Dubai was a trip planned so last minute. We literally booked our tickets after we got the COVID test results, booked hotels from the airport and hopped on a 14 hour non stop flight from Seattle to just get all of the sun we could. We combined this trip with Maldives and spent about 3 weeks in total. We simply cannot express our happiness for having taken this decision. It was our first longest trip in 2021 after being cancelled 3 times in a row. We finally did it!
Both Shobhit and I have been to Dubai before and have done all the touristy stuff like the desert Safari, visiting the top of Burj Khalifa, visiting the theme/water parks etc. In this trip, all we wanted to do was chill and enjoy in the sun and hotels. We were literally living by the edge and each day was on the fly. Also, especially because we were both working from home. For Shobhit he had to work until late nights but for me it’s all flexible- perks of having your own travel agency 😉
We spent about a week in the city and many of you asked us on how to enjoy luxury hotels and views without staying there. So well, here are some hacks that you may want to make a note of. First, let me tell you the hotels we stayed in & then how to still enjoy these places by paying a less premium if you don’t wish to splurge on hotels.
We arrived late evening and had been craving some Bombay food. Knowing that most likely we cannot go to India, we decided to stay close to downtown on Sheikh Zayed road. We stayed in Sheraton Grand hotel. Since we rented a car, traveling wasn’t an issue. We tried some Indian fusion places in Bur Dubai/ Al Karama area like the Spiceklub, some street side food in Meena Bazaar and seeing Sugarcane juice I got super excited and that was my dessert for the night. On one of the afternoons we also visited Maharaja Bhog purely for the love of “Aamrass”. If you are from Bombay living outside & a Mango fan, you would exactly know what this means. And not to forget on our way back to the States we stayed a night just to enjoy Naturals Icecream for the Malai ice cream with fresh mango. Yeah, we sound total crazy foodies. We met a local friend there & she was surprised that we flew 14 hours to start like this, haha!
We later stayed in Five Jumeirah Village. This hotel stands tall all alone in a residential area called JVC. However, the cool part is they have penthouses with private pools and studio rooms where we stayed with stunning views of the city. We absolutely loved the openness here. From our 35th floor room, we could see the skyline, the Burj Al Arab, downtown dubai, Burj Khalifa etc everything at a distance yet finding it so nice!
Now here’s the hack, they also have the Five Palm Jumeirah hotel where the beach by five is located. If you stay the Five Jumeirah village, you get free access to the beach by five and the Five Palm Jumeirah. You can also buy a day pass to enjoy beach by five like the other beach clubs. However, we got a great deal from @curiocityholidays_ where we got the 3rd night free. There was a pay 2 stay 3 deal that was offered to us.
There are many other popular clubs too that you may have heard of but we chose this as we wanted to enjoy the cold tubs with the Marina skyline and it’s gorgeous glass pool. If you want a good cabana and want to take pictures avoiding crowd, try to be there early as it opens so you can choose your spot.
Our final stay of this city was in the Address Beach Resort. A very new hotel to the Address/Emaar group and the one having the highest & the largest infinity pool located on the 77th floor of this gigantic building. The pool is 98m long which is almost 2 times the size of the Olympic swimming pool. The views from the room is just amazing & so is the food! We were booked here again by @curiocityholidays_ and were on a Half Board meal plan. We had our dinner in the Brazilian restaurant Li Brasil offering stunning views and open air ambience.
The entire charm here is the infinity pool. Again a hack, if you cannot stay here, you are not allowed to use the pool. But if you still wish to enjoy the stunning views of the Palm and the marina, you can book a table for lunch or dinner at Zeta restaurant to enjoy the views. Keep in mind, you need a reservation and there is a minimum spend per person that you may want to check.
Some other amazing places you can explore for the views are mentioned in this reel.
Also, another amazing Address property is the Address Skyview hotel located in downtown Dubai again offering stunning views of the Burj Khalifa. There is small a small infinity pool on the 54th floor, again accessible only to guests staying. However, if you want to enjoy the views then you can reserve a table at Ce La Vie which may also have a minimum spend. We didn’t stay here but we had the permission to shoot.
We also did the Premium tour with Yellowboats starting at Dubai Marina. It was great to see the city from water and also the iconic points like the Atlantis, Burj Al Arab, Blue water island etc. And don’t underestimate the boat, it was way faster than we thought. Best time to take this tour is during the sunset.
If you are a first-time visitor, below are the activities/places you must not miss when in Dubai.
- Visit the top, 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa & then enjoy the fountain show in the evening.
- To take pictures with the Burj Khalifa, Love Me sign & the entrance of Palace downtown hotel are great spots
- Visit the Global village, Miracle garden, glow garden & the Dubai frame
- A must visit are the Dubai Mall & Mall of Emirates where you can also find Ski Dubai
- The most iconic Atlantis where you can find Aquaventure & Lost Chambers
- Desert Safari enjoying the sunset, camel rides followed by dinner & belly dance show
- If not staying in Abu Dhabi- day visit to the Ferrari World and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
- A Limousine ride or a yacht ride to enjoy some luxury in the town
- Evening stroll at La Mer or Creek harbor to catch a beautiful sunset
- Dubai Marina & JBR walk to explore restaurants
@curiocityholidays_ helps plan complete holiday packages with or without transportation and also offer great prices and suggestions on the hotels depending on your budget.
One of the other places that we really liked was The Cake & Brunch at the Pointe for their next level Avo toast & amazing drinks. If you are into desserts, then we also recommend Parkers- very popular for the Lotus desserts. Milky Jar at the Pointe is also highly recommended. For local Arabic food & Shisha, we tried the Allo Beirut- not a fine dine but very nice ambience and a terrace to enjoy some Sheesha with the Burj Khalifa view. You can also check out Reem Al Bawadi.
While we summarize this blog, this trip was all about food & chilled out days. If you need any specific information, feel free to message us! And we hope you are enjoying our Instagram reels and posts!
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