Before purchasing the airline ticket, I checked the pregnancy policy of the airlines.

Etihad allows expectant mothers to travel up to 36 weeks for single pregnancy and 32 weeks for multiple pregnancy. Travelling from 28 weeks and onwards, the airline will require a medical certificate from your attending physician stating that you are fit to travel, the expected date of delivery, the number of weeks and if it is single or multiple pregnancy.

And most importantly, the medical certificate must be dated within 7 days from the date of departure.

Click here to read more about Etihad Airline’s policy for expectant mothers.

As for my experience, they didn’t ask for my medical certificate during the check-in process and even during the boarding time. My only regret was I opted for a window seat. The passenger beside me was not really feeling well and she was asleep most of the time during our journey. I felt awkward waking her up every time I needed to pee.

It is really recommended to choose a seat close to the washroom. In my opinion the best option is the exit row because it is very spacious. Also, do not forget to consider your baggage as pregnant women are not advised to lift heavy weights.

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The past few months have been all about my grinding corporate job. I am new to the role so I have been working for 12 – 15 hours everyday. So you can imagine how exhausted I am and when the weekend comes, all I could think is rest and unwind.

I barely have time to write and I am actually feeling bad about it.

Sometimes in my solitude I realized how silly I am now working so hard at my present corporate role when I never dreamed of stepping up to the next corporate level. I keep reminding myself that the only bridge between me and my dream career is an ironclad determination.

Anyway, enough for ranting about corporate life and slavery.. LOL!

Well, I just wanted to share about my weekend trips as I had been so busy driving to other Emirates almost every weekend for a well deserved relaxation.

Fujairah – It was a great weekend because I spent it with my brother catching up for the news back home. He recently came back from vacation. We stayed in Hilton Fujairah. The property was beautiful unfortunately we were not very happy with the food.

They have a nice bar by the beach. We enjoyed it but didn’t stay long because there was a forecasted storm that day. In fact, the sea waves were getting higher and bigger that it started to splash inside the bar.

Driving to Fujairah

Hilton Fujairah

Hotel Lobby

Hilton Fujairah - Hotel Room

*****

Abu Dhabi – My best friend’s hubby is here in UAE for a visit. They came here for a weekend in Abu Dhabi last month. Hence, it kept me busy as I took the role of “tour guide”.. LOL! They stayed in Al Maha Rotana. Honestly, we always like the soft beds of Beach Rotana. As they are the same brand, we were hoping also to have the kind of bed. Unfortunately, we were disappointed because we didn’t have this soft bed in Al Maha.

Anyway, we toured them in Emirates Palace hoping that its grandeur would awe them.. LOL!
  

My bestfriend "Jeje" with hubby "Mikoy" with Emirates Palace as their backdrop

Jeje & Mikoy in the Majilis of Emirates Palace

*****

Dubai – It was another great weekend in Dubai. I and my girl friends met in The Monarch Hotel in Sheikh Zayed Road. That property left me a very big WOW. The hotel is really striking and I admired most their interior design and the decors. It depicts the traditional Arabic ambience yet complemented by sophisticated technology and chic decors.

The view from our room

Our hotel room (quite messy already) at The Monarch Dubai

The obviously stormed living room.. LOL!

But what made our stay more memorable was our dinner at Okku Restaurant. Hmmm… I am drooling already while trying to describe their dishes. It is actually a contemporary Japanese restaurant and their dishes have really distinct flavour. Hmm… really yummy and irresistible.. There was one dish – a maki roll topped with salmon – unfortunately I can’t remember the exact name except for the last word “volcano”. It really tasted so good (and heavenly…LOL!).

Sad that there is no Okku restaurant here in Abu Dhabi.

My fave dish in Okku Restaurant

Another yummy dish in Okku Restuarant

A mouthwatering dessert

*****

Ras Al Khaimah – I didn’t really enjoy our trip because we arrived very late and I had an appointment to go. I spent the entire morning in my appointment and never had the opportunity to explore the hotel.

Anyway, hopefully soon..

You may think I spent lavishly for these weekend trips. Honestly, I didn’t except for the car petrol. Those stays were courtesy of my kind and generous friends..

My Mum in The Grand Palace - Bangkok

As a birthday treat for my Mum last year, we travelled to Bangkok in April and I had written some practical frugal trips which hopefully help you also plan your sightseeing trips in Bangkok.

To read the “Bangkok Sightseeing Vacation – Frugal Tips”, click it here

My friends decided to opt for a birthday ‘budget’ road trip last August. It was really fun and a grand celebration despite of our limited vacation funds. Our meeting point was Dubai and from there, we headed north.

First Stop – Ras Al Khaimah. It is also commonly referred as RAK (Ras Al-Khaimah), another Emirate of United Arab Emirates and approximately 90 km from Dubai. A beautiful and newly opened Cove Rotana Resort, an ideal place for weekend break, is situated in this quiet borough.

No doubt, it is beautiful and elegant property with great swimming pools and daytime view. Thanks to my friends who worked in this local hotel chain, we managed to get a really good room rate. We stayed for two nights before heading to our next stop.

Cove Rotana

Second Stop – Fujairah. The fifth largest and only mountainous Emirate of United Arab Emirates, the trip was shorter than we expected. This time, and again thanks to our friends who worked with Rotana, we stayed for a night in Fujairah Rotana.

Our stay in Fujairah was a sort of transient because we were actually headed to our most awaited destination, Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay in Oman.

Anyway, in the mid day we drove around Fujairah and despite of the scorching heat of the sun, we visited the 300-year old fort. Then after late lunch, we started to navigate our way towards Dibba, the northern coastal region of UAE. From there, we would cross the border of Oman and navigate our way to the arrival area of Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay.

Third Stop – Oman. Our birthday road trip was well documented from happy and awkward moments. Since none of us has crossed the Oman border, we were really looking forward to this particular destination. We took videos and pictures everywhere which almost led us to minutes of heart attack.

We were trying to find our way to the border. So we were delighted the moment we saw the signage ‘Welcome to Oman’, which was behind the big concrete arch. While capturing our moment to enter the border, the Omani Police signaled to park our car beside their station.

My friend’s partner who luckily speaks Arabic had quite a long discussion with the Omani Police. While fearfully listening, we were trying to decipher what was the problem. We didn’t have any clue at all of what they were talking.

Later we came to know that it was prohibited to take photos and videos in the border. So we were instructed to delete the video file and any photos taken prior to our entry in the border. All the files were deleted in front of the Omani Police. Then another police, whom we believed was the chief, came and wanted to confiscate the memory card of the video.

Whew! You can never imagine how nervous we were at that time!
Anyway, the issue was settled and we were allowed to go. It was a bit dark when we reached the arrival area of Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay. It was awesome and the staffs were very accommodating. They served Turkish coffee, dates (a local fruit) and towels to freshen up.

Half an hour later, our friend came in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Then shortly we drove towards the rough road in the mountainous area and it was an amazing experience. It reminded me a lot about my long trips before in the mountainous areas of Southern Philippines.

It was dark already when we reached the hotel but the beautiful interior of the villas didn’t escape our senses. It was amazingly stunning!

Living Room - Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay

The Sandy Beach - Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay

And in the day time, the place was just breathtaking. If you want to escape for weekend or few days from the hustle and bustle of the city, this is the perfect place to go.

More so, their internet connection is very fast so no worries, you can still take your work with you while enjoying the sandy beaches and panoramic view.