Out and About #2

So you start a new series on your blog about all the exciting stuff you do during the week and then what happens? You end up doing naff all, that's what. I'll try my very best to make the next edition eventful but for now, let me cobble together a few highlights.

The Picnic Brunch at 3 in 1/Vida Downtown

How quaint I thought. A brunch that involves a whicker basket, a blanket and sharing plates! I booked for two and headed there for the 1pm start time on Friday.

Vida is one of my favourite hotels in Dubai. It's more understated (read: tasteful) than the average with the decor peppered with natural materials and greenery. It also generally serves up great grub, with both Toko and La Serre (one of my favourites) also housed within the property.

3 in 1 is the all-day dining buffet restaurant and the home for the Picnic Brunch. Now there were a few things that were apparent as soon as I arrived:

• The dress code, stated in the booking confirmation email, is total BS. Closed toe shoes and no shorts my arse. People were wandering around barefoot and there were plenty of shorts from both male and female guests alike.
• The picnic idea, complete with whicker basket, is a little pointless. Unless you have reserved a cabana (100 AED extra) by the pool and are therefore located far from the buffet, there is no reason for you to cart your food and drink in a basket to your table. For us it would have been less than 10 steps distance so we would have looked like right numpty's loading up our whicker for the "long" trip back to the table.
• It's pretty confusing - so you have the buffet, you have a wine selection (where you can just pick up entire bottles and take them to your table by the way...talk about a highlight!) and then you have these "chef baskets". These are not baskets, just a selection of sharing dishes. But here's the thing, you can't just order one dish - you end up with all of them. So say you want the chicken skewers - and only the chicken skewers...well tough luck. You'll get them as well as the seafood selection. It's designed to be family style and I get that but it also leads to so much waste.

Having said all this I really enjoyed this brunch. It's relaxing, with a mix of couples, small groups and larger parties and unlike the Iris brunch I talked about last week, the food is plentiful and great quality. It's also not ridiculously overpriced - 2 of us (1 alcohol/1 non-alcohol) was 560 AED in total. That's not bad. I have been to brunches that cost that per person so for those seeking a casual brunch with lots of sharing plates and a good wine selection, 3 in 1 would be a good choice.

Shoe shopping at Level Shoe District

I often find myself in Level - the world's largest shoe shop - within Dubai Mall. I don't often buy anything because the brands tend to be high end as oppose to affordable but I do like to try :)

At the moment I am obsessed with the Miu Miu leather slip-ons. I saw them on the MyTheresa website and liked them for two reasons:

• They have a pointed toe with metal detail
• They are a great casual shoe to be worn with cropped black trousers (I have these ready and waiting) and a nice, attainable alternative to the Chanel espadrille which I flat out refuse to pay for.

Sadly during this trip they were not in stock in my size but I saw them in person and they were far more elegant than the photos on the MyTheresa website would lead you to think. I cannot wait to get them…just looking for a reason to reward myself now :)

Ali McGraw Yoga Mind & Body

I first used this yoga video about 10 years ago. I think I actually owned the VHS version of it!

Thank Goodness for YouTube because now I have this in my life again as of this week.

There is something magical about Yoga Mind and Body. It is the most relaxing routine out there with beautiful cinematography and an easy, achievable flow that anyone can get started with. I have been doing this every couple of days, typically at the end of the day, and it's 50 minutes well spent.

The strong soundtrack and soothing voice of yogi Eric Shiffman who leads the practice takes some getting used to - prepare for housemates/loved ones to take the mickey - but stay with it! If you haven't done any yoga for a while this is a welcome reawakening.

And that's my highlights…what did you get up to this week? Any yoga video recommendations?

I'm off for walkies now - have a great weekend all!