Traveler: Syeda Kanwal Naseem

 

Dubai is synonym with luxury, fun, fashion and everything extravagant. When we decided on spending our winter vacations in Dubai, even having an idea how amazingly it has developed, I was still a bit skeptical about going there, as it was my 1st trip.

 

Day 0

The day we landed, somehow, I was expecting a glimpse of desert, knowing I am in a desert that is Dubai but what I saw on my way to our hotel was nothing short of architectural masterpieces. Every building, every construction was just mesmerizing but what caught my eye was the skyscraper, people come to see from all around the world known as Burj Khalifa. The way it was glistening due to sun reflection was just spellbinding. Just a drive in Dubai is a treat for eyes.

 

Day 1

As we arrived late, our trip basically started from next day by exploring every girl’s favorite place that is a shopping mall. We explored the humongous, Mall of the Emirates. This place is every shopaholic’s dream come true. You will find every luxury brand in here, be it Dolce n Gabbana or Gucci, Jimmy choo or Sephora, everything is here. You just need to have unlimited money and no one to stop you.

If that’s not possible, you can do window shopping as well and trust me you will enjoy it because every shop is beautifully set up and no one stops you from checking things out. Just a disclaimer, you need to walk a lot and I mean a lot. This place is not for lazy walkers.

 

Day 2

Next day we thought of doing something fun and we decided upon going to newly opened IMG indoor theme park. Though I am not really fond of theme parks, I can easily say that it was a delight. A park catering to everyone with 3 differently themed zones: Marvel, Lost Valley and Cartoon Network. Every zone is mind-blowingly fun.

As this place is newly opened so a whole lot of people visit it daily and if you want to try out every ride you need to go there as early as possible otherwise, you have to wait a lot in queues. If you want to enjoy this place fully you need to give it one whole day because there is a lot to do.

 

Day 3

Our Third day was again a mall day and this time it was world’s largest mall that is Dubai Mall. This place is too fascinating and gigantesque. It’s simply luxurious. They also have Dubai Aquarium inside which is just too beautiful. We didn’t check it out that day because we were too much into exploring the whole mall which we couldn’t as it was too big for our tiny lil feet and we didn’t want to be cruel to them.

That same night we went on a Dhow cruise trip on Dubai marina to celebrate our parents’ wedding anniversary and what a good idea it was. Marina walk at night is so beautiful that you just get lost in its beauty. The skyscrapers around it were so beautifully lit up that you just can’t take your eyes off them. The cruise itself was just fantastic with an amazing setting and scrumptious food. It was hella romantic. It’s ideal for a romantic date night.

 

Day 4

The following day was Ferrari world day. It is located in Yas world in Abu Dhabi. Not being a car fanatic, I thought it would be a boring day for me but hell no! I loved this place the most. It’s a gigantic indoor theme park with luxurious, eye-popping Ferraris displayed all around the park. From world’s fastest roller coaster to impressive flash mobs to electrifying theatrical show, you’ll get everything in here and going to love it. This place is full of amazing rides and it’s a must go place.

 

Day 5

Next Day we thought of going to Burj Khalifa but oh my, that place was jam-packed and we didn’t have enough patience to wait for awfully long hours so we ended up going to Dubai Aquarium and it was a delight. Going through an underwater tunnel with hundreds of fishes going above you is actually trance inducing and hypnotic. You get to see numerous types of fascinating fishes and some amazing sharks. You can even do scuba diving in the aquarium and can have a lifetime experience. It is a great place for everyone.

 

Day 6

Our Sixth day was adrenaline filled as we went on a Yellow Boat ride in the Indian Ocean. This ride was a 90-minute ride filled with speed and lots of information from our boat guide, regarding everything coming along the seashore. This ride takes you up to Burj Ul Arab and Atlantis from Marina. The ride also gives you a magnificent view of Dubai Skyline. The whole ride was just marvelous. It should be in everyone’s to-do list in Dubai. Exploring Dubai Marina was also a serene and soothing experience. Nice walk with a view of the calm sea is always amazing.

 

Day 7

The next day, we took a city tour with the Big bus, a hop-on-hop-off bus with numerous stops all around the city. We had three options beach tour, old city tour and marina tour. We opted for beach tour because we were done with Marina and weren’t really interested in Old city. We started our journey from Dubai mall. There were many stops like Jumeirah Mosque, Kite Beach, Jumeirah public beach etc. etc. Mosque was really beautiful, beaches are lovely and they are great for water sports fanatics.

From Jumeirah public beach you get a fantastic view of Burj al Arab. You can only get views of this 7-star hotel and if you want to check it out from inside you need to pay a hefty sum which we were really interested in spending. The last place we hopped off was Atlantis hotel which again you can only check out from the outside. But we did check out the lost chambers aquarium which in my opinion was good but not as good as the Dubai Aquarium. These bus tours are economical and a great way to explore the city.

 

Day 8

Following day was Desert safari day. A day where I was a bit dubious about the fun content but ohhh how I was proved wrong. This trip was too adventurous and enthralling. The dune bashing was way more fun than I expected but it was a bit scary too. The sunset you get in there is beyond beautiful and one heck of a sight. There’s also, a stop where you can have awesome buggy rides.

After the sunset, they move you to a camp which is traditionally set up with camel rides, Arabic henna application and other traditional Arabic stuff. Those camps have beautiful seating arrangements and delicious Arabic buffet dinner. After dinner, you get to see terrifying yet marvelous fire show and a beautiful belly dancing show.

 

Day 9

After a tiring, yet fun day, we thought of going easy on ourselves and we opted for going to ski Dubai in the Mall of the Emirates, the other day. Who would have thought that you can enjoy freezing cold weather in Dubai but as we know this city always like to prove us wrong. The way they did with this indoor ski resort is actually amusing. This place has numerous fun filled activities from skiing to chairlift to crazy giant snowball rides.

The best part about ski Dubai is the cutest penguins they have, who roam around several times a day in the resort. This is a must go place if you want to try something different and if you don’t like cold weather then it’s a no no because its freezing in there even after you layer up yourself.

The same day was New Year’s Eve and we thought of going to burj khalifa to watch new year’s celebration, but everyone advised us not to go there as you get stuck in there for long hours and we weren’t in the mood for it so we opted of staying in our hotel. To our much surprise our hotel had done a setup at its roof top for its residents to view the fireworks display.

As we were staying in Al Barsha area so the Burj ul Arab was right in front of us and Burj Khalifa was also visible but it was a bit far off. As the clock hit 12 midnight the fireworks we witnessed at Burj ul Arab were beyond spectacular. I’ve never seen more electrifying and beautiful fireworks in my whole life. It was one heck of an experience.

 

Day 10

Next Day we went to Global Village. You will find almost every country in it with each having their own separate pavilions selling their respective country’s top-notch famous cultural products. Each pavilion is decorated traditionally according to its country, with many having famous monument replicas. Each pavilion gives a beautiful insight in its country’s culture and traditions.

Time to time they even hold concerts in different pavilions with native artistes from the respective country. It’s a great way of exploring different countries and cultures. This place is massive and immensely crowded so it’s really important to always keep an eye on your family and lil ones. It’s definitely a must visit place.

 

Day 11

Our second last day was water fun day and we ended up going to Wild Wadi water park in Jumeriah. It is great for families as it has rides for adventurous freak in your family to someone who likes low-key fun. This place has various rides with a big wave pool. You also get a magnificent view of Burj Al Arab from heredity was one of the most fun day we had in Dubai, just a perfect end to our Dubai trip.

 

In a Nutshell..

No matter what apprehensions you have before vacationing in Dubai, you are bound to fall in love with it. Everything in Dubai is humongous, extravagant and luxurious, actually Dubai itself is larger than life. This place is a must visit place for everyone who loves luxury and fun.