Hi from Dubai,
We’ve been here 4 full days already and time needs to slow down. It’s my first time here and to say I’m blown away by the city is an understatement. It’s like no city I’ve ever been to before, a luxurious lego-land in the desert where culture and city life go hand in hand. The buildings are so modern and impressive and there is just so much to do here, whether you’re seeking out a break in the sun or an adventure filled holiday – it’s got it all. We’ve definitely done a mix of both so far on our holiday so I wanted to put together a blog post with some info on what we’ve been up to. I’ve so much to share that I thought the best way to do this would be to split it into 2 posts.
Some general info
The local currency (AED) works out at about 1/4 of a euro per AED.
Taxi’s are super cheap (you will get them everywhere) but everything else (food, drink, shopping) is pretty pricey.
There are no off licences over here, and as alcohol is so expensive, I would recommend picking up some in duty free before travelling if you’re fond of a cheeky glass of vino 😉
If you’re flying into Dubai Airport (DBX) give yourself plenty of time to get through passport control, it took us over an hour.
The sun doesn’t really get hot until about 10/10.30am so don’t rush yourself out of bed in the morning.
Where we are staying
We are staying in the fab Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel and its definitely the most luxurious hotel I’ve ever stayed in. There are SO many hotels in Dubai so we spent so long on booking.com trying to decide which one to book before we came. We eventually decided on this one, based on the amazing reviews it got on Tripadvisor, the location and the style of the hotel. We got an upgrade on arrival – and our room is just out of this world. I’d say it’s easily bigger than my whole house back in Dublin haha. The view is to die for – and the BATH!!!
Where we are eating
We booked breakfast with our hotel – which was a great call. It’s the biggest and best hotel breakfast I’ve ever seen with a Juice making station, Omelete making station and literally every type of breakfast food you could imagine. We usually fill up for the day at breakfast.
On our second night we head to the Palm for a breathtaking dinner at 101 at the One and Only. We booked to get the boat from the Jetty Lounge, and it took us out to the waterfront restaurant – that was an experience in itself. We kicked off our night with a cocktail outside then moved inside to the gorgeous restaurant for honestly what was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. After dinner we got a buggy around the One and Only Resort and had a look around the hotel. It literally looked like heaven on earth. I’d definitely recommend a visit if you like good food, pretty decor and a nice skyline view.
Another restaurant we visited that we loved was the Rib Room in our hotel. It’s known for it’s steak and I can see why. I got mushrooms, mash potato and peppercorn sauce with mine, and it will be one of those meals I will dream about forever haha.
What we’ve been up to
There is so much to do in Dubai it’s hard to know where to start, we’ve had two cloudy days which has given us some time to really explore and get some sightseeing done. Here are some recommendations based on what we’ve done so far, I’m sure I’ll have more to add in a few days.
- Watch the Dubai fountain show at the Burj Khalifa
- Visit the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo at Dubai Mall
- Stroll around the Miracle Gardens
- Be big kids for the day at Wild Wadi Water Park
- Take a boat around the Palm island
- Grab a cocktail and enjoy live music on Barasti Beach
- If you’re up for some day-time dancing and drinks – Zero Gravity Pool and Beach bar is so much fun
- Visit the Atlantis Hotel, enjoy their amazing water park and swim with the Dolphins at Dolphin Bay
What I’ve been wearing
Before I came here I wasn’t sure how I would be able to dress over here. Most of the women living here are covered head to toe in burqas – but as Dubai is so touristy, dressing in usual holiday attire is normal. Although, unlike other holidays, you can’t run through the hotel in your bikini or to the shops in your beach cover-up. I’m wearing mostly Boohoo, River Island, Primark, Revolve and Shopbop on this trip – I’ve added as much as I could find online to the shop section on my website – and of course, everything is tagged on Instagram.
Well, that’s enough info for one day, I’ll be back in a few more days with info on the second part of the week,
If any of you reading have any suggestions for me in the meantime, please send them over, the list is never too long 😊
Have a great week guys,
Lou x
