A friend of mine is thinking of taking a trip to Dubai and she reached out to me for tips on what to do. As I shared my adventures in Dubai, I decided I also want to share that information with my readers in the case they ever take a trip to the United Arab Emirates.
I already wrote 10 tips on how to prepare for and survive a long haul flight. Run over there and read that so you get off the plane refreshed and ready for adventures.
I spent Sunday night to Saturday night there so I will write a series of short articles with information on each day.
All these events were pre-bought at Expedia and Viator before ever arriving there. I spent loads of time researching and planning out the perfect itinerary for the time I had.
Travel and Hotel Accommodations
We flew Etihad out of New York into Abu Dhabi. The flight was packed and cramped, especially for tall people like us but they made up for it with great service and food. We then took Etihad’s free coach service into Dubai.
Abu Dhabi Airport
My first impression was WHOA! THE HEAT! My goodness, my shades fogged up the moment we hit the outdoors although it was after 9 at night. I really have never experienced heat and humidity like that in my life and I am from a tropical island! Furthermore, we were wearing clothing that covered our bodies so it was even more stifling.
We took a cab from the Etihad Travel Mall to our hotel in Deira (Old Dubai), about a 20 minute ride in traffic (and there’s lots of traffic!).
I am so glad that on the first day we didn’t have any excursions planned until mid afternoon. This gave us enough time to rest overnight from our flight and have a hearty hotel breakfast.
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Al Muraqabat. We had a lovely stay- it was clean and nicely decorated. The bathrooms were modern and nicely stocked. In addition, the staff was extraordinarily accommodating. I would recommend it to anyone- great value for the money.
Lobby at the Hilton Garden Inn Al Muraqabat
Day 1 Adventures in Dubai: 1/2 Day Golden City Tour
We were picked up at our hotel and after picking up quite a few others headed for hotspots in the city. The infamous Dubai skyline including the Burj Khalifa is visible from everywhere.
It’s been quite a few weeks since the trip so I’ll relay the stops that I can remember.
A Beach in Jumeirah (the posh area) near to the 7 star Burj Al Arab. it was so hot I could barely get a good picture.
The Jumeirah Mosque. Tourists weren’t allowed to enter but we were able to take a few pics. The architecture of the mosques throughout the city is just stunning.
Outside the Jumeirah Mosque
The Al Fahidi Fort and Dubai Museum. This was just lovely- one of my favorite museum trips ever. I got a chance to learn a lot of Dubai’s rich history as well as the lifestyle of the Bedouin nomads who occupied the region. The exhibits were stunningly realistic and I wish I had more time to linger but it was soon time to leave.
At the Dubai Museum
Then it was off to the creek to board the Abra (water taxi) in order to get to the Deira side.
Abra Water Taxi Dubai Creek
The Spice Souk was amazingly fragrant with some spices I have never experienced in person. We even ended up purchasing some raw eucalyptus. I almost bought saffron but I decided I couldn’t handle that much fragrance in my luggage!
Spice Souk, Deira Dubai
Hilarious aside: the sellers in the souk were yelling and calling me Nicki Minaj as I walked by. It was hilarious because 1) I look nothing like Nicki and 2) it was interesting how the choice of black celebrity you “resemble” differs from region to region. I was Beyonce in Mexico and Rihanna in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. LOL.
The Gold Souk was magnificent. We saw the biggest gold ring in the world as well as just the most gold I have ever seen anywhere. Beware the sellers as those guys will get you to buy anything.
Biggest Gold Ring, Gold Souk, Dubai
It was such an interesting experience to hear to the calls to prayer in the mosques as we walked through the streets. I had never heard it in person and as someone who loves to travel- this is the type of thing I love to experience- things that are worlds away from how I grew up.
Then it was back to the hotel where they had lovely towel animals for us. Aw.
How cute.
Day 1 Adventures in Dubai: Dhow Cruise Dinner
The Jameela Floating Restaurant- Dubai Dhow Cruise Dinner
Finally, we were picked up once again for our cruise on the traditional Dhow boat. It was a great way to see the sparkling city at night. Dinner was lovely and we were exhausted when we were dropped off at the hotel. Although we had just arrived the day before, we planned to avoid jet lag so we were able to do quite a lot on the first day.
Due to our having a packed day ahead on Tuesday we went right to bed.
Day 1 of our Adventures in Dubai was lovely and met all our expectations. It was interesting and most of all it was fun.
Stay tuned for Day 2 where we take an out of this world excursion to the East Coast of the UAE and visit the border of Oman and the Indian Ocean.
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