Corrie killer's Gulf getaway Coronation Street

 

By Gray O’Brien, 20/12/2008

THE net is closing in on evil Coronation Street factory boss Tony Gordon after his return from honeymoon with new bride Carla. The cops have visited him over the murder of his love rival Liam and the storyline gets even more explosive this week.

PHEW . . . no wonder actor Gray O’Brien, who plays Tony, needed a break! Here he tells how he and his son enjoyed their stay at sun-kissed Fujairah . . .
THE heat’s on me in Corrie—so I needed somewhere hot to escape!
I decided on Fujairah on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates—as a quieter and more relaxing option than bling-infested Dubai on the west, although I'm not sure Carla would agree!
My eight-year-old son Conor and I arrived at Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort a little weary after our overnight flight with Emirates to be greeted by the most helpful and courteous hotel staff I can remember. I wish the girls at Underworld would take a few tips!

We were shown to our suite on the seventh floor and, after a little siesta, were fully refreshed and ready for a week of fun.
We had lunch in Views restaurant, where the delicious breakfasts are also served, and then got to know our hotel with help from marketing manager Kiran, addressed as Mr Kiran. Everyone here is treated to this prefix before his or her name.
He presented me with a “suggested” itinerary for the week and it looked like we were in for a busy time, kicking off with snorkelling the following morning at 9am.
This was my son’s introduction to proper snorkelling and an instructor came with us. The visibility was great and there was a plethora of fish to see—coronet, grouper, angel, puffer, sergeant and moray eel. Not a bad result for 30 minutes viewing.

That afternoon I was treated to an Indian massage which meant being covered in hot oil and tapped with a bag of herbs and plants. I'm told the muscles absorb the extracted properties and I emerged relaxed enough to find that Conor’s “Bubbles” in the pool was actually his first scuba lesson which he thoroughly enjoyed.
Dinner that night was at the beach-fronted Gonu Bar overlooking the Gulf of Oman and next day we set off at 7.15am for Fujeirah harbour, 50 minutes away, for deep-sea fishing.
Our skipper Wayne, an ex-pat South African, took us out 5km to get some bait to hopefully catch a sailfish. Then we went out the same distance again and it wasn’t too long before dad landed a 4-5 kg dorado.
But shortly afterwards, Conor pulled in a 8-9kg dorado—with a little help from Wayne! Conor was delighted although the smaller dorado and I were gutted.
We ate Conor’s fish for lunch, prepared by the chef with chips back at the hotel. Best fish and chips we’ve ever had, but no sign of the elusive sailfish.

That night we dined on Thai food at the splendid Taste restaurant. The General Manager, Mr Patrick Antaki, ordered for us as I wouldn’t have known where to start. The food was delicious and Conor loved the crispy duck.
At Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach you feel like you have the hotel and staff to yourself, and although the 218 rooms were full, it never felt busy.
We took the obligatory short trip to Dubai the next day, all traffic and tower blocks. Not my cup of Earl Grey at all, but it’s an amazing engineering feat with 50km of beach front artificially raised from the ocean floor.
We visited the Emirate Mall and Conor loved tobogganing at Ski Dubai with a blistering 39 degrees temperature outside. A word of warning. Leave Dubai after 4.30pm at your peril as the six-lane highways are jammed for hours.
We went to an Arabian-style coffee shop for a while and to see Conor playing Fifa 09 with three Arabs smoking Sheisha pipes was priceless.
Our next outing was for Arabian adventures in the desert which included sliding around in a very comfortable 4x4.
We watched the sun set over the dunes and, many pictures and memories later, we visited a typically Arab camp for dinner, camel rides and belly dancing.
We were still smiling as we made our late return to the hotel. When I revisited the spa, Conor was well looked after at the Penguin Club, where they have activities for four to 16-year-olds in three age groups.
Our last day was spent relaxing by the pool, the largest in Fujairah, jumping through the waves in the warm Indian Ocean and indulging in our final daily giant chess game, in which I remain victorious.
We ended the evening at the Indian restaurant, Swaad—again delicious food. Conor was asked one evening what his favourite food was and a Kourtney Kardashian Pizza Margarita arrived to an expression of sheer joy.
Before this experience my idea of a relaxing holiday was lying by a pool or on a beach. The thought of cramming so much into a week seemed less than restful but time passed so quickly we both came home feeling fully rejuvenated.
The Al Aqah Beach Resort offers a peaceful holiday for couples and families alike with activities to keep everyone entertained.
I have already booked again for 2009, but for the moment it’s back to reality with more mayhem and villainy in Weatherfield!