Our Trip to Dubai!
We started off 2019 in the best way possible- all the way in Dubai!
On January 7th we left the Canadian cold and headed to the airport to catch our direct flight to Dubai. This was our first trip together and our first time in Dubai, so we were both so excited to have this opportunity. The whole trip felt like a dream, and I can definitely say that Dubai will be a regular travel destination for us from now on because we both enjoyed it so much! We did a wide variety of activities and sightseeing, which included shopping, the beach, skyscrapers, a waterpark, indoor forest, desert safari, and so much more!
I wanted to write this blog post to highlight our trip to Dubai and also give you guys a little more insight on the activities we did for the five days we were there. Hopefully this post will be helpful to anyone looking into traveling to Dubai and is interested in gathering a few must-see places! And to everyone else, I hope you find this post interesting and enjoyable.
After a 12 hour flight, we were so tired but the excitement was so real! No amount of jet lag was going to bring us down. We were reading to start exploring!
HOTEL
As soon as we landed, we headed to the Renaissance Hotel located in the Downtown area. We checked into a beautiful room with the most gorgeous view. We did some exploring in and around the hotel and found some great restaurants, wild skyline views, a gym that Dawoud loved, and a lovely pool/lounge area. One of our most favourite parts of our trip was having breakfast at the hotel every morning. You seriously can’t go wrong when there is an open breakfast buffet with a view. We would highly recommend staying here, definitely a 10/10 experience!
LA MER BEACH
La Mer Beach really surprised us! We were expecting an ordinary beach where we could relax and enjoy ourselves by the water. However, this beach is that and so much more! Besides the very large beach/waterpark area, there are so many cute restaurants, cafes, and boutiques to explore. .
MADINAT JUMEIRAH
There was so much to do at Madinat Jumeirah! We started off by walking around the Souk and shopping for little gifts to bring back home with us. We then headed outside and found the Abra (boat) rides and a few restaurants, each one being a different cuisine. We ended up having a Lebanese dinner by the water and it was so wonderful.
AL FAHIDI HISTORICAL NEIGHBOURHOOD
We went to an area called Al Fahidi Historical District which is an old-Dubai inspired neighbourhood that features many shops, restaurants and cultural boutiques. It is known for it’s maze like sandy coloured buildings that will have you immersed in the local culture.
DUBAI MALL
Of course we had to visit the largest mall in the world. I love shopping and Dawoud and I always end up at a mall somehow, and I guess Dubai was no exception. I’ve always had a mental image of how large I thought this mall was, but seeing it in person was a whole different story. Dawoud and I could not believe how big it was! If you’re a shopper, this is definitely a stop you should make. Make sure you allocate enough time to really explore as much as you can, it can take a while to see everything!
BURJ KHALIFA
Dawoud is a lover of architecture, so this part of our trip really excited him. We’ve heard so much about the Burj Khalifa, so we had to see this record-breaking skyscraper for ourselves. Let’s just say, it definitely did not disappoint. We went all the way up to the 148th floor and had the most amazing view of all the buildings that Dubai had to offer. We snapped some really cool photos, it was definitely an Instagram worthy spot!
LA PERLE BY DRAGONE
We finished off the day by attending an acrobatics show called La Perle. This was something that Dawoud and I would have never thought to see, but we were so glad we did! It wasn’t like anything we’ve seen before, which made the experience so much more enjoyable. Be prepared to see some crazy acrobatics, incredible visuals and a touching story!
FIRST YACHT DUBAI
I’ve never been on a yacht before, so we had no idea what to expect when we arrived at the boat dock. It was a beautiful day outside, sunny with a light breeze. We found our yacht and met Captain John and our guide Carl, who were both so kind to us. We then headed out on our private yacht tour, which was SO amazing. We had the option of playing our own tunes and were offered soft drinks and water. We hung out on the top deck at first, snapped some photos then went down to the front of the yacht to enjoy a better view of the water and the surrounding buildings. I would highly recommend booking a private yacht tour with First Yacht Dubai, it’s such a unique experience that gives you some time to unwind and relax as well as enjoy a different view of Dubai!
EMERALD PALACE KEMPINSKI SPA
We decided to go for a full body couples massage- something that Dawoud and I have never done before. Little did we know it would be in such a beautiful building! The Emerald Kempinski Palace was breathtaking, both the outside and inside of the building are beautifully designed with all the right details in mind. Expect to be blown away!
We were escorted to the spa part of the building, and were greeted by some lovely staff and ice cold water with fresh fruit. We then filled out a paper detailing what we wanted to achieve during our massage, and were taken to the change rooms afterwards. We got changed and headed to the couples massage room to enjoy an hour long massage, which was so relaxing. After the massage, we enjoyed the steam rooms and hammams before we got changed again. We headed back to the main area to find afternoon tea waiting for us. The whole experience left us feeling super calm and relaxed, just what we needed!
GLOBAL VILLAGE
Global Village was one place that I’ve seen all over social media so I was super curious about it. I loved the concept of being able to visit and explore so many countries and cultures, without even having to leave Dubai! The tickets were very inexpensive, which is always a plus. There is so much to do here, I can’t imagine anyone getting bored. We got to discover so many villages and also enjoy a wide range of food (our favourite cuisine was Turkish!). This is also a great place for families, there are so many great activities for kids to enjoy!
SEAWINGS
What better way to see Dubai than to get an arial view of the whole city! We went on a 25 minute long Seawings flight, which gave us a wonderful view of all of Dubai. Thanks to this flight, we got a bunch of wonderful footage!
LAGUNA WATERPARK
I haven’t been to a waterpark since I was a kid, so I was definitely excited for this part of our trip. We made sure to go on all the epic waterslides that Laguna Waterpark had (of course), and then we enjoyed the beach at La Mer. The best part about the waterpark and beach is that it felt so safe and comfortable. I felt very comfortable swimming at the beach and enjoying the waterslides with my hijab, which is not something I experience all the time when I’m on vacation.
We spent a good chunk of our day here, and I ain’t complaining.
DUBAI FRAME
Who knew visiting a huge frame would be so interesting! This part of our trip really gave us an understanding of how much Dubai has changed in such a short period of time. It was so cool to be able to compare old Dubai with new Dubai and to get a glimpse of what the future holds.
THE GREEN PLANET
I am a huge animal lover, so I was jumping from excitement on our way to The Green Planet. I’ve always wanted to see a sloth, so you can only imagine how happy I was to be able to see one here! There were so many beautiful birds flying all around while we walked through an indoor forest that featured all sorts of other animals.
CITY WALK
Right across the street of The Green Planet is an area called the City Walk. It’s essentially a really nice outdoor shopping area with tons to do! We had some ice cream and walked around before we headed back to our hotel.
PLATINUM HERITAGE DESERT SAFARI
Our last activity in Dubai was the one that Dawoud and I were the most excited for. I’ve always wanted to visit the desert, and living in Canada meant that I had to travel a long way to ever experience that. This was by far the most magical experience we had while in Dubai. I’m so glad we went with Platinum Heritage because they truly made the whole desert experience so authentic and enjoyable (it was all Bedouin inspired!) . We were picked up from our hotel and taken to the desert and then we hopped on a red vintage land rover and headed to the falcon show. Of course, we snapped many photos along the way, and our tour guide was very accommodating of that! We were then taken to the main campsite which had food, drinks, shisha, camel rides, and performances all waiting for us! There was so much to enjoy and take in, Dawoud and I were so amazed. By the end of the night, even though we didn’t want to head back to Canada, we truly felt like the desert safari completed our trip to Dubai!
Dubai was simply amazing. We are so grateful to be able to travel and experience all of this, especially as a couple. Traveling teaches you so much, and I’m glad that I am able to learn all that traveling has to offer, with Dawoud by my side.
If you are considering a visit to Dubai, I say heck yes! You’ll get such a unique experience that encompasses so many different aspects of the culture, which makes it all the more interesting. I also want to add that everyone there is SO kind. We felt so welcomed by all the people we met there, which meant a lot to us.
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or reach out to me, I’m more than happy to help!
A special thank you to DCTCM and Style Coalition for inviting us to Dubai and planning/coordinating our whole trip, we really appreciate it.