We wanted to escape to somewhere hot during the winter so decided to treat ourselves to a winter vacation in Dubai. Dubai in December is divine; 30 degrees of sunshine, blue skies, and amazing food! I heard a lot of people give Dubai mixed reviews saying what is to do there besides shopping and eating? A lot actually! You can do a desert trip, visit the biggest water parks, dine in the sky for an adrenaline rush or even swim in the highest 360-degree infinity pool! Whatever Dubai does, it does it in style, they put every little thought into all the details which makes a holiday for a couple or a family super special. Don’t even get me started on the skyline of Dubai, I thought after New York, London was number two when it came to skyscrapers but no, Dubai’s skyline is out of this world. The architecture there is brilliant and worth seeing during the day or whilst the lights twinkle at night.
We mainly wanted to relax on this trip and below are my top 7 things to do if you feel you want to sit back on the beach and kick back.
- The Dubai Fountain
This is no ordinary fountain, I read online it may be one the world’s tallest performing fountains. Everyone in Dubai gathers in the evening around here so be prepared if you don’t like large crowds. The fountain show has all these spectacular lights and lively music, and it happens every 30 minutes from 6pm onwards. Be sure to catch a show one evening whilst you’re there, no tickets needed either!
2. The Dubai Mall
This place is every girl’s dream, one of the world’s largest malls full of all the shops and restaurants one could want, all in
one place. Sephora, designer brands, high street brands, book shops and homeware. It even has an aquarium with shark tanks so if you don’t want to purchase anything you can also just look at all the fascinating fishes and stingrays! This is the only mall which had all my favourite restaurants too, like cheese factory, café leto and my ultimate treat cinnabon which I can’t find in London anymore! The mall also has an ice skating ring and I don’t mean a little one, I mean a huge one! I can’t say you only need an hour for this mall, perhaps 3 to 4. I didn’t buy much but there is a lot to see and anytime I wanted to rest I had all the restaurants in one place.
3. Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest skyscraper in the world, how can you not visit it? Whether you visit during the day or in the evening it is a showstopper. It’s right by the mall so you can make a day trip to visit both, I prefer the building in the evening with its lights. Check out pictures below;
4. Dubai Miracle Garden
Think a little city made only from flowers and only colourful flowers. Heart shaped flower arches, heart shaped planes and castles as well smurfs, I have never seen anything like it. If you love your flowers and pictures then this is a great spot, we went there after 5pm as it would have been too hot if we went any earlier. It is difficult to get a picture as everyone is walking all over the place trying to do the same thing. I don’t think you need more than hour to walk around and yes you do need to buy tickets for entry
5. Day trip to Abu Dhabi
We planned a day trip to Abu Dhabi one day as I was very keen on visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It has always been a dream of mine to visit this mosque in particular as I had only ever seen it in pictures, and they definitely don’t do it justice. From Dubai it is about an hour and half drive, so we had breakfast early and made our way there. It is very organised when you arrive, once you park the car you enter this mall underground where you can get entry tickets and it also has your cafes and restaurants there like starbucks etc. If you don’t have appropriate modest-wear you can also purchase it from one of the shops or get one from the mosque which they provide. I was very excited about purchasing my very own Abaya (loose-fitting full-length robe) which I absolutely felt so comfortable in.
Probably of the most magnificent mosques I have ever seen, you walk through marbled white halls where the arches are covered in stunning mosaic artwork. I would describe it all as breath taking, so worth the visit.
For lunch we went to the Emirates Palace hotel for a Lebanese lunch where they made the bread so fresh and, on the spot, everything was so yummy, I highly recommend the spinach fatayer.
6. Dine at Pai Thai
This is a restaurant in the Al Qasr hotel, a hotel so grand that you need you need to take a little boat to the restaurant. I would describe this restaurant as an experience, you arrive at the hotel, you get picked up in a little boat where you feel that you are in a different part of the world. The five-minute boat ride drops you off at Pai Tai where you can sit inside or on the terrace with a DJ, you can go there as a couple, family or a big group of friends. I had a spicy green curry with plenty of starters, the portions were generous so generous that I did not have any room left for dessert
7. Relax!
I believe you can have any type of holiday in Dubai but the plan was to relax and our hotel was perfect for that. We stayed at Raffles the palm so had easy access to the beach and the pool was so enormous that whether you chose to do laps under the sunshine or curl up with a good book, it was going to be a luxurious experience.
When it comes to details, our hotel was perfect- for Christmas they had exceptional displays and a huge tree in the entrance and one by the pool. On weekends they had brunch parties including a sushi bar. For all the sweet tooth lovers, they only had the best cakes to offer which their own in-house pastry chefs made which means I tried them all every day! They also have one of the best Italian restaurants on the beach called Piatti which is a total vibe but make sure to make reservations.
One evening whilst we were having dinner outside there was extraordinary fireworks display which made everything just magical. The hotel also has plenty of flashy cars to hire for the day if you fancy driving in Dubai style, but it is also known for its very opulent afternoon tea which I was far more interested in.
Dubai is huge so you do need a car to get around but there are plenty of local taxis and their local versions of uber. I would describe it as a warmer London, they have the Mayfair restaurants and more and the service is exceptional. Before I planned my trip, I was doubtful about what to pack to wear but it appears you can wear what you like but best to stick to clothes on the modest side. Obviously, if you are visiting mosques then it is best to cover up and respect the local rules. I loved my Abaya so much that I wore it outside the mosque too, I felt like a local 😊
Would I visit Dubai again? Yes 100%. The weather and the food are all worth it and if you’re a sun chaser in the winter, I think Dubai should be on your list.
Coffee, Cupcakes and London 
Loved the Images 🙂 and nicely written
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