Dubai (NEW!)

Dubai (United Arab Emirates)

October 2024

The United Arab Emirates (the 22nd country we have visited since leaving Turkey in 2014), was never a destination we had planned to visit as we always think of Dubai as a city full of excesses.  We prefer natural landscapes and seashores rather than man-made structures.

But, we were travelling from the UK to Western Australia and a change of aircraft was necessary somewhere en route.  

Emirates Airlines offered the best deal and instead of hopping from one flight to another at Dubai International Airport, we decided to break the journey and stay three nights.  A much more comfortable option.

We stayed in a hotel close to the airport, with a recognisable brand in the UK - Premier Inn. 

Obviously, we wanted to see some of the "must visit" sights of the city and we opted for a comfortable four hour taxi tour with a knowledgeable driver.

Our first stop was to see Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure at a height of 2,722 feet (just over half a mile). The Armani Hotel occupies the lower 39 stories.  Residential apartments, corporate offices, and observation decks occupy the remaining portion of the building.   

There are 57 lifts and 8 escalators in the building offering access to the 163 floors.  Burj Khalifa is almost three times the height of the Eiffel Tower and for readers living in the North West of England, more than 5 times the height of Blackpool Tower.

We then drove to Dubai Marina where, along the shoreline, the pedestrian-friendly Marina Walk offers amazing views of the marina and city skyline.

Just as we were leaving the marina, a gold-painted Maserati passed by.  Where else but Dubai?

We continued our tour heading for Jumeirah Beach with a view of a hotel designed to resemble the sail of a Dhow.  

Burj Al Arab hotel stands on an artificial island 280 metres from the beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge.  It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 metres above ground.

In Dubai, not only is there a hotel shaped like a sail, but close by there is also one resembling a cruise ship. No danger of suffering sea-sickness here.

Marsa al Arab Hotel is situated at the tip of a peninsula at the centre of the largest private beach in Dubai.

But as impressive hotels go, we hadn't seen anything yet.  Not until we drove into the Al Qasr which has 18 full size Arabian horse statues lining its entrance.

  

There were several Maserati in the car park and this car which our driver assured us was a Bugatti.

Depending on dates, you could book a Deluxe room from between £500 - £1000 per night.  The Presidential Suite would set you back between £3500 and £5000 a night.

One of the most daring developments, Palm Jumeirah, is famous for being the world's largest man-made island.  Jutting out into the Arabian Gulf, this artificial archipelago was built in the shape of a palm tree, with a three mile long trunk and a fan of fronds lined with luxury villas and five star hotels.

We drove along the trunk of the palm tree but to appreciate the extent and scale of the project, you have to view it from the air, so this image is from the Internet.

Palm Jumeirah is home to so many UK and Hollywood A-Listers.  Oh, and not forgetting the Beckhams.

Our final stop was at Al Seef Heritage Souq. Located on the banks of Dubai Creek, a 14 kilometre natural seawater inlet which divides the city into two parts, Bur Dubai and Deira.

Al Seed was a trading hub in the early 1900's when the pearl diving industry was developing and it was home to the divers, fisherman, weavers and other tradesmen who worked along the creek.

These properties have now been sympathetically restored and converted into restaurants and shops selling just about everything.  In our view this historic area is so much more interesting and atmospheric than the glitzy, high-end Malls for which Dubai is so famous.

We arrived just as it was going dark on our last evening in Dubai and during a very short walk along Al Seef Khor, the waterfront promenade, we had wonderful views of the Dubai skyline across the creek.

We enjoyed our few days here in Dubai and it was good to experience another country.  The Premier Inn may not be situated on the Palm Tree alongside the luxury properties but we had an extremely comfortable room, two excellent restaurants, a Costa Coffee, a rooftop pool and friendly helpful staff.  The hotel also operates a free airport transfer every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day to Terminals 1 and 3, approximately 10-15 minutes away.

An ideal relaxing break on our journey from London Gatwick to Western Australia.

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Currency:  United Arab Emirates dirham (AED)

Visas:  Many countries are eligible for a Visa on Arrival.  Click Here for full information on the UAE Visa Portal.

Tours:  We booked with Tours Dubai for our four-hour City Tour.  They also offer a selection of sightseeing tours, desert safaris, dinner cruises, etc. 

There is also the option of the hop-on, hop-off Big Bus Tours.  They offer two routes.  City Tour (Red Route) and Beach Tour (Blue Route).  Full information here.