Dubai is pretty awesome and quite unique. I believe that this is one of the places that I can say stood out to me the most as it doesn’t have any qualities similar to places I have been to before.
The reason we travelled here was for business, so we didn’t get to see as much of Dubai as we wanted to, however we still did some awesome things.
Man-made things to do
The Burj Khalifa
This is the tallest building in the entire world that also has the fastest lift in the world that takes you almost right to the top! If you are scared of heights, don’t go up but I would still recommend going to the area to have a look at it because it’s stunning!
If you plan to go to the top, you might struggle to find the entrance like I did. For some reason you enter it by going into a shopping centre! There will be signs to help guide you. The biggest thing about going up here is, of course, the view that you get. I personally recommend going on a clear day to see the best views, and at sunset so you get to experience the Burj at the best times- daylight, sunset and nighttime when the lights all turn on! There is also a little gift shop if you would like to buy some souvenirs.
Top tip- Booking a ticket is always a good idea to avoid disappointment. I didn’t book but I was lucky to get up as the place was packed with people!
Around the Burj Khalifa, there are big water fountains that play a water show with music and lights every 30 mins (this is better at night due to the lights) which is quite cool to see if you happen to be in the area, but even cooler to see if you are watching it from the top of the Burj.
The Atlantis hotel
This is definitely with the visit even if you aren’t staying there as the architecture is incredible, they have an awesome aquarium, a great waterpark that has slides going through fish/shark tanks, a great beach, good restaurants, a shopping area and it is located on The Palm.
Fun fact- The Palm is a little man made island that is in the shape of a palm tree. They used satellites to help them get the shape perfect!
The Dubai Marina
It’s stunning. You can go on a wide variety of boat tours from there (we had an awesome private yatch party!) and the views of the buildings are great to see too. You can visit this place during the day or night, with plenty of restaurants to choose from, baring in mind that a lot of them in this area are very pricey.
Hub Zero
A big must do if you are in a group of friends or if you have children. I went here with my friends and it was so much fun. It is an indoor area full of different fun activities such as laser tag, gaming areas, private karaoke rooms, VR headsets, retro arcade, laser maze, 4D cinema, climbing zone, zero gravity effect ride, dark interactive rides, pool tables and more. It’s like gaming and fun heaven!
I would recommend a minimum of 2 hours dedicated to this place to get the full experience and to get to try out the things. One thing to bear in mind is that there are queues inside that can be up to a 30 min wait (however there are lots of things that don’t require a long wait at all). A great time to visit this place is when the weather is either too hot or too miserable, unless you want to catch it on the emptier side, in which case you should go when the weather seems perfect.
Ski Dubai
Taking half a day out to visit this place is worth it, especially if you have children. If you have never been skiing before, you can actual get this experience all year round in the indoor skiing zone along with things such as building snowmen, snowball fights, tobogganing, snowboarding and even zip lining and more!
Natural things to do
Visiting the sand dunes
There are a few things that you can do whilst in the dunes, including;
- Jeep rides
- Camel rides
- Sandsurfing
- Quad biking
- BBQs
- Star gazing
- Etc…
You can get tours that allow you to do one of these or combos of them with ranging prices, so I would recommend looking into your options if this interests you to tick it all of of your list in one day!
Dubai Miracle Garden
I’m not sure whether you would count this as man-made or natural (I’m guessing both?), however visiting it is definitely something you should put on your list. It is a big garden where you will find over 45 million blooming flowers in different sculptures, designs, eye-catching shapes, and amazing colours. I was seriously impressed and wowed with the skill and beauty displayed here.
Top tip- don’t go here when it is very hot, I made this mistake and there wasn’t a lot of shade.
Of course seeing the beautiful sights of Dubai is something everyone should do. There are many tours that you can do which are good for sight seeing such as boat tours, bus tours, helicopter tours and hot air balloon tours. You can of course see things by riding on bikes or walking, perhaps hiring a car and going for a drive yourselves, however I would always recommend going on tours no matter where you go as the guides may take you to places that you can only get to with them or places you may not know about.
Must-do
The Burj Khalifa + its area, Dubai marina, visiting sand dunes, Dubai miracle garden and the Atlantis hotel on the Palm.
Dining experience
There are many incredible restaurants of all kinds in Dubai. Here are some top picks:
- Il Borro, an authentic Tuscan bistro (Italian) restaurant with cool decor, great service and yummy food! It is located in the Al Naseem hotel, however you don’t have to be staying there to try out their restaurant.
- Nammos Dubai serves gorgeous Mediterranean food, has bright decor and is an awesome place to dine if you are planning on having a beach day as they have their own little beach! This is definitely a day time restaurant. Again, this is located in the Four Seasons however you do not need to be staying there to try it out.
- Nusr-Et Steakhouse Dubai, I don’t personally eat meat, however this place was highly spoken about by our best friend over in Dubai (Spencer Lodge!) and he said he would definitely recommend it due to its high quality meat good service. In fact, if you have ever heard of the viral sensation ‘Salt Bae’, this is his restaurant!
- Zuma is an authentic Japanese style restaurant with delicious food, awesome decor and great location overall.
- Amazonico Dubai has super funky decor, amazing food and delicious cocktails. It is a great experience from every aspect and a great place to take pictures!
- For my fellow vegetarians, Señor Pico is an awesome Mexican-inspired restaurant full of colourful decor and dishes with amazing flavours. There are wide variety of options there so I would definitely recommend going!
Where to stay
Below budget
- California Hostel Dubai Beach- this place is great because it has operate female and male dormitories to ensure you are comfortable and feel safe. It has been one of the top picks for solo travellers, has a perfect locations, you can get options to stay in dormitories with sea views, they have free wifi, pool, kitchens in some rooms, laundry service, kid friendly, shared lounge, fitness area and more. Price per night* PER PERSON- 65 pounds/ 77,86 EUR/ 89,11 USD.
- Bombay Backpackers DXB- this gets most of its points from the incredible views you get and the amazing location. Not only that, but they are very clean, friendly, fun and provide free wifi, parking, garden area, pool, affordable laundry service, female dormitories and more. Price per night* PER PERSON- 58 pounds/ 69.46 EUR/ 79.52 USD.
Within budget
- Admiral Plaza Hotel- there are a lot of comments saying that this place is underrated as it is extremely affordable, clean, comfortable, great facilities, friendly staff and good location. It has its own restaurants, a pool, a spa, a gym, free wifi, free parking, the all important air conditioning etc… Price per night* PER PERSON- 140 pounds/ 167.26 EUR/ 190.57 USD
- Savoy Central Hotel Apartments- pet friendly, very clean, great service around their pool, lovely staff, yummy food services, good location, wonderful facilities and more. Price per night* PER PERSON- 187 pounds/ 223.56 EUR/ 254.65 USD
No expense spared
- Atlantis The Palm- I stayed here and I couldn’t talk more highly about it. The service is unmatched, it’s a very high security area to make sure no one are running around hotel rooms without having a pass, the beach is amazing as is the waterpark that they have. The rooms are comfortable, clean, the views are great, love the location, the hotel is stunning both in out. The restaurants are incredible and so is the little shopping area that they have. The other pool areas are lovely too. Great hotel that can definitely accommodate anyone. Price per night* PER PERSON- 1,371 pounds/ 1,639.65 EUR/ 1,866.73 USD
- InterContinental Dubai Marina- gorgeous location, efficient staff, clean, lovely views, great rooms, great for people travelling for business, lovely food, relaxing spa, cool pool and more! Price per night* PER PERSON- 779 pounds/ 932.17 EUR/ 1,058.21 USD
*My informations has been gathered from the dates of 11th March- 14th March 2022. Prices will also change greatly depending on the choice of your room (mine have been picked from the most basic rooms).
Transport
Transport is actually very easily manageable in Dubai without needing to know the language. There are many ways to get around such as busses, water buses, taxis, metros, trains, bikes etc… the trains seem to be the best way to get around if you don’t want to go in taxis as they are cheap, fast (trains come every few minutes, however waiting for the tickets may take a while depending on hour), lines are understandable and the trains are clean.
The one downside to trains are that the stations may not be close to your destination in the area. I personally went around in taxis as It was the easiest, many were available at all times, you get dropped straight to your locations, they are clean and safe.
Key things to pack
Next to nothing! The weather is so good (lowest temps down to 20c in Jan) it is rare that you will need any warm clothes, however it does depend on the time of year that you go. I would always recommend taking a light jacket just in case (you can never be sure!) Here are some other bits and bobs to take with you;
- Adapter (the plugs here are the same as UK, 3 point triangle)
- Swimwear, lots of it!,
- Hat,
- Sunscreen,
- Sunglasses,
- UV protected lip balm,
- Dressing up clothes (lots of restaurants have dress codes)
- Breezy clothes,
- Clothes that don’t show too much (out of respect of their culture!),
- Comfortable shoes,
- Flip flops/sliders,
- Crossbag (to be extra safe when walking about).
Need to know before you go
The best time of year to visit Dubai is during their ‘winter’. This is between October and May. The weather during this period is not too hot but perfect to go to the beach etc… I went in April and there were still some days that reached 45 degrees Celsius. If you go during the summer I have no doubt that you will regret it. Residents tend to rarely leaver their homes during this season as it is just too hot.
There are lots of misconceptions that Dubai is a very dangerous place, however this isn’t the case. Violent crime rates are actually very low and you can safely walk around at night without worrying. This of course doesn’t mean that you don’t have to be cautions with your things, it just means you don’t have to worry about someone causing serious harm to you.
DRESS CODES- Try your best to avoid tight clothes, short shorts/skirts, anything that shows cleavage, see-through things or anything that may have offensive slogans on. Men should also never walk around with a shirt off unless it is near water, and women can never go topless. This is due to their culture and we should respect them at all times!
I would recommend being very careful about PDA (public displays of affection) as it is known to be something very offensive to the Dubai culture. Yes, this include holding hands. There have been cases where people have been hurt for PDA or even fined. Of course this does depend on the areas that you are in, so just be aware of when you are in the very public areas of Dubai. (This doesn’t include holding children’s hands)
I would always recommend booking things in advance, whether its tours, restaurants, hotels or transport. This is due to not knowing how busy the place is at certain times of the day and year. It is always better to be safe than sorry!
Don’t be visibly drunk in public or drink alcohol in public. This is extremely offensive and you can even end up in jail for it. If you feel you have had a bit too much to drink, get back to where you are staying straight away!
This should be a rule everywhere, but don’t litter. This can lead to very large fines if you are caught.
Try your best to not take photos of people without their permission. This excludes very busy places/ people in background etc… however if you are trying to directly take a photo of a stranger, ask their permission.
If you plan on visiting mosques, please be aware of the rules, respect their religion, and cover up.
If you plan on visiting mosques, please be aware of the rules, respect their religion, and cover up.
If you are visiting during Ramadan, please do not drink, eat or smoke in public (unless in restaurant/bar) as it is seen as disrespectful.
The whole of Dubai is pretty expensive. I would save up quite a bit before going, especially if you are planning on booking lots of tours or going shopping.
Try to avoid swearing and rude hand gestures in public.
Don’t blast loud music from your phone or speakers wherever you are, you can play music as long as you are being respectful to the people around you. In fact, it is forbidden and you will get a fine if you blast music.
If you are interested in reading about more places in Asia, check out my Japan blog!
