It was my first time in Dubai and I was fortunate enough to have a friend who lives in Dubai pick us up from our hotel and drive us around for the day (even though we had rented a car). When in Dubai, you definitely need to rent a car or take taxi’s everywhere because it’s quite large and it feels like LA (everyone drives). Sure, there’s a metro in Dubai but it’s slow and it doesn’t go everywhere since there’s only 1 line.
Introduction to the Middle East
Etihad Airways Chauffeur Service to LAX Airport
LAX Airport Star Alliance First Class Lounge
LAX Airport Star Alliance Business Class Lounge
Etihad Airways LAX-AUH 777-200LR Diamond First Class
Etihad Airways Chauffeur Service at Abu Dhabi Airport
Ajman Saray Resort Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of Ajman United Arab Emirates
Le Meridien Fairway Dubai Hotel Review
Sheraton Deira Dubai Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of Downtown Dubai
The Sights and Sounds of Deira in Dubai
The Sights and Sounds of the Gold Souk in Dubai
The Sights and Sounds of the Spice Souk in Dubai
The Sights and Sounds of Deira Creek in Dubai
The Sights and Sounds of Jumeirah Road in Dubai
Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi
The Sights and Sounds of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Hilton Al Ain Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of the Al Ain Souk
The Sights and Sounds of Al Ain United Arab Emirates
The Sights and Sounds of Hili Fun City in Al Ain
Driving Across the United Arab Emirates Border to Oman
Crowne Plaza Sohar Oman Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of the Sohar Market in Oman
The Sights and Sounds of Sohar in Oman
Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of Fujairah United Arab Emirates
The Sights and Sounds of Sharjah United Arab Emirates
The Sights and Sounds of the Souk Al-Arsa in Sharjah
The Various Eats in the United Arab Emirates
Dubai Airport Terminal 1 Marhaba Lounge
Dubai Airport T1 International Business Class Lounge
Turkish Airlines DXB-IST Economy Class
The Sights and Sounds of the Bosphorus in Istanbul
The Sights and Sounds of the Spice Market in Istanbul
The Sights and Sounds of Old City Istanbul
The Sights and Sounds of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
Istanbul Airport HSBC Premier Lounge
Turkish Airlines IST-FRA Economy Class
Le Meridien Parkhotel Frankfurt Hotel Review
The Sights and Sounds of Frankfurt Germany
Lufthansa FRA-LAX 747-8 Economy Class
My friend had an appointment at the famous ‘7 star’ Burj Al Arab hotel for expensive afternoon tea at the Skyview Bar, so we dropped him off at the front entrance. It was quite jaw dropping to finally see the famous only ‘seven star’ hotel in the world in person.
My ‘driver’ friend suggested that we go to the Souk Madinat Jumeirah for better views of the Burj Al Arab from afar.
The Souk Madinat Jumeirah is an upscale air-conditioned traditional Arabian market located right next door to Dubai’s luxurious 5 Star Resort, the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel.
The layout is like an ancient bazaar without the crowds with a lot of souvenir shops, jewelry, handicrafts, and even a havaianas flip flops store.
You can also find a Gold to go ATM Machine at the Souk Madinat. You can purchase gold jewelry and even gold bars right from the touchscreen.
The best part about the Souk Madinat was the view of the Burj Al Arab. It’s tough to get a good view of the iconic sailboat shaped hotel without actually staying there or having afternoon tea.
Next, we took a 10 Dirham ~ $2.72 USD taxi ride to the Mall of the Emirates which boasts an indoor ski resort called Ski Dubai where you can ski or snowboard in the desert.
Afterwards, we headed to the Dubai Mall which is the largest shopping mall in the world. The mall is so big that stores are categorized by section and you can get lost quite easily (don’t forget where you parked!).
In addition to the plethora of retail, there’s also a ton of cafes and restaurants.
The coolest thing inside the Dubai Mall is the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo where you can see all types of fishes from the world’s largest acrylic panel.
A lot of local emiratis and ex-pats come to the Dubai Mall during the scorching summer heat for its amazing air conditioning. Another cool thing about the Dubai Mall is the outdoor area where you can gaze at the many skyscrapers.
There’s also the Dubai fountains where many people gather and watch the fountain show (much like the water show at the Las Vegas Bellagio Hotel).
Dubai is stunning during the night time where the entire city’s skyscrapers light up, especially the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.
Lastly, we headed to the Dubai Marina Walk where we could see more beautiful skyscrapers and had dinner at a Persian restaurant.
It was getting late and it didn’t make sense for my friend who lives near the Dubai Marina to drop us off at our hotel since it was pretty much near the airport. My friend instead dropped us off at the nearby Dubai Marina metro station where we had our first (and last) Dubai metro experience.
Meh. I don’t get Dubai. Most of it is too pretentious for my liking.
There are TWO metro lines, a tram line and a mostly-useless monorail.
Spending just 2 nights in Dubai was more than enough for me. My favorite part about Dubai was the Deira neighborhood.
Downtown Dubai is an amazing development, you can never enough of this place. A lot of things to do and explore.