Naila Kanwal

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  • Visit Aruba | De Palm Island | Aruba Marriott Resort |

    Visit Aruba | De Palm Island | Aruba Marriott Resort |

                       Bonbini , Its time for another travel diary and this time we are heading to one happy island Aruba. Aruba is a Dutch Caribbean island home to dry sunny days and great beaches ! We went there for our anniversary vacation in late august. We had booked our stay at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Casino, the hotel was pretty booked during this time mainly because it was almost end of summer but we managed to get an ocean view room.

    The Eagle beach is right in front and the hotel also has a casino which you can visit , the concierge actually gave us a small goody bag and a cash coupon to use at the casino. We only went for three days , It wasn’t much but we actually had a great time , its a small island there isn’t much to see as compared to Hawaii but its great for a quick getaway. We enjoyed some great sunshine at the beach , enjoyed parasailing , water rafting etc. Things we didn’t get to try were such as the submarine drive ( Doesn’t seem like a good idea for Claustrophobic folks ) the shipwreck snorkel and the famous natural pool adventure.

    Instead, we booked with De Palm Island All-Inclusive Adventure and went there. There is a lot you can do there and its included in the one time fee but just a reminder they do have some activities that aren’t included in that fee and you would have to pay extra. Included activites include snorkeling, zip line ,banana boat, air jumper , water park and salsa dancing. They have a souvenir shop and temporary tattoo shop as well.

    We didn’t rent a car because basically everything was just conveniently accessible by walking. There was a mall and a bunch of restaurant just around the corner. We mostly went to Ruth Chris’s Steak house and Tandoor The Indian Grill House. Loved both of them , great food.

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    PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO TOUR BELOW.

    Photographs

     


    Parasailing

     

    Don’t forget to watch the Video Tour

    Thanks for reading you guys !

    All images © 2014-2018 Naila K

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  • Travel: Vacation In Dubai | Stay At The Tallest Hotel In The World JW Marriott Marquis Hotel | & much more

    Travel: Vacation In Dubai | Stay At The Tallest Hotel In The World JW Marriott Marquis Hotel | & much more

    Hello Everyone ! Its time for a new travel diary post and this time we are talking Dubai ! So my husband and I traveled to Dubai March 2015 to spend our spring break there.We flew with Emirates airline and had plans to stay at the JW Marriott Marquis. We had rented a car from Hertz and it was ready when we arrived. We arrived late night and went straight to our hotel . We had a executive suite on the 43rd floor of our gorgeous hotel ! Fun fact JW Marriott Marquis is the WORLD’s tallest hotel ! When you enter there is a gorgeous lobby which you will see in the photographs below and there staff is so welcoming and friendly. P.S. I didn’t have my camera with me all the time so some pictures are from my iPhone !  I was in love with the hotel , just staying there was one experience I will remember forever. You could see the whole downtown Dubai including the Burj Khalifa right from our suite. I slept on the window side just so I could fall asleep staring at the Burj Khalifa and admiring its beauty ! It was amazing !  The sunrise was visible from our room as well , the next morning we got up and went to the breakfast at the executive lounge which is included if you stay in an executive suite. After breakfast we headed to the malls started of with the Mall of Dubai you will find all the famous fancy brands here. Besides being gorgeous it also has the famous indoor Human Waterfall as well as indoor aquarium and underwater zoo. I know right? Aquarium, zoo in a mall? Yes ! You don’t have to get out of the mall and you can also swim with the sharks while your fellow shoppers watch you because its located right in the middle of the mall ! Oh yeah ! Next up we headed towards the Ibn Battuta Mall , I cannot explain the beauty of the gorgeous art work on the wall of this mall.  Persian court was absolutely gorgeous , they have six courts with 6 different kinds of art work which includes: China , Persia , India , Egypt, Tunisia and Andalusia Court. This mall also has great food and majority of the big brand retailers. Next we drove to the Mall of the Emirates, this mall also has all the high end brands but one of the cool thing this mall is famous for is the indoor skiing ! Yes! I said indoor skiing, Its great so you definitely don’t wanna miss that !

    The next day we were picked up by the Dubai Dune Bashing we took the Desert Safari evening package and they drove us to Abu Dhabi ‘s Desert ! We did the dune bashing first , then they drove us to their location in the middle of the desert where we were to spend our evening.. They have different activities there such as camel riding , henna and small clothing shops. You will also enjoy an amazing desert sunset. As the sun sets it starts to get cold , the hot sand turns pretty cold so make sure to take some light outerwear with you. A great end to the evening with an Emirati feast and belly dancing which is included in the package.

    We also visited the dubai gold souk which is the place to go if you want to buy pure gold after that we visited the Jumeriah beach , its a fun little place to enjoy with family and kids ! You can see some of the Dubai skyline from the beach as well specially the Burj Khalifa ! Well Burj Khalifa is pretty visible from a lot of places heheh ! We also drove around the Palm Jumeriah. Fun fact about Palm Jumeriah Island is that it was created artificially using land reclamation. I included some pictures of the beautiful mosques that were visible while we were driving , sadly, we didn’t have time to go to one ! but I have to say it had been forever since I had heard Adhan outside of my house and I was so happy when I heard Adhan while walking in the malls ! 5 times a day you will hear Adhan no matter where you are it was absolutely beautiful and heart warming for me !

    In the end I am sharing some gorgeous photographs of the Dubai townsquare and the famous Burj Khalifa ! Some people could say its just a building , nothing special and yeah it might look like that in pictures but when you are there it truly is stunning and it makes you go WOW! It is a pretty amazing piece of architecture!

    I hope you guys enjoyed reading this blog and I hope you guys enjoy the Photographs !

    XOXO

    Places:

    Dubai Airport
    JW MARRIOTT MARQUIS DUBAI
    MALL OF DUBAI
    DUBAI AQUARIUM & UNDERWATER ZOO
    IBN BATUTTA MALL
    MALL OF THE EMIRATES
    DUBAI DUNE BASHING/DESERT SAFARI
    JUMERIAH BEACH
    THE PALM JUMERIAH
    BURJ AL ARAB
    Burj Khalifa
    Dubai Town Square
    Dubai Gold Souk

     

     

    Inside Chicago Airport Ready To Leave !

    Arriving at our hotel JW Marriott Marquis Dubai



    Our Executive Suite on the 43rd Floor

    Bedroom Views ! How stunning

    The next morning views from the bedroom!

    Enjoying our breakfast at the Executive lounge . Breakfast with a stunning view!

    Even The Palm was visible !

    Headed out for fun at the Dubai Malls First Up Mall of Dubai

    The famous Human Waterfall inside the mall.

    I fell in love with the gorgeous art of Ibn Battuta Mall !


    Also headed out to the Mall of The Emirates which is famous for its inside ski resort!

    The next day we went out for Dune Bashing !

    At the Jumeriah Beach !

    Around Dubai

    Burj Al Arab

    Some of the beautiful mosques !

    Visiting the famous Burj Khalifa and Town Square !

     

    Video Tour

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    All images © 2014-2018 Naila K

  • Lahori Chicken Karahi

    Lahori Chicken Karahi

    Hello Everyone , today I am sharing another delicious recipe with you , Lahori Chicken Karahi view the full video on youtube or follow the detailed written recipe below.

    Lahori Chicken Karahi

    Ingredients

    2 Packets Of Chicken Meat
    1 large onion Chopped
    7 tomatoes ( blended in grinder)
    1 TBSP of butter
    2 TBSP Ginger/Garlic paste
    National Karahi Gosht Masala
    Shan Korma Masala
    1 tsp turmeric
    1 tsp red pepper
    1 tsp salt ( or according to taste)
    1 tsp coriander powder
    1 tsp cumin powder
    1/2 tsp deghi mirch
    2 TBSP yogurt
    Oil for frying

    Garnish

    Fresh Coriander
    Fresh chopped ginger

    Directions

    Chop and Fry Onions Until they turn light brown , Add butter and Add Ginger/Garlic paste then add and Fry Chicken for 10/15 min then add Shan and National Masala . Add turmeric,cumin powder,red pepper, salt , coriander powder and deghi mirchi. Add yogurt and blended tomato paste fry for few minutes on high heat once the tomato paste starts boiling cover the pot and cook on LOW heat for 30 min.
    Garnish with fresh coriander and chopped ginger ! Enjoy !

     

     

  • Maui Travel Diary

    Maui Travel Diary

    Aloha & Happy Saturday Everyone. Here I ‘ll be sharing my travel experiences and tips . I will start with my first trip with my husband to Maui back in May of 2014 , its been a while but I can’t wait to share our experience , its definitely a place you will fall in love with forever. Lets get to it. Some of the places we visited and I talk about in this blog are

    Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

    ʻIao Valley State Park

    Kaanapali Beach

    Adventure Tour Zip line with Skyline Eco Adventures.

    Snorkeling with Redline Rafting

    Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm

    Haleakalā Crater National Park

    Road to Hana

    Hana Ranch Restaurant

    Monsoon India Restaurant

    Maui Botanical Gardens

    To get great deals on activities in Hawaii definitely shop around , when you go to malls they have great deals and coupons that you won’t find online.. I hope you enjoy this blog!

    Watch the Dubai Tour Video Click Here

    Watch Maui & Dubai Tour Click Here  

     

     

    So here we are arriving at the Maui airport and waiting for our luggage to arrive.

    For our stay we decided to stay at the beautiful Sheraton Maui Resort. Its located right on the Kaanapali Beach with some stunning views of the West Maui Mountains as well.

    We bought a partial ocean view floor plan for our stay which offered beautiful view of the ocean as well as the West Maui mountains as you can see below. P.S  can you spot the rainbow?

    While we were there , we also enjoyed some Hawaiian Rain and a little birdy came to visit us on our balcony!


    Some more views of the resort.

    ʻIao Valley State Park is a must visit , the views and the beauty is absolutely stunning and no photograph can do justice to the nature you are able to experience in person.

     

     

    Relax day on Kaanapali Beach

    We took the 8 line Adventure Tour Zip line with Skyline Eco Adventures. It was our first time and we had a blast . It looks scary but once you do it you will definitely want to do it again! Trust me !

    The next morning we got up early to go Snorkeling with Redline Rafting. Bummer we didn’t spot in whales because the whale season ends in early May! but we did get to see turtles and dolphins.


    If you have time definitely visit The Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm In Maui. It was worth the drive !

     

    We missed the sunrise at Haleakalā Crater National Park but we still drove there to enjoy the stunning sunset. The sunset was seriously the most amazing part of this drive , seeing the clouds below us from above was absolutely stunning.

    The one thing to definitely do in Hawaii is take the Road to Hana , you will see some of the most amazing views of the Island. Don’t forget to take the map with you.

    Don’t forget to stop by the Botanical Gardens on your drive to Hana.

    Before heading back we stopped to eat lunch/dinner at the Hana Ranch Restaurant which provides great ocean views.

    For a fancier dinner date we decided to visit the Monsoon India Restaurant. The views , the food everything exceeded our expectation.


    We also drove to the outlets to Maui and enjoyed some delicious ice cream from cold stone with a great view !

    One thing you HAVE to try are these delicious chocolates , we bought them from Walgreens.

     

    Thanks for reading you guys ! Subscribe to stay up to date.

    All images © 2014-2017 Naila K.

     

     

  • Delicious Chicken Biryani

    Delicious Chicken Biryani

     

    Chicken Biryani

    Ingredients

    • 4 Cup Basmati Rice
    • 1 Whole Chicken
    • 1 1/2 TBSP of Ginger/Garlic Paste
    • 1 Small Bowl of Yogurt
    • 3 Tomatoes
    • 2 Medium Onions
    • 1 Shan Malay Chicken Biryani
    • 2 Small sticks of Cinnamon
    • 2 drops of yellow color in 2 TBSP water

    Garnish

    • 10 Dried Plum
    • Mint
    • Fried Onions

    Directions

    • Chop and Fry Onions Until they turn golden brown (you can take a spoon or two out for garnish or you can fry onions separately for garnish)
    • Add Ginger/Garlic paste
    • Add Chicken
    • Fry Chicken for 10/15 min
    • Add Shan Malay Chicken Biryani
    • Add 1 small bowl of yogurt which is about 5-6 tbsp
    • Cut tomatoes and add leave on high heat for few min then let them simmer on low heat until they blend
    • Get a clean pot add 7-8 glasses of water let the water boil and add rice to it
    • Throw in two sticks of cinnamon and salt according to taste
    • Let the rice cook on high heat for 5-10 min but we dont want the rice to be fully cooked but instead keep it a little undercooked because we will simmer it later
    • Check the rice when its still a little undercooked drain it
    • Check the chicken if tomatoes have been blended the chicken is ready
    • Get a clean pot and add a layer of rice throw in a layer of garnish items (mint, dried plum, fried onions) then add a layer of chicken curry keep repeating it again rice, garnish and curry
    • In the end add the 2 drops of yellow color in 2 tbsp water at the top
    • Close the pot and leave it to simmer on low heat for 15 min

    Enjoy !

    Watch The Video

    Thanks for reading you guys !

    All images © 2014-2018 Naila K

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    Twitter @itsnailakanwal

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