WHERE IS HOME TO YOU?

As an expat, it’s a hard question to answer. I grew up in leafy Cheshire in the northwest of England. And every time I return, I’m enveloped in a warmth that comes from the slow pace, the familiarity of each street, the homeliness of the house my parents have lived in for the last 30 years. But truthfully, it stopped feeling like home the day I moved out and laid my foundations in London. I spent a few years building my life around this enigmatic city, making milestone decisions against the backdrop of breakfasts at cosy cafés, dinners at vibrant restaurants and weekend strolls at the myriad parks, markets and museums.

Then I moved to the UAE eight years ago, and the process began again. Initially, everything felt less permanent. Sure, I established the same rhythms: my local coffee shop, a favourite walking route, the best bar for after-work drinks. But for a long time, the plan was always to go ‘home.’

It wasn’t until last year that I realised that I am home here in the UAE. It’s here that I’ve built my career, bought my first home, established a network of lifelong friends, met my fiancé… this is home.

But it took me until this year to conclude that home also doesn’t always have to be a place. It’s a feeling that’s hard to pinpoint, but it’s one you can feel even when you’re somewhere new. And when you’re there, you’ll know it. It’s this feeling that’s dawned on me often when embarking on one of my favourite weekend pasttimes – a UAE staycation. And Abu Dhabi has no shortage of destinations for one of those. From family-friendly fun to blowout luxury getaways, you’ll find the very best of them from p15. I hope you’ll feel right at home.

Enjoy the issue,

EDITOR’S PICKS

Winding into the weekend at… Byron Bathers

In a bid to squeeze every last moment out of the alfresco season, I’ve been ticking off a few outdoor restaurants that I still haven’t visited of late. Recently, that meant an early dinner at Byron Bathers, the Aussie-inspired seaside eatery from EatX that replaced Bidi Bondi at Shoreline. It’s a lovely, relaxed spot that quickly filled up with families enjoying drinks in the final moments of sunshine, all tucking into the tasty menu of crowd-pleasing seafood.

@byronbathersclub

– Alice Holtham, Group Editor

Watching Reacher on… Prime Video

Amazon’s Prime Video has so much quality content for adults and kids, great movies and applause worthy original series. My latest fave for downloading and watching on the treadmill is Reacher. It’s an adaption of the popular Lee Childs literary character and it’s an absolute banger. It’s Jason Bourne with sarcastic quips. Peak popcorn TV.

@primevideomena

– Miles Buckeridge, Senior Online Reporter

Getting my matcha fix at…. Nette

A quality cup of matcha can be hard to come by but Nette does not disappoint. There are so many wholesome green tea dishes to choose from like smoothie bowls, matcha pain perdu, matcha cold brew, and smoothies. Cravings officially satisfied.

@nettedxb

– Tamara Wright, Online Reporter