Dubai is a crazy desert theme park, crossed with an impressive sci-fi movie set, mega architecture, man-made islands and a money to burn attitude renowned as the middle east finest, a city of endless fun just like Las Vegas. Dubai currently holds the strongest passport in the world and you could really imagine what the future holds for the middle east, so a visit is a must. Dubai left me speechless, I really couldn’t keep my mouth closed from the glimpse of the city's beauty, I believe social media and travel influencers could possibly have misled the majority of people to believe that a trip to Dubai would cost a lot but that’s not the case, in my opinion you could visit with a comfortable budget and still have the best time of your life but not to say that Dubai can’t be expensive because the luxury side of Dubai is definitely worth experiencing also, although very expensive and probably unaffordable, unless it’s a honeymoon or a very special occasion I’d suggest just travel cheap. Most hotels in Dubai are very affordable with the exemption of certain locations i.e. The Palm, Dubai Marina & JBR most 4 & 5-star hotels are very comfortable with a luxury side to them, they generally come with a lot of great facilities.
Getting To Dubai
Travelling to Dubai is stress-free as the Emirate’s international airport is one of the busiest in Asia, receiving flights to Dubai from all over the world. You have to fly Emirates and if you could afford business class do it! You could bag a low fare for as cheap as £295 return in November, so I would pick this option over a business class seat, however the trick is that you must fly from London Stansted as the other 2 London airports, Heathrow & Gatwick cost more around £325. I would highly recommend flying emirates as not only is it a top 10 best airline in the world, the experience and luxury is worth it. On the plus side Emirate offers a complimentary shuttle bus service from Dubai to Abu Dhabi for anyone willing to explore Abu Dhabi which has the country's greatest mosque, amusement & waterparks. That been said if you had a tighter budget you could alway fly connect with Ukraine airline from London for as little as £190. Dubai Airport is very modern and easy to reach from Europe and the Middle East, which makes Dubai a perfect destination for short breaks and the international airport of Sharjah is also in close proximity to Dubai.
Where To Stay
It's a good idea to stay in as many hotels as possible so as to have a feel for different neighbourhoods, i lodged in 3 different hotels on this trip, my favourite stay was at the Emirates Grand Hotel located in downtown, it’s a Mediterranean style 4-star hotel close to financial centre metro station with exceptional facilities, my room was massive and it had a separate sitting room, kitchen and bedroom like an apartment set up. The hotel is 15 minutes from the airport and with a 7 minutes walking distance to the Dubai mall, and Burj Khalifa. And for the food lovers, the famous KIZA Restaurant happens to be located behind this (£65) per night hotel, how convenient!
What To Do
In Dubai it’s guaranteed that whatever trill, experience or adventure you’re after, you’ll definitely find, from hiking to sky diving to camel riding just name it. I definitely did not get round to doing everything i wanted to do but i did enough to make the most out of my trip. The city has near enough everything to offer and I’ve been lucky enough to find a tour company called Trip X tours, they are dedicated to offering excellent packages at low affordable price and a great value for money. Although I wouldn’t recommend them when it comes to the Desert safari tour (Quad Bike, Camel Riding, Pick Up from & Drop Off to Dubai City Centre, Vegetarian & Non Vegetarian BBQ Dinner Meal with unlimited soft drinks, Desert Sand Bashing, Fire & Dance Show) as from my experience, they did not deliver up to my expectation, and they tried to charge extra on little things like pictures with the camels, falcon although the package was so cheap (£29) that it did not matter. If you want a full desert safari experience, it’s probably best to book it with luxury company Platinum Heritage but compared to Trip X Tour you'd be paying (£127) about £100 more for a similar experience but I do think it's worth it.
Burj Khalifa
In the day time I believe it's best to enjoy the panoramic view of the city from the floor to ceiling glass walls of the iconic Burj Khalifa from the top. I bought a Burj Khalifa – Level 124th & 125th floor and Dubai Aquarium and Under Water Zoo combo ticket from the Trip X Tour website and what makes this a perfect deal is the bargain at 195 AED (£42) however I amazingly got a further 10% off as you could apply a discount code from the Picodi website (PICODIDEAL) so it was all only £37 to visit the aquarium & underwater zoo and also get on the world tallest building.
At night time it’s best to see the World’s tallest building from the bottom as the illuminating lights makes the view worthwhile, i'd also suggest purchasing a fountain boardwalk 25 AED (£5) ticket through the Trip X website. The floating boardwalk will let you to get closer to the Dubai water fountain while providing you with a new view on the fascinating performances to get a up close and personal new perspective of the dancing water fountain.
Dubai Mall Underwater Aquarium
At the Dubai aquarium you would see all types of wonderful sea creature, from sharks to a variety of fishes. It’s worth It if you are into that sort of thing or want to kill time at the mall also for such a low price, it’s a must!
JBR Beach
Jumeirah beach doesn’t need an introduction as it’s one of the best beaches in Dubai, public beaches in Dubai are £Free and this includes JBR, situated next to the Dubai Marine Beach Resort.
KIZA Restaurant
KIZA is hands down the finest of Dubai’s African restaurants, they have a range of different cuisine from all parts of Africa. From the fragrant Chicken Brik and Couscous of Morocco North Africa to the Rainbow Cuisine of Cape Town South Africa, then onto the most important of all, the spicy stews & Jollof rice of Nigeria West Africa and finally the traditional meat dishes and soups of Kenya East Africa. What set's KIZA aside from any other restaurants is the sense of a luxury dining and food presentation you experience; they actually present your food in such a way that your mouth gets wet instantly & I'm speaking from experience. You're more likely to bump into a celebrity at this restaurant due to the common interest of the pursuit for a quality cuisine. It's located 7 mins walk from the Financial Centre Metro Station in the Dubai International Financial Centre district, KIZA is the perfect place to discover and enjoy the flavours of Africa.
Gold Souk and Creekside
The gold souk is located in the old parts of Dubai and you can purchase real Gold and cheap designer items such as Gucci, Louise Vuittons etc from this area. Also for just 1 AED (20p), you can jump on-board a 10 mins ride, one of many traditional boats known as Abras to cross the creek that separates Bur Dubai from Deira, Dubai’s city centre. This will give you a more cultural experience of the older parts of Dubai and the views are breath-taking.
How I Lost My £800 iPhone And Got Stranded For 5 Hours
As part of my travel plans, I love to explore neighbouring cities, in this case Abu Dhabi as it’s only right I make the most out of my opportunity of being in the U.A.E. I had already stayed in Dubai for 2 nights & this was Day 3, so my plan was to checkout of my hotel room and head over to the Dubai bus station in Old Dubai, Al Ghubaiba Bus Station to be precise, I ordered my taxi via an app called Careem as they are cheaper than Uber. I was in a very good mood this day as I’m about to wanderlust further into the capital of the U.A.E and couldn’t wait to see Abu Dhabi, I was dressed as a typical tourist, I had khaki shorts on with a white vest, a cow boy hat, a duffle bag and a backpack. On getting to the bus station my hands were full, I had my iPhone 8 plus, an empty bottle of water and a duffle bag plus my backpack. Soon as I got off the taxi I decided to free up my hands a little so I chucked the empty bottle of water into a nearby dustbin and headed over to the bus stop counter to purchase my ticket, however on getting to the bus stop counter I realised my phone was missing, at this point my heartbeat was pounding (COMING FASS). I started to panic as I couldn’t imagine losing my phone which I depended solely on, nonetheless it wasn’t much about the phone itself but the content in it such as pictures, contacts, maps and even the fact that I’ve been able to save so much money from the use of taxi apps, map locations etc. At this point i started to think of the places I could possibly have lost it with the obvious place been the Careem taxi but then again, I thought to myself wait! Could I have been so stupid to have chucked away my phone with that empty bottle of water from earlier, so what did I do? I approached the bin slowly, stood there and tried to analyse my environment to see if anyone was watching me but clearly, they all were as I was dressed like a Black American tourist and this was a crowded bus station. I really did not want to put my hands into that disgusting bin in the middle of the afternoon, but I put my pride aside and went digging yet found nothing. The only one thing that kept going through my head was the fact that my holiday was definitely over at that moment, however I did not want to give up just yet, so I decided to look for a solution. I looked around and saw a Tourism office (Dusktours) across the street, I went straight in to seek help. There were about 5 consultants in the office, so I went in and explained my situation to one of them who was willing to help, he asked for my number and tried to ring it but no one picked up at this stage, then I decided to use their WIFI to get onto my MacBook Air just in the hopes that I could facetime my iPhone and have someone pick up or use the find my phone app but my phone wasn’t connected to the internet so that was another dead end. I started to think of a plan B which was to either go back to the hotel I had just checked out of and stay there or still make the trip to Abu Dhabi although it’ll be a big struggle getting to my hotel over in Abu Dhabi and also visiting the attractions I planned to without a phone, while this was all going through my head I overheard the consultant speaking to someone over the phone who claimed to have my phone. Wow! I instantly got excited to think that I would finally get my phone back, the consultant then told me that my phone was 15 minutes walk away and I had to go get it. He gave his brick Nokia phone and told me to set out and go find the guy. I got out into the buzzing streets of Old Dubai wandering through every corner asking for directions from strangers, I also gave the guy a few rings for some more directions. He told me to come to a mosque close to a museum, so I kept asking people for more directions as I wandered in the heat through the busy streets. It felt like walking aimlessly around an open crowded London Dalston market, I finally got to the mosque 20 minutes later, I gave the guy another ring then he asked me to come to a flower shop on the right side of the mosque, so I got there now, and was waiting. For some reason I was expecting the taxi man to approach me as I still thought I left the phone in his taxi but strangely a random guy approached me asking me what I was doing standing where I was, so I told him I was waiting for a friend (taxi man) whom I left my phone in their car, and then he asked me what my friends name was but then I thought to myself wait! Why is this random guy asking me so many random questions? I paused for a minute and asked him if he had my phone, then he said ‘’yes” toughing his pockets. At this point I was flabbergasted because I couldn’t understand how he possibly had my phone, because all these times I was thinking the Careem taxi man had my phone. So he then pulled it out of his pocket and said ‘’Is this your phone’’, I answered ‘’Yes Sir'’ then he said ‘’Show me pictures’’ I almost laughed in confusion but i later understood why. I unlocked the phone with my pin and showed him a picture of my face from my galleries, however I was still perplexed at this very stage, but then I asked him how come he had my phone, and he said a friend of his found it on the floor at the Al Ghubaiba bus station and gave it to him, which concludes that the phone had fallen out of my khaki shorts pocket when i came off the taxi earlier that afternoon. Obviously, I thanked him and nearly gave him a hug but I didn’t want to be creepy, so I shook his hands and left but he had a look on his face like he wanted something from me, a reward perhaps but unfortunately I had no cash on me at that point but even if I did, I doubt i would have given him any money. At this stage I was beyond excited, nervous and grateful at the same time, I made my way back to the tourism office and couldn’t thank the Cameroonian consultant enough. He said I was so lucky to get the phone back and he was right because people misplace items every day and never recover them back ever again and there I was smiling with my phone in my hands. I left the tourism office and made my way to the bus stop across the street, purchased my one way ticket which cost 30 AED (£6) and got on the bus to Abu Dhabi which took 1 hour 45 mins. I had been stranded for 5 hours since the whole phone situation happened, interestingly enough I have never lost a phone or a wallet or anything important in my entire life, so this was all new to me, but I would say if you’re to be in my situation while on vacation and lose a valuable item such as a phone, wallet, camera or any expensive valuables, DO NOT GIVE UP until you find it! You have to use your intuition and seek help wherever possible as there’s always going to be at least one good samaritan willing to save your day.
Abu Dhabi
Yas Island, Ferrari World And the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre
For most people, a trip to Abu Dhabi is overlooked due to the fact that it's 87 miles (1 hour 30 mins) from Dubai, but you would be missing out on a whole other experience. I personally find Abu Dhabi to be more relaxing and cultured in comparison to Dubai. The Grand mosque needs no introduction as i believe we've all seen pictures and this is a must visit, i would say i've never seen a place like this in my entire life. I stayed at Yas Island while in the U.A.E capital, it's an island of fun and adventure which gives you the perfect holiday experience close to all the top amusement parks and entertainment in Abu Dhabi, such as Yas Waterworld, Yas Marina Circuit, Ferrari World and the newly opened Disneyland Warner Bros World. Yas island has a mediterranean island vibe to it, there are about 7 hotels on this island most of which are affordable, i stayed in the beautiful Centro Yas Island Hotel for (£65) per night. As a trill seeker i couldn't resist the Ferrari World, home to the world’s fastest roller coaster Formula Rossa at (150 mph) which i went on twice luckily the theme park was empty as i went closer to the closing time, this Ferrari-branded theme park offers fast and furious fun which I’m a fan of. The park tells the Ferrari story through more than 20 rides and attractions, a must visit for every thrill seeker. And again a combo ticket from the TripX Tour website will help you save a lot of money, i bought a combo Ferrari world & Yas Waterpark Combo day pass ticket for 335 AED (£75) with a further discount (COMBO10) making it (£65).
Dubai is definitely a must visit, and with a small budget you could go from desert safaris to riding on camels, the list goes on without digging a hole in your pocket and after watching the below video by globe trotter Christian LeBlanc (Lost LeBlanc) you'll see why.
TIPS
Travel in November because Emirates Airline sell tickets for as cheap as £295, and the weather is perfect around 25° C, unlike in the summer month where the temperature will be too hot at 40° C.
If you have a bigger budget definitely spoil yourself and stay in a hotel on the Palm, you wouldn't regret it.
At the safari which is a MUST do activity, during you dessert tour do not pay for extras as desert workers might try to make money off you. Go with your own desert outfit if possible.
Do not visit during Ramadan months, holy month (early May to early June) as a lot of restaurants and attractions are usually closed. Except obviously if your main purpose of travel will be for religious reasons.
Stay on Yas Island if visiting Abu Dhabi
Book and stay in multiple hotels in different areas if possible, so you can experience the city overall, AND stay in an hotel in downtown as accessibility to attractions and metro links is great.
Use an app called Careem, it's cheaper than Uber.
Use the metro as much as possible as it is very efficient BUT remember to stay out of the WOMEN & CHILDREN carriage or you risk a fine of 100 AED (£20)
Do not get arrested in Dubai over silly things such as too much PDA or being intoxicated in public.
Dress appropriately and wear comfortable light texture clothings as the weather could get quite hot and always walk around with a bottle of water to stay hydrated.
Take care of your valuables and do not be silly or careless like me.
Have a budget and DON'T get 'lost in the sauce' as people will try to rip you off being a tourist, know what activities you want to indulge in and plan way ahead.
Not everyone has the privilege of free visa on arrival entry into Dubai especially visitors from 3rd world countries and if that's the case you would probably need to apply for a visa, and the easiest one to acquire been the 14 Days service visa (£150). In a nutshell it's a transit visa that allows visitors into Dubai for 2 weeks and there are a bunch of travel agencies out there to use but the cheapest and most reliable are iDubai Visa or Dusktours. However you could also apply through the "manage your booking section" on the emirates website when you purchase your ticket.
Make sure you have the most fun, so Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!!!