Traveling, for me, is a way of getting away from the usual rush of daily life. My favorite destinations to visit are ones that make me feel like I’m a world away. After taking the Accor Travel Personality Test, it was confirmed that I’m definitely The Escapist. I love to escape into something very different from my reality. Life in Dubai is beautiful, luxurious, fun and always exciting, but sometimes I just want to get away and be in a serene, calm and simple place. Over the past few years, I’ve been noticing that my travel choices have been mainly to beach cities and tropical places.

My husband and I always travel with our little ones (Khalifa- age 4 and Jude age 1), so when it comes to traveling, we carefully choose locations that are kid-friendly, but also have plenty of fun options for the two of us. In addition to that, we also try to choose hotels that have spacious suites, since we don’t want to feel confined to a small space— especially with two kids that love to run around. I love staying at Accor hotels for this very reason!

Here are some of the places that we like to escape to:

1. Phuket, Thailand
Phuket is one of my favorite destinations to visit and even if I visited it on a yearly basis, I wouldn’t ever get bored of it! Its a wonderful mix of beach and small city life— this means that we can go to enjoy the secluded tropical beaches, but also not feel like we’ll miss out on any fun.

2. Koh Samui, Thailand
Koh Samui is a lot quieter than Phuket, and when we go there, we purely go to enjoy the luxurious resort villas and the private beach front access they offer. Its one of the best places to go to when you just want to relax.

3. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
KL is a lot like our city, Dubai, in many ways— there are lots of modern high-rise buildings, shopping malls and it has a very cosmopolitan feel. I love the convenience of traveling there with children because of this. One very stark difference between Dubai and KL, however, is that KL is tropical and it has a beautiful Asian charm to it!

4. Every so often, when we aren’t able to completely escape to a remote island, we love to do staycations here in the UAE. Along with several others, one of my favorite city getaways in Abu Dhabi is the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche. It’s incredibly elegant, in a central location and the rooms and suites are spacious for our family. We always choose suites that face the beautiful blue waters of the Abu Dhabi Corniche. On weekends, (sometimes when we’re not staying overnight) we love to go to their Friday Brunch, as it has something for everyone!

5. Los Angeles, California
Although we live in Dubai and my husband is Emirati, I’m from Los Angeles. Although LA is not really an escape for me (because I’m so familiar with it), its always an escape for my husband and kids. They love that the lifestyle is so different from the way it is in the UAE, how there are many more outdoor and nature-based activities, and we all love the fact that we can spend time with my family there. For my kids especially, this is an escape because they get spoiled rotten by their grandparents!

Check out my video on Instagram to see all of the different places.

What kind of traveller are you? Do you like to escape from reality when you travel (like me)? Do you seek adventure and thrill? Or maybe you are just a curious person with a need to explore. See what kind of traveller you are through this Personality Test and find out your best match destination in the Middle East.

If you love to travel, the Middle East is one of the most beautiful destinations to explore, and you can select through a plethora of Accor Hotels to see which one is the right one for you here.

*This article was done in collaboration with Accor Hotels.