Then we jetted off to the beautiful Maldives for a few days' R&R which, as you'll discover, was much needed after a rather dramatic transit experience...
- Abu Dhabi<p> After qualifying we were taken down trackside to do a pit lane walk. It is so exciting to be so close to the cars and see the pit crews working on them for the race. You can smell the fumes from the cars and really feel the tension this close up. After the race, there are always amazing concerts for the race fans. This year Sir Paul McCartney was the headline act. He wowed the audience, playing all his big hits, and the band was on fire too.</p>
- Abu Dhabi<p> After the race we went to the post-race Amber Lounge party which was heaving with racing drivers fresh from the track and girls n’ guys dressed-to-impress. We didn’t just dance, we were bouncing over the couches in bare feet to the tunes of world famous DJ Jackie from St Tropez. We manage to make a bit of a dent in our table’s magnums of Crystal and vodka… ooops: this is how I like to partaaaaaaaay!</p>
- The Maldives<p> After the post grand prix Amber Lounge party, we ended up setting the alarm for 45-minutes sleep for the second part of our trip at the glorious Reethi Rah Resort in the Maldives. Of course when I heard my phone alarm go off at 7:20am I hit snooze, rolled over and fell right back into a wonderful deep sleep. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I’ll never know what made me open my eyes again at 8:20am with just one hour until our flight was due to take off!!!! To this day we have no idea how we managed to get packed and make it to the terminal. After such a hectic departure and a three hour flight it was time to recharge our batteries. When we arrived at the capital, Male, we were collected by a private boat that transported us to Reethi Rah. The journey was 75 minutes long and we were lucky enough to take it at sunset.</p>
- The Maldives<p> We nearly fell over when we saw our villa and this view. In the interests of writing a thorough and informative travelogue I made sure I studied these surroundings avidly during our stay. As they say, it’s a tough job… The island is lush with vegetation and guests get around on electric golf buggies or push bikes.</p>
- The Maldives<p> While I was napping in the sun (I mean hard at work writing this piece) Kris enjoyed activities like boxing by the sea, water-skiing and beach volleyball.As this was our first trip away without Ethan, I had good intentions of reading a novel (not something I’ve had the time or concentration to do in recent months). In honesty, my book really only moved from my bag to the bedside table and back again when it was time to pack – there were just too many other things to do to occupy my time.</p>
- The Maldives<p> While we were at the One and Only Reethi Rah resort Kris and I took part in a Northern Italian cooking class with Chef Giorgio Locatelli. It is truffle season in Italy, so Chef Locatelli had carried some white truffles to the island by hand. He explained that truffles are best eaten as soon as they are sourced – the sooner the better for freshness. Truffles in Italy are found with the use of a special hunting dog (the French use hunting pigs).</p>
- The Maldives<p> Chef Locatelli taught us how to hand make three kinds of pasta, then we made three different white truffle sauces to go with them. It was so delicious, and very filling. I actually had to have a lie down after our lunchtime class!</p>
- The Maldives<p> On our last day the General Manager, Mark, and his wife, Napha, invited us to go on a Castaway picnic lunch. The invitation said ‘grab your bathing suits, snorkel equipment, hats and sun block, and join us for an afternoon of fun in the sun on our picnic island Olhahali’. Who could resist? We flew there by seaplane which neither Kris nor I had experienced before.</p>
- The Maldives<p> It was great to see our island from above and the rest of the Atoll by air. When we landed at Olhahali, the pilot reversed the seaplane to the sand, so we literally just stepped off the plane onto the beach where a glass of Champagne was waiting for us! We enjoyed a beautiful lunch of sushi, fresh seafood, salads, fresh cooked pasta and a BBQ!</p>
- The Maldives<p> We then played volleyball on the beach (well, I sat on the sidelines and umpired because I’m not that good at sports) and got some snorkeling in before piling back in the seaplane and traveling back to our own island. It was one of the best days I have ever had.</p>
- Abu Dhabi<p> On the way home we treated ourselves to a stopover at the Shangri La Hotel Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi. It is one of the most incredible hotels I have seen and is not only famous for its architecture and view, but its buffet too. So, being real troupers, we landed just after midnight, checked into the hotel, slept, woke to buffet breakfast, napped by the pool, rolled straight on to buffet lunch, then showered and changed with a drink at the bar before departing for our Etihad flight to Melbourne! I will say I made sure I thoroughly tested the food for this travel story - well that is my excuse for the four kilos I wracked up during this one-week holiday!</p>
- Abu Dhabi<p> My view from the seaside at the Shangri La Hotel Qaryat Al Beri. This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it. I took a couple of hot summery-coloured Zoya nail polishes with me on holiday and it wasn't until I painted my nails that I looked at the name of this particular colour. It’s called ‘Kylie’!!!</p>
- Abu Dhabi<p> We stayed at the Crown Plaza Yas Island Hotel, right on the Yas Marina Circuit, and could look down from our hotel room onto the track. What a great way to get into the F1 mood! As guests of Etihad, Kris and I enjoyed their private F1 Paddock Club Suite where we were wined and dined and got to meet the other guests.</p>
For more musings from Ms Minogue, visit her MyDaily editor page.
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