Dubai

We Love Dubai. I’ve been there 3 times now on holiday, and every time I visit, it’s like a completely new city. The pace of development beggars belief, and the skyline changes year-on-year. Which is one of the reasons it’s so great to keep going back to – there’s always something new to see and experience.

The first time I visited Dubai (back in 2005), I had a 3 day stopover – which was completely wasted, as I ended up spending 2 1/2 days at the airport!

204 Skyline

I’d completely misjudged how expensive it was, and as a result, I only managed to take a taxi to the Burj Al Arab (Construction on the Khalifa had only just been started), visit the Mall of the Emirates for a few hours, and then head back to the airport. What a waste

My most abiding memory of this visit was staring out the windows at the Airport, at a skyline that consisted purely of Tall Cranes. It was estimated that up to 25% of the world’s cranes were being used in Dubai at the time. Insane.

The second time we visited was in February 2014. By this time, my sister and her family were living there, so we had free accommodation for the duration. This helped no end, as we could at least afford to see some of the attractions. These, at the time, included the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, the Souk district (where we went on an awesome River boat ride), and the Dubai Marina.

We particularly enjoyed heading up to the viewing deck of the Burj Khalifa – from that height, the rest of the skyscrapers look like child’s toys. We also spent a (very hungover) day walking around the Dubai Mall – and barely scratched the surface of what was available. It’s ginormous!

Looking Down
Burj Kalifa
Dubai Marina

The second time we visited was in February 2014. By this time, my sister and her family were living there, so we had free accommodation for the duration. This helped no end, as we could at least afford to see some of the attractions. These, at the time, included the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, the Souk district (where we went on an awesome River boat ride), and the Dubai Marina.

We particularly enjoyed heading up to the viewing deck of the Burj Khalifa – from that height, the rest of the skyscrapers look like child’s toys. We also spent a (very hungover) day walking around the Dubai Mall – and barely scratched the surface of what was available. It’s ginormous!

We most recently visited again in October 2018, and in the 3 and a bit years that had passed between visits, there was a wealth of new and exciting attractions for us to see, including Legoland Waterpark & the Frame. We also took the opportunity to do a couple of things we never managed to the first time round (as Sofia was too small), such as a Desert Safari, playing a round of Golf, and going swimming in the Persian Gulf.

Desert Safari
Henna Tattoo
On the beach
The Frame
LegoLand Waterpark

On this occasion we only had 6 full days in Dubai, which meant we had less time for chillin’ out, though Sofia did manage to get some real quality time with her cousins on some of our excursions.

Probably the highlight of the trip (for me at least) was playing golf with Tyrone (my Brother-in-law) at Persian Ranches Golf Club. A brilliant desert course, with little-to-no-rough, and refreshment carts coming by every 3rd hole… I’m not ashamed to say we were fairly sloshed by the time we finished 18 holes (which reflected pretty accurately in our scores…), and the afternoon out ended up in the families having dinner at the Club house, which was fantastic.

Dubai Beachfront

Fair warning if you’re planning on golfing in Dubai – 18 holes cost us £80 each (with clubs and a golf cart), and we spent another £90 (!!) on beers on the course. Dinner for 7 was pretty cheap by comparison, at £120…

As I said earlier, we really do Love Dubai. Which says a lot, as I don’t traditionally like Cities. This is one that has it all though, and the friendliness of the inhabitants (even though they drive like idiots) adds to the overall experience.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Dubai, don’t hesitate – it’s worth it! Just book everything (including excursions) well in advance to get the best rates, and take lots of Pocket money.

Dubai Attractions

Lego Water Park


Situated almost halfway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Lego Waterworld is only just barely in Dubai, but is an attraction that's worth the effort to get out to and experience.

In fairness, it doesn't offer any rides that you wouldn't find at any other Water park, but it is designed to be slightly more younger-child-friendly, and it's obviously all Lego themed; That fact alone makes it worth it!

One of the best rides is the lazy river - you start with your standard tube, but you can gather any number of floating lego "bricks" to build your tube into a fortress as you float along.

Legoland theme park is situated right next door to the waterpark.


Burj al-Khalifa


At 828m tall, this is easily the tallest building in the world (at the time of writing, at least), and you'd be properly remiss not to include this as an activity if you're in Dubai.

The tour starts in the Dubai Mall, and the elevator with the longest travel distance in the world takes you up to the 140th floor.

Now, this might not actually seem that high in pure numbers, but you're only about 20 stories from the very top at this point, and once you're up and looking out, the other skyscrapers (and there are many of them!) seem like child's toys!

You can spend as long as you like up in the viewing area, and there is a gift shop as well, but 1/2 an hour was plenty for us to see enough.

Tickets are reasonably priced (£25 back in 2014), and available to buy online.


Dubai Mall


Dubai Mall makes up the base of the Burj Khalifa, and much like it's taller sibling, it is completely oversized and spectacular.

The first time we visited the mall (I was completely, massively hungover, btw!) we spend almost an entire morning wandering around a single level of the place.

And there are 6 of them...

You can find a variety of stores in the mall, though I spent most of my time in the electronics and toy stores, as well as a massive food court downstairs.

Downstairs is also where you can view the wonderful Dubai fountain, a massive water feature with choreographed shows - pretty much an attraction in its own right!


The Frame


One of Dubai's newest attractions, the Frame was completed in 2018, and holds the record for being the largest frame in the world.

It certainly does form a pretty picture of the Dubai metropolis when viewed from behind!

Besides being a rather striking visual attraction from the outside, there is just as much magic to experience inside.

An elevator takes you to the viewing deck (which is pretty much the entire top cross-section), and from here you get a wonderful view of Dubai.

There are also several glass floors, which are not for the squeamish!


The Marina


If you want to really see just how affluent Dubai really is, then this is the place to do it!

High-rise offices, hotels and apartments encircle the man-made Marina, which is home to a rather staggering collection of privately owned super-yachts.

There are any number of restaurants and cafes along the promenade, and several bridges make it easy to pass from one side of the Marina to the other.

This is most definitely a great place to spend a day wandering about, and is easily accessed using Public Transport, especially the Metro, which has a stop just next to the Marina.


Desert Safari


After missing out on a desert safari in 2014 as Sofia was too small, we were not going to miss out in 2018!

Our tour headed out of Dubai to the East, and into the desert proper. Once you're out of the city, the drive becomes fun, with loads of sand been sent up, and loads of side-slipping. Many screams ensued from the back seats!

Our stop was Al Khayma camp. There are many camps in this area of the desert, but happily they're spread out far enough from each other not to feel cluttered.

At the camp it's possible to ride a Camel, and for the ladies to get a Henna tattoo. As the sun sets, a fantastic buffet dinner is served and the evening's regional entertainment begins.

Most tour operators (and there are many) will fetch you and drop you off at your hotel.


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