Room 400: Bed, Bath and Beyond

And you thought I’d only be showing pictures of sand and dunes!

Yes, of course, there’s more of those to come, but allow me to show you Room number 400  of Qasr al Sarab for a change …

A very traditional entrance to a five star room.  We were led by a very well-groomed Filipina staff, who’s uniform closely resembled that of Emirates Airlines’ cabin crew.  I felt sweet tingles down my spine as we closely approached; I was filled with excitement to discover what lay behind that heavy door.

This traditional door, however, had a very modern way of unlocking it …

When I tried it myself, it took several swipes before the door unlocked.  That’s quite natural, of course, since one does not have such inconvenient system at one’s own home.  Nevertheless, it felt absolutely good to swipe the card and then enthusiastically anticipate to hear the lock click.  Or un-click.  It was fun.  And it made me happy.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think one had to swipe the card.  One had to simply place the card on top of the censor.  Why then had it taken me several attempts to unlock the door?

And the room.  Oh, the room!

I doubt if there is anything more comforting than climbing into a clean, well-made bed (done by someone else, naturally).

I’ve been wanting a room like that since my 16th week of gestation in my mother’s warm, nurturing womb.  “Can we redecorate our bedroom to make it look exactly like this?”  I asked Masood.  Being the intelligent man that he is, my husband chose not to answer.

In the picture below, you’ll notice the mirrors on the left.  Initially I thought it was a closet, but it’s actually just a wall and they didn’t want to keep it bare.  I liked the idea …

And notice how the smaller pillows are gone?  Well, someone came in to remove them (we would later find that they were kept in one of the closets), placed water bottles and glasses on the side tables, and replaced the coffee and creamer that we’d used earlier.

And we found a prayer rug too …

A bulb lit up from inside the closet when I slid the door open.  That was interesting.  I felt like I opened a fridge.  I played with the door a few times.  Inside, there were two robes and slippers that were made from the softest material ever to touch human skin.  There were three different types of clothes hanger, a complimentary shoe-shine kit, a steam iron, and an ironing board.

Oh, and behind that closet was the bathroom and there’s a separate door for that same closet which you can open from the back!  Amazing.  Exceptionally brilliant idea.  You walk into the bathroom, take a shower, slide the door to the closet open, and get your clothes. It also means that whilst you’re in there – doing your business – some one can actually use the closet to walk into the bathroom.

Okay, enough of the bathroom.

I failed to mention straight away, due to my fervid need to show you the bed and bath, that there was a flat screen T.V. in the room, with a welcome message on the screen that said “Marhaba, Nadia!”  I didn’t let Masood touch the remote, lest he puts some channel on and my personalized welcome message would be forever gone.

There was free wireless internet connection, although I would never suggest that anyone bring their laptops with them.  You wouldn’t want to be glued to your screens reading blogs in such a romantic place now, would you?  Or worse, trying to update your Facebook status and uploading the picture you recently took of yourself facing the bathroom mirror.

Ok, let’s go back to the bathroom because I’m excited to show you the bath tub …

Oh, but before the tub, let me show you the washbasins first – his and hers.  For the first time in our married lives, Masood and I had the chance to have our separate washbasins.  It was a delightful experience.  He used his washbasin – the one closest to the tissue box – while I picked the one closest to the toiletries and hair dryer.  But I used his side though, so mine would remain nice and dry …

And there was this mirror that told you the truth by magnifying each wrinkle and black head …

Then there was the resort’s highly-advertised rain shower from Morocco although, quite frankly, I did not see what the entire fuss was about …

Okay, so the shower head was slightly bigger than the regular ones and it was attached directly overhead … so?  I guess I was expecting something much bigger.  I enjoyed it –  as a shower, that is – but it didn’t feel like rain at all.

What I enjoyed most was their over-sized bathtub!  I could’ve spent my entire lifetime in there …

It doesn’t look that big in the picture, but believe me, that tub could comfortably fit three adults and two ten-year-old kids! And there would still be enough space to squeeze in a few rubber duckies.

I stayed in there for hours and refused to go out or do anything else.

Alas, but this was only a 24-hour stay.  If I remain submerged in the wonderful hot bath for twenty hours, the remaining four hours would not be enough for me to see the rest of the resort.

Reluctantly, I pulled myself out from the comfort of the warm water and explored what lay beyond the glass doors of the room …

Such a perfect place to spend the rest of your life in.