The Insider Middle East

19/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/the-no-oven-christmas-club/

Dubai’s best festive turkey takeaways for hosting without the stress. Cooking Christmas dinner is optional. Stressing about it is not. Whether you’re hosting friends, feeding a full family table or simply refusing to spend the day basting (seriously, who basts?) These festive takeaway feasts let...

17/12/2025

Abu Dhabi is officially in its festive era. Twinkling lights, winter pop-ups, Christmas markets, carols in the air and that unmistakable end-of-year buzz; the capital is leaning all the way into the season, and we’re here for it.

Cooler nights, full calendars and plenty of reasons to get out and soak it all in. December, you have our attention ❄️

Credit: 🎥 orianafindlay on TT

17/12/2025

Celebrate New Year’s Eve at , the Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant, with an exclusive one-night-only menu, vibrant entertainment and front-row views of the Palm Jumeirah fireworks.

Expect powerful Taiko drumming, a live DJ and captivating dancers building the energy all the way to midnight, with the terrace turning into a front-row seat for the Palm Jumeirah fireworks as the countdown lands.

31st December, from 8PM onwards
Indoor: AED 6,000
Outdoor: AED 9,000
Private Dining Rooms: AED 9,000
VIP: AED 15,000

Book: https://www.sevenrooms.com/experiences/akirabackdxbtp/new-years-eve-6655400130854912?tracking=offers-dir

16/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/new-years-eve-2025-where-you-can-choose-your-night-choose-your-mood/

Beach parties, rooftop glamour and unapologetic indulgence. Dubai doesn’t welcome the New Year, it announces it in epic style. Louder, shinier and more extravagant than the year before, December 31st in this city is less of a celebration and more of a full-scale production. With fireworks that rew...

16/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/cucina-the-palm-unveils-a-sparkling-new-era-of-seasonal-magic-new-menus-more/

The neighbourhood trattoria that keeps you coming back for “just one more bite.” Palm West Beach’s beloved trattoria, Cucina The Palm, is stepping into its most seasonally fabulous chapter yet. With a brand-new menu, seasonal experiences, and the return of its open-air sister terrace Acquasale...

16/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/three-nye-parties-three-completely-different-vibes-where-to-spend-your-midnight-mayhem-in-dubai/

From fire-kissed Korean glamour to Italian long-table luxe and rooftop Latin energy, your 2026 countdown starts here. (HERO IMAGE) New Year’s Eve in Dubai comes in many flavours, but this year three venues are serving distinctly different experiences — each with its own personality, pace and par...

15/12/2025

Baghdad at night… not what the headlines show, and that’s exactly why you need to see it.

Music spilling onto the streets, cafés buzzing past midnight, lights reflecting off the Tigris — a city with history in its bones and heartbeat in its nightlife.

Unexpected. Electric. Unforgettable. This is Baghdad after dark. 🌙✨
Credit: 🎥 Saraa.aes on TT

15/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/a-very-merry-christmas-brunch-at-vida-emirates-hills/

Dubai’s Christmas carries its own kind of magic. Loved ones fly in from colder cities, friends gather, wrapping paper fills the room and Christmas lunch becomes the day’s spectacle. Origins Terrace at Vida Emirates Hills is hosting an indulgent Christmas Day Brunch that delivers a long, celebrat...

13/12/2025

Sidi Bou Saïd… the Mediterranean’s blue-and-white fairytale. Winding lanes, bougainvillea explosions, mint tea on rooftops, and views that look hand-painted.

It’s giving Greece-but-make-it-Tunisian, it’s giving artist’s muse, it’s giving main character energy.

If you ever want to step into a postcard — this is the place. 💙🤍

Credit: 🎥 mahekxox_

13/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/new-years-eve-at-w-dubai-the-palm/

Countdown on the Palm with a spectacular Fireworks display December in Dubai builds to the ultimate celebration: the final night of the year. At W Dubai – The Palm, that countdown reaches a whole new level. The hotel transforms into a multi-venue celebration zone, with each space showcasing its ow...

11/12/2025

Iran wasn’t just a trip… it was a portal. Ancient empires, echoing mosques, blue-tiled dreams, deserts that swallow sound, and a culture so rich it feels like stepping into another lifetime.

If you’ve ever wanted to travel somewhere that shifts your perspective — this is the one.

A country misunderstood, wildly beautiful, endlessly layered.
Iran, you surprised me in every possible way. ✨

Credit: 🎥 barannumber2 on TT

11/12/2025

https://theinsiderme.com/a-festive-omakase-experience-at-akira-back/

Bold flavours, skyline views and a seasonal menu that redefines celebration With the holidays around the corner, Akira Back sets the stage for an indulgent, festive experience that captures Dubai’s celebratory spirit. Its vibrant dining scene, with bold flavours, artful presentation, and stylishly...