I chose to fly on the overnight flight with the view to sleeping on the plane, my first trip on an A380 with Emirates and giving me an extra full day to explore Dubai. The flight arrived at 06.00 am 14 June but unfortunately it was a misty day and there was not much to see though temperatures were in the mid 30s c and remained that way throughout the trip. The flight was very quiet and there was a configuration of 3-4-3 so several of the middle seats were available. I chose to watch "12 years a slave" which was one film I had been meaning to watch and then settled down to sleep. However, my plans did not work out as I was unable to sleep and arrived in Dubai very tired.
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| My room at Radisson Royal Hotel |
As it was misty I decided to catch up on my sleep in the comfortable room at the 5 star Radisson Royal Hotel on the main road into Dubai.
The hotel was positioned just 15 minutes drive from the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa and I booked a trip up the tower for the 15th Junewhich was the only vacant slot that I could book. It is therefore better to prebook in case of busy periods to avoid disappointment to make the saving, ticket price I paid at the hotel was approximately £25. They do have a fasttrack system but this was nearer to £60 that was available and offered to other agents. You can also chose to combine it with a city tour which can include the malls and Burj Khalifa (with or without meal) and take you to the palm and the main sights of the city. Alternative tours also available.
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| The tallest building in the world the Burj Khalifa - viewing platform at 124th floor |
View from 124th floor terrace area with top open to the sky and glass area (some open)
Aquarium visible from the mall
Other trips that were recommended were desert safari, which I did not have time to do and waterparks such as the Atlantis the Palm waterpark which was the largest and we were able to spend a couple of hours visiting which was great fun. There was also an aquarium here a little smaller than that at Dubai Mall but worth a visit.
The famous Burj al Arab with nightly rates of approx £2800. You can also have a meal here for about £300 plus for 2 and afternoon tea is another more reasonable option.
Dubai is principally a city but if you was to combine with a beach holiday, we did visit a few hotels on the Palm and this would be a great choice of combination beach with city on your doorstep. Taxis were very cheap as apparently it costs under £10 to fill a tank over there with the petrol so cheap, so typically it is metered but works on time and distance. It cost 10 dirham to Dubai Mall which was 15 minutes and back was 17 dirham. The exchange rate is approximately 6 to the pound. It is important to get the Dubai Taxis which are cream with red, blue or yellow roofs as these are by far the cheapest as I discovered when the hotel hailed a different one and it ended up being approximately 3 times the price I was expecting (45 dirhams from the Fairmont, the Palm to Burj Khalifa which was still only about 15 minutes drive)
The Dubai Mall itself is worth a visit with a large Aquarium area in the centre of the Mall which you can also enjoy in glass bottom boat or even scuba dive with the fish and a separate underwater zoo. There is also an impressive waterfall inside and dancing water fountain display outside in front on the Burj Khalifa where this play music as the water dances about every half an hour in the evenings.
Underwater zoo at the Dubai Mall
The Hotel Atlantis, The Palm was very extensive and very nice but it very much appeals to families and therefore there will be a large number of families with all that entails. One complaint was off children running around and climbing on tables at meal times. There are several options for meals so I cannot personally say that we experienced this problem. We had a meal hosted when we arrived which was held close to the lovely beach area and this was very enjoyable and a lovely location. We also enjoyed the waterpark which as stated was part of the extensive grounds.
The Atlantis Huge Complex
Zoomed in view of Burj al Arab from Atlantis the Palm
Traffic at peak times is very congested so it is best to chose the times you wish to travel or make allowance for queues. We did spot a open top tour bus so this hop on/hop off option may be a good way to get around. There is plenty to do in Dubai and I regret not staying longer but travelling on my own was not quite sure what to expect.
There is a second palm on the other side of Dubai but I did not have time to explore this area, the Marina or Jumeirah Beach. There is also the largest indoor ski area in a separate area which is worth a visit but I did not get time to visit myself.
I was not sure what to expect of Dubai but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It felt much safer that I expected to feel and you do not need to cover up completely as I thought I might have to, but they do prefer you to cover up more in the malls and not have too much exposed flesh. It is worth pointing out that there is only alcohol available in the hotels but anyone can access most hotels and eat in their restaurants, where alcohol will be available. I am a person who enjoys a glass of wine or two so felt this did not pose a significant problem in general.
The other point to make is they do not permit any form of physical contact such as hugging or kissing in public places or you could risk being arrested.
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