Dubai, UAE- United Arab Emirates
A Few Days in Dubai:
First off, when people say Dubai is hot in the summer, they aren't kidding! The day we were there our weather app said a "wind chill of 127". Now that we have that out of the way, Let us tell you about our fun short trip to Dubai!
We flew into Dubai (DXB airport) on a short flight from Oman. We took Swiss Airlines and it was AMAZING! Probably the nicest airline We have flown. We landed at about 12:45 am, exhausted we grabbed our baggage and checked to see if our Uber app would work -- to which we were very excited to find out that it did after we came from many expensive taxis in Oman. However, the taxis here are quite honest and all use meters! Anyhow we wanted to get to our hotel ASAP so we hopped in our Uber and headed to the Avani Deira Hotel We quickly got checked in to the hotel and headed up to our room to take a nice shower and enjoy the huge comfy bed!
Dubai has SOO many hotels that it isn't too hard to find deals, especially in the off season when we were there (August). Our strategy when traveling is to find good budget hotels or guesthouses but every few days get a nice one to clean up well and enjoy the comfy amenities at a nice hotel. Also because we would be saving money by staying at some cheaper hotels in India we decided we wanted to try at least one "5 Star hotel" before we got to India. Dan is great at finding deals and found us this "5 star hotel" for about $65 a night. The room was huge, as was the bed! We were the smelly backpackers in this fancy hotel but we sure enjoyed the robes and slippers and all the amenities! đ
Day #1: We slept in a little due to our jet lag finally catching up to us, not to mention the cozy king bed getting the best of us. We decided to skip paying for the hotel breakfast downstairs as it was a little bit more expensive than we would have liked to pay since it was a fancy hotel. Instead we ate some protein bars (as we always pack for an afternoon snack or in case we're having difficulty finding a vegetarian option.) Then headed off to scope out the hotel pool and spa, which were lovely however it was fin the full sun and >110 degrees Fahrenheit outside. So, we headed off for our day of adventure expecting to get a lot accomplished.
We are huge fans of Google maps. It lets you star places you're interested in going. This helps because then we don't have to waste time looking up the places we want to go in the morning before leaving the hotel. Also we enjoy it because the stars on the map will still appear if you don't have wifi or data while out and about. We started out of our hotel and headed to the first star on our map that was closest to the hotel, we made it about 3 blocks before we were both dripping in sweat...literally. Dan is from Arizona where he has experienced 120 degrees Fahrenheit but this was worse due to humidity. He didn't know the human body could sweat this much. Like not only was my shirt soaked but somehow my shorts were soaked.
It reminded me of that Lil Jon song..."from the windows to the wall...
till the sweat drop down my đŽđŽ".
Due to the heat we made many pit stops on our way to the gold and spice market. We stayed in the Deira neighborhood which wasn't too far away from the markets. We also stopped in just about anywhere with air-conditioning that we walked past on our walk.
The market was outdoors, taking up many city blocks and all open air covered with a rooftop, which provided some shade from the intense sun rays. There were several sections that made up the market including spices, gold/jewelry, fragrances, scarfs, and souvenirs. We made our way through avoiding some of the aggressive salesmen - they try to rope you into their store with "Where are you from?" or taking something they're selling and putting it on you as you walk by so you have no choice but to stop and interact with them. Its kind of annoying but harmless and aggressive salesmen are all over the world and are just apart of traveling.
We continued on and made it to the pier area of the Dubai Creek. You'll see all the boats lined up and just hop on. Once on, he will come collect your money. It was super cheap as well, around $2 for us and totally worth it. While we waited for the next boat to take off, we stopped at this little hut to cool off with a mango smoothie, coconut, and a fruit platter, basically anything on the menu that seemed nice and cool.
The boat ride was smooth and dropped us off on the other side of the creek in less than 15 minutes. The breeze felt so good I wish it had been longer. You will get good views of the area on this boat ride.
Once you get off the boat you are very close to the Dubai Museum at the Al Fahidi fort. We decided not to pay for the museum and instead sat in front of the fan that was in the lobby area.
While cooling off, Dan made friends with a very kind man also cooling off in front of the fan, who was a native from Dubai. Dan got to practice his limited Arabic and he his English.
We wandered around the Al Fahidi historical area, which is a restored section which gives an idea what the old buildings of Dubai were like. It was super nice and well kept and had many shops, some cute cafes, and super cute boutique hotels. There was cool street art within this fort as well. We wandered in and out of the shops that were still open and took pictures with some of the art projects that were out doors.
From here we made our way back to the pier and wandered into a shop for some ice cold water and something with caffeine in it as the sunshine and heat and walking were starting to make us a bit sleepy. We couldn't resist the spread of miscellaneous dried fruit in the middle of the store, we grabbed a few scoops of random fruit and headed back on our way to find the train station.
We followed our google maps leading us right to one of the Dubai Metro stations. We looked at the map to try and figure out our route but decided we should ask at the info kiosk just to make sure we were going to get on the right train. If you are here and are questioning your direction skills, go to the kiosk, they were extremely friendly and helpful each time and speak English.
The train was extremely clean and relatively new. As I was munching away like a cow and drinking like a camel my cold drinks I wondered why no one else was...then after I was done saw the sign for no food or drinks or get fined. Oops. No wonder it was so clean! đ We began talking to one of the men on the train who gave us his input and told us which beach we should check out. The train system here is GREAT! I recommend a ride even if its just to get the views! Plus its easy to use and takes you to most of the top places and for cheap! After sweating all day a beach was much needed! We got off the train at the beach at JBR.
From there, it was about 0.5 mile from the train station past all the yachts at the Dubai Marina, towards the ocean. We couldn't wait to cool off!
The beach was very clean with new facilities that were well kept for men and women to change clothes. There was a fee to use the locker or shower room though.
We changed into our swim suits and met back up at the beach (in which the man on the train told us they allow bikini's at this beach. (Side note: whenever you're traveling in a Muslim country it's always best to check to see their clothing policy for their beaches and to respect the local customs).
Anyhow we gathered back together and made our way to the sand in which Dan watched our stuff so I could take the first dip into the ocean, which to my surprise was not a bit refreshing. The water had to have been at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit, by far the warmest sea water I had ever been in. I seriously do not know how fish can live in water that warm! It was like a hot tub!
I got back out and let him check it out for himself, he was very surprised at just how hot it was. I hopped back in to the water after grabbing my phone ensuring my life proof case . Which we both highly recommend this item while traveling, it has saved us many times and they have an amazing warranty to back up their products.
We enjoyed watching the sunset with the Ferris wheel in the background. Once completed that Ferris wheel will be the biggest in the world.
After changing back into our clothes we made our way to the train station and headed to wander the biggest mall in the world, the Dubai Mall. It is HUGE! One guy told us they have a 5K race that they hold within the mall! We saw the ice rink, the aquarium, and more stores that we can count (or afford!).
But feels nice and cool inside! Plus the train has a stop right at the mall which is convenient. We both are not into shopping at fancy malls, so we didn't buy anything, but its worth checking it out!
Afterward, we walked to the train and headed back to our hotel to find some dinner. We were both extremely exhausted. We got back to the Deira neighborhood about 1030pm and most places were closed. We attempted to try and find something at a little grocery store, thinking they'd have hummus or something we could take back to our hotel but no luck. They directed us to a restaurant down the road. We talked and decided if it was less than a half mile we would go. Deira has many expat workers living in this area and is quite diverse so theres many tasty restaurants. Luckily, we found this delicious little Chinese food place and took our left overs to go for breakfast tomorrow. We made our way back to the hotel with what little energy we had left and got right to bed. Day #2: Dan had purchased tickets for us to go to the top of the Burj Khalifa- the Tallest building in the world! To save a little money, we purchased the tickets on Groupon and it also included a treat from the cafe at the end of our visit.
This was way less than buying it at the entrance, plus it includes fast pass access to skip the long line! Groupon is quite popular in Dubai, you can find awesome deals on buffets, tours and fun things to do! Check them out if you are looking for ways to save money and find fun things to try!
The Burj Khalifa is AMAZING! The mind boggles at how they were able to build this! I have seen the Willis Tower, KL twin towers, and Empire state building and they look tiny compared to this. The view from the top is great as you can see all of Dubai on a clear day. Crazy thing is we learned they are going to be building an even BIGGER building! Anyhow we enjoyed this and recommend it to you.
At the end of the visit you walk past a cafĂŠ, and Groupon includes a free tasty pastry and iced coffee, so we enjoyed that while watching the fountains. Then made our way back to the ground floor where we wandered around the side of the building to find The Dubai Fountain. There are multiple shows a day that follow along with a song that plays overhead.
If you have been to the Bellagio in Las Vegas you know exactly what it looks like, however this was much bigger. It is located outside between the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. We got a perfect spot on a small bridge that goes over the pool of water to watch one of the afternoon shows.
Since we were already there we made another stop at The Dubai Mall, rarely while traveling do we go to the mall we usually stick to the local markets however this being the largest mall in the world we made an exception. Not too mention again that the A/C was on full blast and felt wonderful after being in the heat most of the afternoon.
Later in the day we wanted to do a desert safari which usually run from 4 pm till evening. Prior to our arrival we had booked a desert safari tour that included entertainment and dinner with vegetarian options (which sold us on this company) through Cooper Tourism (absolutely terrible customer service, we would NOT recommend them.) For this tour it included hotel pick up and drop off at our hotel in Dubai around 3 pm. We arrived back at the hotel about 2 pm to re-hydrate and change before our tour pick up. When I checked my email, Cooper Tours had emailed me about 30 minutes prior saying due to engine troubles they would not be able to take us on our tour today. This angered both of us up due to the late notice and also due to the fact that this was our last day in Dubai. They said we could reschedule later in the week which was pointless since we were leaving. We immediately sent an email questioning the late notice and demanding a refund to which the company declined. Dan walked down to the lobby and met the concierge who said if we booked in the next 30 minutes he could add us onto their very similar tour that afternoon just with a different company. It being double the price of our Groupon we discussed it and decided to book it seeing as we're most likely only going to be in Dubai once in our lifetime. We gave up arguing with the company and decided to file a complaint directly with Groupon. The company said they refused to refund anyone and after reading more Google reviews on this Cooper Tourism they had bailed on more people last minute. Travel tip: Read lots of reviews on the tour before booking! Luckily Groupon is awesome and after several emails and two phone calls refunded our money.
The tour took off at the time scheduled, picking up one other group of 3 on our way. it was about 1 hour drive to a convenience store for a bathroom break and meet up with others in a SUV caravan.
We then finished our drive to the sand dunes where we started our dune bashing experience. This was extremely fun and also slightly terrifying at points when the dunes were very steep.
*Check out videos from Dune Bashing on our Instagram @imnotlostpodcast*
3/4 of the way through the dunes we stopped and had an opportunity to get out and walk through the sand, which is difficult as your feet sink right in on the hot sand.
We had a little photo shoot on the dunes and continued on our way to area they have for the
the nightly entertainment. Here they offer lots of activities. However remember that most of the fun ones they charge for. One that we wanted to try was sand boarding. I have to say I was disappointed.
Since it was one of the included in the price activities, there was no guide to help us just two boards and a sign that said "Sand Boarding." We found out that if the activity is included in the price no extra help will be given, only for those they can charge more for such as the ATV rides.
Another option was to take a photo on a camel, but these camels looked pretty bad, and not treated the best. I wouldn't blame you for not engaging in this activity. They also had ATV rides but were quite expensive. They were focused on getting people to do those, but you can go only in a circle so looked kinda lame.
Dan & I are all about getting whatever is included and free, so I made my way over to the henna tent to get my free henna tattoo.
Because we cannot turn down anything free, we made our way to the shisha area and ordered the free green apple Shisha.
Every other flavor they charge for so we just took the free one. Neither of us smoke but when in Rome, why not?
The company advertised unlimited free soft drinks, however know that they only had regular soda which neither of us drink. They offer hot tea/coffee (who drinks this in 100 degree heat?). Cold water was only available in tiny packages of like 4 ounces. Needless to say we were grabbing the waters by the handful, but all that plastic use is extremely wasteful.
Anyhow, next we grabbed a seat front row to the nightly entertainment and got in line for the appetizers - delicious samosas. Followed by a huge buffet with plenty of vegetarian options, they even had two tents one dedicated just for Vegetarian or as they say "Veg" foods. We piled our plates high and seemed like we ate our weight in food because at this point we were trying to get our moneys worth. haha. Sitting there in our food coma, we were ready for the entertainment to begin. It started with a one man fire show like you'd see in Thailand set to EDM music. While he was really good, it was nothing special to fit the Middle East vibe, but again still very cool.
Then there were some cultural dancing performed by the same man in which he wore several different costumes, all very colorful and elaborate.
Finally the belly dancer wrapped it up. Her performance was just OK but I think the crowd was super excited cause she had a bikini top on and some of the visitor's I don't think see much skin, so just about every man there was taking pics! đ
This brought the tour to an end, so we loaded up and had about an hour drive home. Overall, I'm glad I did it as the wadi bashing was the best part but I would say only if you can find one on Groupon. Paying full price isn't worth it. We were excited for one last night in our comfy hotel before heading to Nepal the next day!
Overall, we enjoyed Dubai, I would stay a minimum of three nights to get all the sights in. You can also add 2 more nights and take a cheap bus to Abu Dhabi in about 2 hours. Overall its a neat city but I probably wont go back as it was exactly as I expected. Nice, shiny, very touristed and new...
Don't forget to listen to our Dubai Podcast available on Itunes & Google Play.