Restaurant Review: Al Nafoorah Al Qasr, Dubai

24/03/202505/08/2026wareontheglobe 1 Comment

Baklava cheesecake dessert at Al Nafoorah Al Qasr in Dubai

Dan and I really love, love, love Lebanese cuisine. We have been to some great Lebanese restaurants (including this incredible one in Amman, Jordan –Fakhreldine), and we always try to eat at Lebanese restaurants when in the Middle East. We had one proper dinner evening in Dubai last year on our way to the Maldives. We made a dinner reservation at Al Nafoorah Al Qasr.

Dan seated outdoors with Burj Al Arab views at Al Nafoorah Al Qasr, Dubai

Dan at Al Nafoorah Al Qasr.

Al Nafoorah Al Qasr is located inside the Jumeirah Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah hotel – only about a 10 minute Uber drive from our hotel on the Palm Jumeirah. And like the Jumeriah Al Qasr, Al Nafoorah Al Qasr is a gorgeous restaurant. Having both indoor and outdoor seating, the interior of the restaurant is centered around an olive tree and is immaculately decorated. The outdoor seating is along a man-made waterway, complete with tourist sightseeing boats, with views of the Burj Al Arab. We sat outside and had a perfect table overlooking the Burj Al Arab, as seen above.

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Restaurant Review: Mandhoo Restaurant, Conrad Maldives

25/02/202520/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Mandhoo. Conrad Rangali Island Maldives.

Click here for an interactive map of the Conrad Hilton Rangali Island!

Dan and I visited the Conrad Rangali Island Maldives for the third time in November 2024. We had visited each of the Conrad’s 11 restaurants on prior visits except Mandhoo. As such, Mandhoo was a must visit for me on this visit. Honestly, we had been avoiding Mandhoo because it had always been billed, at least in our opinion, as the resort’s health food restaurant, and we just felt like that was not the vibe we were going for on vacation. While Mandhoo may have one or two healthier dishes than some other places, Mandhoo is just a normal restaurant with something for everyone. We will definitely return.

Mandhoo restaurant seen from across the water at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Mandhoo from afar.

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Cheese Fondue in the Maldives?

01/02/202520/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Click here for an interactive map of the Conrad Hilton Rangali Island!

Cheese fondue in the Maldives? The warm, island destination off the coast of India? Yes, you read that correctly. The Conrad Rangali Island offers a cheese themed fondue dinner twice a week in its Wine & Cheese Bar. This dinner is incredibly fun and very tasty. We highly recommend it at the Conrad Rangali.

Conrad Rangali Island.

THE WINE & CHEESE BAR

The Wine & Cheese Bar is one of the Conrad Rangali Island’s numerous restaurants. The Wine & Cheese Bar offers two dining options: a tasting menu and a cheese fondue set menu. The cheese fondue dinner is usually held twice a week and only seats 10 people. The cost as of November 2024 is $160 USD per person. We love this dinner and do it every year. We also agree that this is one of the best, and certainly the most reasonably priced, “experience dinner.” In contrast, the Wine Cellar dinner is $385 per person.

The Wine and Cheese Bar at Conrad Rangali Island, the resort's wine cellar restaurant

Conrad Rangali’s Wine & Cheese Bar.

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A Day Trip to Ephesus from Izmir, Türkiye: Tips & Tricks

24/07/202407/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

The Library of Celsus at ancient Ephesus near Selçuk, Türkiye

This post discusses a day trip that I took to Ephesus from Izmir last summer on our vacation to Türkiye. I have seen a lot of Roman ruins in the past, so Ephesus was never big on my “must see” list until two totally separate people on separate trips told me that the Ephesus ruins were the “best Roman ruins they had ever seen”! I made a day trip to Ephesus a priority when visiting Izmir.

Ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus near Selçuk, Türkiye

Ephesus, Türkiye.

Was that description accurate after visiting? Is Ephesus the best Roman ruins? Maaaaybe, maybe not. Certainly, Ephesus is an extremely well preserved historical site that is interesting to visit. I think whether it is “the best” may depend on your personal interests and the quality of your visit. In brief, I would absolutely set aside a half-day to visit Ephesus if in the area, but I would not suggest a big bus tour or any “add ons” that many companies offer (like lunch, product demonstrations, etc.).

EPHESUS, TÜRKIYE – A BIT OF BACKGROUND

As a [very, very, very] brief background, Ephesus was an historical city in Ancient Greece that was quite advanced for its time. Located about an hour inland from present-day city Izmir, Türkiye, Ephesus was famous for many things, including the Temple of Artemis, a Wonder of the Ancient World, the Library of Celsus, a very cool site to see, and an open air theatre that could hold 24,000 people! Ephesus also important in the Christian religion, being mentioned in the Book of Revelation and entertaining rumors that the Gospel of John (from the Bible) was written in Ephesus. It’s also located very close to the House of the Virgin Mary a/k/a the alleged home with the Virgin Mary (i.e. Jesus’s mom) lived out her days…

Ancient Ephesus.

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Airport Lounge Review: Conrad Rangali Island Lounge, Male, Maldives

15/04/202420/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Rangali Island, Maldives, the Conrad resort island reached by seaplane from Male

Click here for an interactive map of the Conrad Hilton Rangali Island!

Our first trip to the Maldives left us in the Male airport for only a few minutes before flying to Rangali Island on Trans Maldivian Airlines. This time around, however, we had about an hour to kill and spent it in the Conrad’s airport lounge. I was excited to visit since we missed it last time. This post reviews the lounge!

The Conrad Rangali Island arrivals lounge at Male airport, Maldives

The Conrad airport lounge.

For a bit of background, almost everyone visiting the Conrad Rangali Island will fly into Male and then transfer to a sea plane to fly to Rangali Island. Some times the transfer is immediate; other times its longer. For those longer waits, the Conrad opened a lounge in Male’s Transmaldivian Airlines Terminal. All guests staying at the Conrad are welcome, but only on arrival. There is no access to this lounge when departing.