When the weekend comes and you want a lie-in but also want to make the most of the day off, brunch is always a good idea. But in Dubai, the experience is totally different to what you might expect around the rest of the world.
In the UK, it's usually a case of eating breakfast, lunch or something in between at around 11 a.m., which items paid for on an individual basis, while in big US cities the hunt is on for a great a la carte meal with free-flowing mimosas for a couple of hours.
But in the UAE, It's not just a casual meal with friends. First of all, it's probably too much of an effort to get out of bed for anything that starts 12 p.m., so most restaurants start the festivities at around 1 p.m, allowing people time to get dressed up in their best ensemble. And it's probably a good thing too. Residents and visitors often end up staying out through to the evening.
That's definitely the case with The Hive Brunch at Warehouse inside Le Meridien Hotel & Conference Centre. Situated neat Dubai International Airport, the venue serves up a buffet of practically every food you can think of, from sushi and noodles fresh from the wok, to grilled meats and plenty of desserts.
A mix of indoor dining and outdoor seating on their terrace, where live musicians play, it caters for so many people that with unlimited food and drinks from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., a party is bound to get started. And with on-theme bees walking around the venue and interacting with diners, plus acrobatics to watch, you're certainly encouraged to come ready to interact and make friends.
With a secret bar and a station to make your own cocktails, every Friday has potential to turn into a wild one in Dubai.
Afterwards, guests can head upstairs to the afterparty which has cheesy nightclub vibes, in a good way. Unless you stay on until the dark hours, it can be quite disorienting leaving the hotel only to emerge into daylight when you've put enough hours in for it to have been a night out!