brunei – had lots of questions about our experience with a dry airline (so will be putting up a full review soon) which was great. We stayed at the Grosvenor House Dubai in the Dubai Marina area. I’d never considered staying in the marina, having previously always favoured the palm. However, I’m now a convert. From the moment we arrived the level of service and attention to detail was exceptional.

We stayed in a luxury room on the 16th floor and couldn’t believe how tranquil the whole hotel was. The Grosvenor House Dubai is spread over two towers with both rooms and residences in each meaning it never feels crowded.

Breakfast is a buffet in layout only – the attentive staff and excellent food make for the perfect start to your day – or end if like us we landed into Dubai just before sunrise and headed straight for breakfast; haven’t you heard that eggs royale are the perfect cure for jet-lag!

The Grosvenor House is twinned with Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort giving you full access to their beach plus all amenities and it’s less than five minutes via private bus transfer which runs all day until midnight every 5-10 minutes.

We based ourselves on the beach and enjoyed the quiet that comes when travelling to Dubai in August. There’s something truly Dubai about laying on the beach looking out to the Arabian Gulf with a backdrop of skyscrapers.

One great offering of the partnering of the Grosvenor House and Le Royal Méridian is the diverse restaurants available to guests. We dined somewhere different each night from contemporary British through to Japanese fusion. Rhodes W1 was a particular highlight…

Buddha Bar was by far the jewel in the crown of the bar offerings; attached to Tower one Grosvenor House, it’s one of the popular hang-outs in Dubai. The Pimms and Absinthe cocktail is an absolute must try, sounds oh so wrong but tastes oh so right.

My 30th Birthday trip to Dubai was everything I’d wanted and more, with the Grosvenor House Dubai being the perfect base and somewhere I’m sure to return hopefully, next time with Boo as I’d love to see their family provision.

Thank you to Best at Travel who helped to arrange our accommodation and were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. 

Giving birth is a beautiful act, and yet it does not come without its risks. For centuries women have died during childbirth, and, while the life expectancy of mothers is far higher than it has ever been in history, that does not mean that complications cannot happen. Today, however, it is often your baby’s health and life that you need to be concerned about. It is for this reason that you need to improve your health and to change your lifestyle habits even before you conceive. To help give your baby the best chance, follow these steps:

The Healthier You Are Throughout the Pregnancy, The Better

When it comes to your baby’s health, it is best to start before they are even conceived. For example, folic acid can help prevent a variety of birth defects from developing, and by taking it before you conceive you can ensure your baby gets it right from the start. The healthier you are, the healthier your baby will be. This includes getting exercise and trying your best not to catch a cold or worse, develop an infection. Stay in close contact with your doctor throughout the process so that you can monitor your health and that of your baby’s, and make changes as necessary.

Birth Classes Can Help Give You the Tools You Need

Birth classes won’t be able to prepare you for the pain, but they can ingrain the tools and tactics you can use while in labour. Knowing how to breathe and relying on the tactics they teach you can help ease your pain and the delivery, regardless of whether you get the epidermal or not.

Birth Is Messy, But That’s Okay

When it comes to the actual birth, know that it is going to get messy. You won’t have control over your bladder, you might vomit, and general bodily fluids will be going everywhere. It is a complete mess, but the healthcare professionals have seen it all before and it is a part of birth you cannot avoid. The only way you can prepare for this is to let your partner know what could happen.

Prepare for if Things Go Wrong

Like previously stated, things can go wrong. Brain injuries can occur during birth, leading to a variety of complications including cerebral palsy. As you can imagine, this is not the life that you would ever want your child to have. If it does happen, however, then you will need all the support you can get, including monetary compensation. To help provide for a child with advanced needs, contact Minton Morrill Solicitors who are specialists in brain injuries which were caused by medical professionals.

Giving birth is both incredibly special and very ordinary. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years, but today the chances of a successful birth are greater than they have ever been before. By following this guide, you can improve those chances and help yourself have a successful birth.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

Try as I might to ignore the fact that winter is coming – the start of October signals the arrival of Autumn. Whilst I long for hot summer days the one good thing to come of the leaves turning orange is that over the next five weeks we have plenty of fun planned. From half-term fun and Halloween right through to Bonfire night we’re jam-packed.

We’re really fortunate to live opposite a large park in the suburbs that every year puts on an out-of-this-world fireworks display with a massive (and I mean massive) bonfire afterwards. The real perk for us and everyone living on the surrounding roads is that we can enjoy all the magic from our front garden.

Each year lots of neighbours decide to sell food and drink from their garden wall to the thousands of people who attend the park. Up until now, I’ve kept our hot chocolate with far too much cream on top and marshmallows to ourselves – yet each year friends and family suggest I join my neighbours in selling food and drink on the night.

A fair few years as part of the school PTA has taught me that even a child’s lemonade stand seen in Hollywood movies takes so much planning; throw in food and the list gets even longer.

BBQs see a resurgence in November after winning the dinner prize throughout the summer; food hygiene is paramount whenever handling and cooking food but becomes even more important when you’re selling it to the public.

Being safe starts with making sure that your equipment is safe, fit for purpose and clean. Next up is ensuring that the food you’re cooking is in date and being stored appropriately until ready to be cooked. The biggest culprit of germ trails with food is humans; wearing Brosch sterile gloves is one of the single most important actions you can take to reduce the trail of germs which can ultimately affect food safety. Good hygiene doesn’t stop at just wearing gloves when handling food – it’s important to think about the journey of the gloves. Remember when your parents told you not to put coins in your mouth ‘do you know how many people have touched that coin!’. As always they were absolutely right – cash contamination happens when someone who is touching food wearing gloves handles cash and then touches food again; creating a germ trail. I’ve always found it easier if possible to have one person preparing and serving food whilst wearing gloves and another who doesn’t wear gloves to help avoid confusion who handles cash.

The truth is that whilst I’m confident of food hygiene I’m not ready to share the secret of our amazing hot chocolate with the world so for this year at least we’ll stick to clinking our mugs while watching the fireworks from our front garden.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.