I was writing this post on for a long time. Too long. There was no way I could decide where to start. It may not even be the last post about Dubai. Because Dubai really fascinated and impressed me! In the end, I decided to introduce you to my Dubai. Dubai as I saw it. As part of our Babymoon.
My Dubai
My Dubai was marked by Ramadan and my tummy. Before leaving, I was really worried – how will I be without food and, worse, without water during the day? What to wear to be appropriate? Is it safe? Will it be ok for my tummy and my baby in it?
I shouldn’t have to worry at all! Not for a moment did I feel in danger or ill. Out of respect, I hid when I drank water during the day, otherwise there were no problems.
The people of Dubai are friendly – as an example, let me just mention the metro, where I always got a seat. It even happened once that another man told someone sitting down to get up for me.
The people of Dubai are clean – in my opinion, Dubai is the cleanest city I have ever seen. Wherever we went, there was someone out there who took care of the cleanliness.
Transport
Although it is a huge city, you quickly get the feeling and orientation. Public transport is good, the metro is easy to use, and the best thing is that taxis are ridiculously cheap, actually cheaper than here. Just be careful with taxis, as they are cheap and luxurious taxis. If you don’t want luxury, look for a yellow taxi. BUT! Luxury with them means Tesla and prices comparable to ours. 😉
Hotels
Hotels … hotels there are really for every taste and wallet! We were verylucky as the corona times made the prices really low. We chose three different hotels, in three different parts of the city. In the old part, in the bussiness part and in the marina.
In the old part, we chose the Hyatt hotel Banya square, which convinced me. Friendly staff, nice rooms, good food and great location! The metro station is practically at the entrance, and you can have a 5-minute walk to the abra stop. You can also walk to the Gold Souk, for example. Would I come back? WOULD!
In the bussiness part we chose Voco hotel. The best decision ever! I will write more about the hotel separately, I will just say here, great hotel, great food, great location, a few minutes to the subway, there are also various restaurants nearby, a couple of stations away from Dubai mall.
In the marina we chose the Pearl Marina hotel. Cute hotel, with a beautiful view of the river, if you have a room on that side, ok pools and ok food. A big plus is that they offer free transportation to and from the beach. However, it is close enough for walking, and there are shops and various restaurants nearby, and the metro is not so far away.
Sights
What to see in Dubai? In one word – EVERYTHING! In Dubai, there is really a lot to see, for every taste and age. What not to miss? Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame, Dubai Miracle Garden, the old part of the city, where you absolutely have to have a ride with abra, Dubai Butterfly Garden, Dubai mall with a fountain – whenever possible, shows are different, desert – organized trips are ridiculously cheap and it’s great the experience, a day on the beach on a palm tree doesn’t hurt also…
Jan and I went to the Dubai mall every night for dinner, drinks and the fountain show. One mini tip: be sure to take a walk down the bottom floor of the Dubai mall, there is one Turkish chocolate shop and they are very generous with chocolates. 😉 For dinner, a tip – Pizza hut has a great view of the fountains and the show.
BEACHES
Dubai has great beaches! Jan and I visited quite a few of them, but the most memorable was the beautiful Riva beach club on the palm. They have ‘beach clubs’ there, where you pay the entrance fee (which is not so high) and you can spend the whole day on the beach, where you have a deck chair, parasol and a towel. There is usually a pool also, as well as a restaurant, inn, …
Prices
Prices depend on the luxury you want to afford. Taxis were about half a euro per kilometer, the minimum was about 2 euros. (So even if you drove less, you paid that minimum.) Food … some fancy restaurants are more expensive, but pizzerias, fast foods and the like the prices may be a little more expensive than here but mainly they are cheap. Alcohol is expensive. Jan indulged in one or two beers and gave 10-15 € for each. And only in the hotel by the pool.
I honestly admit that I can’t wait to get back to Dubai. I recommend at least a week, a little to walk around, a little to enjoy the sea and the beautiful beaches! Dubai, see you soon!
Xoxo, A.
