Nick Rhodes planned 4 days for us in the UAE on the way to a longer trip in Oman. He booked the hotel, arranged tour guides and drivers and arranged for a person to guide us through the Dubai airport when we arrived. I had thought that the latter might be unnecessary but upon arrival the guide was very helpful. The airport is huge and, after a 15-hour flight, we might well have gotten lost. The guides that Nick arranged (one for Dubai and one for Oman) were excellent—they made sure that we saw all the big attractions and generally made very effective use of our time there. The hotel in Dubai was perfect—excellent location and a very nice place to stay.

We stopped in Dubai for 2 nights and one day on the way to Africa. Wendy put us in touch with Nick, who did a great job getting us set up for such a short trip. The driver and guide were so nice and super-knowledgeable, we saw and learned so much on the full-day tour. The accommodations were great and the meals terrific.

We stayed in Qatar for a 2-night stopover on the way back from our 10-day trip to Bali. Nick Rhodes planned our trip, which included platinum arrival service at the airport, transfers between the airport and our hotel, a nighttime tour of Doha, and a desert safari including dune bashing and swimming in the Persian Gulf. The stopover was a great way to break up the 24 hours of flight time between Bali and the east coast of the United States, but the heat and humidity were overwhelming. Our hotel was in a great location near the Souq Waqif, which is a traditional market in Doha. It was pretty quiet during the heat of the day, but was filled with people at night. Walking through the Souq was the highlight for my wife and me. Our boys, ages 11 and 14, enjoyed the dune bashing on the desert safari. Qatar was very convenient for a stopover; we felt very safe the entire time we were there and enjoyed learning about the Qatari culture.

Diane Thormodsgard with her husband and grandsons on a private sunset cruise in Dubai.

My husband and I took our grandsons (ages 14 and 13) to UAE at the end of July for 10 days. We told our grandchildren many years ago they could pick any place in the world for a trip. Dubai was the choice! Although we were skeptical about going there during the summer when it is very hot, Nicholas designed an itinerary that suited all of us perfectly. He listened to our desire to give the boys an unforgettable experience and delivered.

We started in Dubai with a stay at Atlantis the Palm, including exclusive Imperial Club access, after being met with VIP service at the airport. The boys enjoyed Aquaventure and the pool. We also had a Dubai historical tour, visited Museum of the Future, went to the “top of the Burj Khalifa,” had a helicopter ride, and went on a private sunset palm cruise with a crew of four that provided excellent service.

After leaving Dubai, we ventured to Al Maha, a luxury desert resort. What a great experience in the desert with private pools at each suite (boys had their own Bedouin suite), a desert jeep ride, camel rides, beautiful sunset, early morning falconry presentation for the grandparents, and excellent food. Our only regret is we wished we would have spent more than one night there so we could have enjoyed other activities like archery, more time in the pool and watching the many gazelles and rare Arabian Oryx on the property. As the boys said, “this is really cool!”

The next stop was Abu Dhabi, where we stayed at the WB Hotel by Hilton, which is conveniently located near many of the theme parks. After touring Abu Dhabi, which included a tour of the Grand Mosque, we finished our trip with visits to Warner Bros. World, Ferrari World and the recently opened (May) Sea World. All of the parks are covered so the hot weather was not an issue. The new Sea World is absolutely incredible. Ferrari World was the highlight, however, with an individual Ferrari car ride on nearby roads with a professional driver for each grandson.

The trip was a nice mix of history, amazing architecture, and entertainment. The guides and drivers were always early, very professional and top-notch. They readily adjusted our tours (like less shopping time) to cater to our interests. Nicholas was available during the trip for any issues or questions we had. He started working with us to plan the trip 7 months before we traveled and never hesitated to make himself available.

I would highly recommend Nicholas and staff if you are planning a trip to UAE. It was very obvious he has strong relationships with local service providers and is very knowledgeable about the area. We were definitely able to experience a “trip of our lifetime” for our grandsons and us!