Marhabaan Bikum fi Dubay. Literally translates to Welcome to Dubai!
When someone says Dubai, one generally pictures the glam, the glitz, the royalty and of course, shopping, associated with it. With places such as Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Frame, Dubai mall and many more, such a reputation, for sure, is not anywhere close to being wrong! Being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Dubai should definitely be one place that you ought to visit to experience how a desert can be transformed into a glitzy oasis! Check out below our experience!
Prep Before the Journey!
We, as Indian Citizens, need a tourist visa prior to visiting UAE. Applying for a tourist visa is relatively easy if you have your documents ready. The process generally varies depending on which carrier you choose. We chose Indigo and after making the flight reservations, we had to fill out an online form and upload the necessary documents. It takes about 3-4 working days if all the documents are ready. Else add a couple more working days. (Remember, Fridays and Saturdays are not working days).
Welcoming in Style!
Our approach to Dubai has been one of our favorite flight descending experiences! We saw the Dubai Airport from a height (and of course, the Burj Khalifa as well; we did pay extra to choose our seats and chose the ones on the left side of the plane) and realized that the flight would have head out in the direction of the Gulf in order to make the turn to line up to the direction in which the plane was supposed to land. Dubai was all set to welcome us in style!
Our Stay in Dubai
We chose to stay with Rove Hotels at their Rove Trade Centre property. A great choice is what we felt. Exceptionally friendly staff and situated in a convenient location. (Read our TripAdvisor review here). The place is about 1 km from the closest metro station (Al Jafiliya). We were happy to walk this 1 km most of the time. For those of you who do not wish to walk, hailing a cab is also relatively easy (You’ve got Uber, Careem and the regular cabs as well). We personally used Careem quite a bit during our stay in Dubai.
Day 1
We landed in Dubai at around 9:55 AM and after completing all the formalities and purchasing our Virgin Mobile UAE SIM card (at the airport itself), we were on our way to the hotel. Time to rest considering that our flight from BLR was at 7:20 AM and we were in the airport by 4:45 AM (Almost no sleep the previous night).
After refreshing ourselves, we went to one of the most obvious spots in Dubai, The Dubai Mall! The Dubai Mall is the second-largest mall in the world by total land area. This is our first day in Dubai and so, not here for shopping but checking out the second largest mall in the world is a must, right? Especially when you get some wonderful photo opportunities (Both inside and outside the mall)!
We made sure that we reached the Dubai Mall in time for the Dubai Fountain show, which happens in the evening from 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM, every 30 minutes. The show lasts for about 5 minutes. When the setting includes the towering Burj Khalifa on one side and the Dubai Fountain on the other, the views will, without doubt, be mesmerizing!
Dinner Tip: Dubai Mall has huge food court with a variety of options. For desert you may try PinkBerry which serves excellent frozen yogurt with a wide range of toppings!
Day 2
Today was the day to explore Palm Jumeirah, Mall of the Emirates, the Butterfly Garden of Dubai and night walk at Dubai Creek!
Stop 1: Palm Jumeirah
Dubai’s metro services, clubbed with the Tram and the Monorail, provides excellent connectivity to the Palm Jumeirah Islands. The Palm Jumeirah is basically an artificial island which extends into the Persian Gulf and it a sight to behold. Imagine this, an Island has been created by man and now houses some of the most luxurious hotels in the world as well as residential complexes. It is, to simply put, an engineering marvel!
To reach Palm Jumeirah from Downtown Dubai, you’ll have to take the metro till DAMAC metro station (name as of 2018) and then switch over to the Tram station (Dubai Marina). The directions for the same are well laid out and you will also find a number of people going this way. Take the tram for Palm Jumeirah station and from there walk for a bit (again, well laid out directions and other people will be your guide) to reach the Palm Jumeirah monorail complex. The monorail is about 5.4 km long and the entire trip takes about 12 minutes (end to end).
There are a number of activities that can be undertaken there such as Underwater Sea Walk, Swimming with the Dolphins etc., as well as a water park which is associated with Atlantis Hotel, for the adventure seekers.
Lunch Tip: Come back to the mainland and head towards to Mall of the Emirates to enjoy some really tasty Charleys Philly Steaks!
Stop 2: Dubai Butterfly Park
Part of the Dubai Miracle Garden, Dubai Butterfly Park is, apparently, the world’s largest butterfly garden featuring 15,000 butterflies of around 26 different kinds. We got to see a lot of butterflies up close and got some photos clicked with then resting on your hand, head & body!
A must visit place, doesn’t matter if you’re with kids or not, unless you have lepidopterophobia!
Stop 3: Dubai Creek
There is a walkway along the Dubai which stretches for miles together. With the Dubai Heritage village on one side and the creek on the other, this becomes a very pleasant walk especially during the night. You may either walk down and up this stretch and just sit down at a location and enjoy the sight in front of you, like we did. This is also a great location to try out your photography skills (Selfies or Regular).
Dinner Tip: Head to Al Ustad Special Kebab (a.k.a Special Ostadi), which is very close to Al Fahidi Metro station, for some good quality Hummus and mouthwatering kebabs!
Day 3
Arabian Wildlife Center & Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club are a couple of the many places that most of your regular tour packages do not mention. But these are two places that are entirely worth visiting. Make sure you get in a sumptuous breakfast in the morning. And that’s precisely what we did today.
The Arabian Wildlife Center, claims to be the only ‘zoo’ in Arabia which exhibits all the animals naturally occurring in the Arabian Peninsula, all displayed in safe, spacious and natural surroundings. Getting there was relatively easy. We booked a ride on Careem. Getting back from there was a little tricky as Careem doesn’t support pick up from that area. We contacted the Sharjah taxi call center who arranged a ride for us. Since it is in middle of the desert, some taxi guys might not know the location. The good thing is that the connectivity is fantastic and with WhatsApp’s live location sharing option, it’s not much of an issue. (all hail technology!)
A couple of the most interesting parts of this center are the bird aviary and the section for the large animals such as the Arabian leopard, both of which are set in desert environment. Check out the below photos:
After spending a couple of hours here, we headed towards the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club to try out Archery and Clay Shooting. We missed more than we hit but, boy, did we have fun there! Check out the below videos:
If such activities interest you, be sure to check this place out!
Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club.
Dinner Tip: Try out the shawarma at Al Mallah Café! One of the most delicious ones around!
Day 4
We spent most of the day lazing around and getting ready for the Dubai Marina Dhow Cruise with dinner. One of the must do touristy activities, Dhow Cruise is basically a couple of hours of cruising along the Dubai Marina with dinner on-board. We chose Alexandra Dhow Cruise and turned out to be a fantastic choice. A dhow is essentially a traditional Arab sea-trading vessel usually made of durable wood. This dhow is renovated and turned into a floating restaurant with live music, dance show and dinner.
Pro-Tip: Arrive early to secure a seat on the upper deck (which generally fills up soon)
Day 5
Another day where we spent the first half lazing around as today was the day set aside for the Desert Safari. We booked the desert safari with Raptor Team Tourism. This is a must do activity where you are taken to the middle of the desert in a 4×4 vehicle (Most probably a Toyota Land Cruiser) to experience a quad bike experience (optional activity), dune bashing in the 4X4 and dinner in the desert. This experience was so amazing that we’ve written a dedicated post for it. Read about this in detail here.
Day 6
Today was the day to visit the Dubai Frame and the 124th floor of Burj Khalifa (Fantastic Views)
Dubai Frame
One of the latest attractions in Dubai (as in 2018), Dubai Frame is definitely a place to visit. Situated in the Zabeel park, this is considered to be the “biggest picture frame on the planet”. After passing through the initial checks, we were taken about 150m above the ground to view some fantastic views through the iconic structure that ‘frames’ Old and New Dubai on either side.
Be sure to check out the glass walk way. Will freak you out initially for a few seconds; but is amazing!
At The Top: Burj Khalifa
I’m sure everyone would’ve heard of Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in late 2008. Therefore, it is no wonder that the views offered by the 124th floor of Burj Khalifa are just mind blowing and amazing!
Another fantastic point to note is the double decker elevator, which is one of the fastest is the world. Takes under a minute to go from 0 to 124! Remember that air pressure difference that you feel when a flight starts descending? You’ll experience the same feeling in these lifts.
Burj Khalifa also offers some fantastic views from the ground level. The towering structure, if managed to be captured in a single frame, makes for a great shot!
Dubai Aquarium
An underwater world situated right in the Dubai Mall (Guess this gives you an idea about how big this mall is). If you can spare some time and few additional bucks, do check this out.
Dinner Tip: Try out The Cheesecake Factory which is right opposite the Dubai Aquarium for some yummy cheesecakes (obviously) and garlic bread! That’s pretty much what we could eat!
Day 7
Your standard tour package generally contains a trip to Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World, to experience the fastest Roller Coaster in the world, Formula Rossa. However, we decided to try out a different theme park, the IMG Worlds of Adventure
This place is divided into 4 distinct zones and is a great way to spend the day here:
Marvel
Iconic MARVEL Super Hero favorites including Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and The Avengers are all gearing up in the MARVEL zone to deliver their most exciting appearance ever.
Lost Valley
The prehistoric lost world of dinosaurs is roaring back to life with a bang in the Lost Valley – Dinosaur Adventure zone. With hair-raising dinosaur rides and not-to-be-missed attractions, audiences of all ages can gear up to go back in time to a thrilling world that existed millions of years ago
Cartoon Network
Cartoon lovers can find plenty of reasons to smile in the Cartoon Network zone at IMG Worlds of Adventure. The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10 and LazyTown are set to come alive in this exciting area.
IMG Boulevard
IMG Boulevard is the exciting welcome zone of the park, offering adventure-seekers of all ages its own tantalizing mix of leisure and thrilling experiences. From interactive attractions, to vast retail outlets and a wide selection of dining options – this central zone promises hours of endless fun.
Pro Tip: Plan your visit so as to avoid any public holidays as this place tends to get extremely crowded (which means longer lines at rides).
Day 8
We set this entire day to meet a few friends and for shopping. Depending on what you like, Dubai offers you plenty of options. We’ve spent out time trying out & purchasing perfumes (in the city) as well as (extremely yummy) chocolates, at the Dubai Duty Free. Be mindful of the carry on limit of your carrier while purchasing anything at Duty Free to avoid paying excess baggage charges.
This marks the end of our fantastic and memorable Dubai trip. As expected, it left with fantastic memories and with a completely relaxed state of mind and we’d definitely recommend visiting this glitzy oasis that is in the middle of the desert! We, for sure, will be back, considering that Dubai tends to change a lot quite frequently! (heard about the Dubai Creek Tower?)
Moving around in Dubai
We found the Public Transport system in Dubai to be very well laid out and well connected. Most of these systems make use of a single prepaid card (Called the NOL Card) for ticketing. It’s as simple as punching in and punching out and works for Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram and the Buses in Dubai (haven’t really tried it out in Sharjah). There are two different classes in the Dubai Metro and Tram. The regular Silver Class and the expensive Gold Class. A Gold Class trip costs double of a normal Silver Class journey and as a result, the Gold Class cabin is generally less crowded. Remember, it is illegal to travel in a Gold Class cabin with a silver class ticket and hefty fines are levied if you’re caught (checking happens at random intervals and more often than you’d expect!). We took a Gold Class card for the additional comfort for being in a less crowded cabin and to get some great views in the driver-less metro (The gold class is either at the beginning or the end, depending on which direction you’re going).
Best Time to Visit
Summers in Dubai can get extremely hot with the temperatures soaring to around 50 degrees Celsius. Factoring this in, the best time to visit would be October to March. If you plan well, you could be in Dubai around the Dubai Shopping Festival (generally between December to February) or the GITEX shopper (Generally in October) for some exciting deals (GITEX does have some great deals. A friend of ours purchased a LG Mobile in 2014 and got 5 gifts along with including a home theater system and a Bluetooth headset!). So, plan well and enjoy more!