7 Days in Dubai
I flew to Dubai overnight from Paris via London with British Airways. The flight was great and the connection was short (possibly a little too short – literally rushed through security and straight to boarding at the gate on both legs of the journey).
Well I actually had just enough time to sprint into Boots and Duty Free for some much needed essentials on the way to Dubai, which was handy, as I needed to get some champagne for my birthday, as I wanted something to drink on the balcony at sunset and the hotel (The Retreat) we were staying at didn’t serve alcohol, as it is a holistic wellness retreat.
Day 1: Landed in Dubai at 8:30AM. Got picked up by Meeting Point UAE for a private transfer to the hotel (The Retreat on the Palm). I booked the trip with Voyage Prive, who offer great holiday deals at discount rates. The holiday booking included a private transfer, half board and room upgrade. You can get up to 80% off Luxury Holidays. Only 4 & 5* Hotels. https://www.voyage-prive.co.uk/login/signup/KirstyPOOLE/1897195
The hotel room wasn’t ready for check in until 3pm, so we had a coffee and then hung out by the pool and beach until then (it was absolutely boiling – 41C). Someone next to me said “I’ve never been anywhere so red hot in my life”. He then went to cool off in the sea and realised that wasn’t an option, as the sea was also very hot!
Once we got our room (which they had kindly decorated for my birthday)
We unpacked, showered, changed and headed to the Dubai Mall. We took a taxi, which cost around 70 AED, it is cheaper to take the metro, but we didn’t have time.
My favourtie part of the Dubai Mall is Fashion Avenue – it is the newer part of the Dubai Mall and it is absolutely stunning. The Apple store is very impressive and has an amazing view.
We had Arabica coffee (as it is one of my favourite coffee spots). Not far from the aquarium, which is a sight to behold.
We saw the fountains and then headed to *Sake In The City Ladies Night at Karma Kafe (Souk Al Bahar). I enjoyed 2 glasses of rose and a gin cocktail.
Sake In The City Ladies Night at Karma Kafe (Souk Al Bahar).
From 6pm-1am, all ladies enjoy 3 complimentary drinks from a selection of Asian fusion mixed drinks and grape. If you’re hungry, they have set menus starting from AED 159.
https://www.karma-kafe.com/2018/01/ladies-night/
We then went to watch another fountain show (these are every half an hour from 6pm onwards). The Burj Khalifa also had a great light show, which we enjoyed
As we were leaving we saw lots of blue flashing lights and some of the Dubai Police supercars rocked up, including a Lamborghini Aventador & a Maserati. The Dubai police cars fleet also includes Aston Martin One-77, a Bentley Continental GT, a Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari FF, Mercedes G-wagon and several other exotic sports cars.
Day 2: Abu Dhabi City Tour
Today we had a full day in Abu Dhabi, we were collected from the hotel in the morning and we headed off after collecting 4 other people who were also on the tour (we picked them up at their hotels on The Palm).
The highlights of the tour were the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Louvre Abu Dhabi. I wasn’t particularly bothered about the rest, although when you visit Heritage Village, you can get some great photos from the beach, of the city skyline.
We visited Abu Dhabi on a very hot day, it was around 45C, so it was tough at midday when we were looking around Heritage Village.
At the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque they provide you with an abaya (you have a few colour choices & they come with a hood attached to cover your hair). But my advice would be to buy and bring your own abaya if you want cool photos, as the one they provide isn’t very nice at all, it’s not very “instagrammable”.
The SZGM is absolutely stunning, it is very busy, with tourists from all over the world, but you still get a good chance to take nice photos and enjoy the beauty of this stunning cultural site.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a work of art, inside and out. Sadly we didn’t have much time here. I could have spent hours looking around and intend to return and spend more time here, as we had to rush our visit. This was because 4 of the people on the tour opted to not go to the Louvre (not sure who in their right mind would do this? But they wanted to sit in the car and wait) so the tour guide could only give us one hour to look around. He said normally the whole group goes in and asks for extra time!! He felt bad for us, but had to consider the rest of the tour. We then headed back to our hotels (and the tour guide was very nice and kindly stopped for my mother to take some sunset photos).
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE TOUR
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (stunning – abya provided for women)
Emirates Palace
Drive Through Presidential Palace & Etihad Towers
Heritage Village (some good photo opportunities from the beach here)
Islamic Art Gallery (people trying to sell hand made rugs for extortionate prices, a waste of time in my opinion)
Dates Market (we didn’t end up going here)
Louvre Museum (AMAZING)
Ferrari World Photo-Stop
Bottled water
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
Lunch (we only had a couple of choices for lunch – wasn’t my kind of food – but I am quite fussy – it was a buffet with something for everyone)
Gratuities (we gave a small tip as the guide was very nice)
If you book this tour, you can be collected and dropped off at any location within Dubai, which is very convenient.
We booked our tickets on https://viator.tp.st/wuz2s3FB
Well I actually had just enough time to sprint into Boots and Duty Free for some much needed essentials on the way to Dubai, which was handy, as I needed to get some champagne for my birthday, as I wanted something to drink on the balcony at sunset and the hotel (The Retreat) we were staying at didn’t serve alcohol, as it is a holistic wellness retreat.
Day 1: Landed in Dubai at 8:30AM. Got picked up by Meeting Point UAE for a private transfer to the hotel (The Retreat on the Palm). I booked the trip with Voyage Prive, who offer great holiday deals at discount rates. The holiday booking included a private transfer, half board and room upgrade. You can get up to 80% off Luxury Holidays. Only 4 & 5* Hotels. https://www.voyage-prive.co.uk/login/signup/KirstyPOOLE/1897195
The hotel room wasn’t ready for check in until 3pm, so we had a coffee and then hung out by the pool and beach until then (it was absolutely boiling – 41C). Someone next to me said “I’ve never been anywhere so red hot in my life”. He then went to cool off in the sea and realised that wasn’t an option, as the sea was also very hot!
Once we got our room (which they had kindly decorated for my birthday)
We unpacked, showered, changed and headed to the Dubai Mall. We took a taxi, which cost around 70 AED, it is cheaper to take the metro, but we didn’t have time.
My favourtie part of the Dubai Mall is Fashion Avenue – it is the newer part of the Dubai Mall and it is absolutely stunning. The Apple store is very impressive and has an amazing view.
We had Arabica coffee (as it is one of my favourite coffee spots). Not far from the aquarium, which is a sight to behold.
We saw the fountains and then headed to *Sake In The City Ladies Night at Karma Kafe (Souk Al Bahar). I enjoyed 2 glasses of rose and a gin cocktail.
Sake In The City Ladies Night at Karma Kafe (Souk Al Bahar).
From 6pm-1am, all ladies enjoy 3 complimentary drinks from a selection of Asian fusion mixed drinks and grape. If you’re hungry, they have set menus starting from AED 159.
https://www.karma-kafe.com/2018/01/ladies-night/
We then went to watch another fountain show (these are every half an hour from 6pm onwards). The Burj Khalifa also had a great light show, which we enjoyed
As we were leaving we saw lots of blue flashing lights and some of the Dubai Police supercars rocked up, including a Lamborghini Aventador & a Maserati. The Dubai police cars fleet also includes Aston Martin One-77, a Bentley Continental GT, a Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari FF, Mercedes G-wagon and several other exotic sports cars.
Day 2: Abu Dhabi City Tour
Today we had a full day in Abu Dhabi, we were collected from the hotel in the morning and we headed off after collecting 4 other people who were also on the tour (we picked them up at their hotels on The Palm).
The highlights of the tour were the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Louvre Abu Dhabi. I wasn’t particularly bothered about the rest, although when you visit Heritage Village, you can get some great photos from the beach, of the city skyline.
We visited Abu Dhabi on a very hot day, it was around 45C, so it was tough at midday when we were looking around Heritage Village.
At the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque they provide you with an abaya (you have a few colour choices & they come with a hood attached to cover your hair). But my advice would be to buy and bring your own abaya if you want cool photos, as the one they provide isn’t very nice at all, it’s not very “instagrammable”.
The SZGM is absolutely stunning, it is very busy, with tourists from all over the world, but you still get a good chance to take nice photos and enjoy the beauty of this stunning cultural site.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a work of art, inside and out. Sadly we didn’t have much time here. I could have spent hours looking around and intend to return and spend more time here, as we had to rush our visit. This was because 4 of the people on the tour opted to not go to the Louvre (not sure who in their right mind would do this? But they wanted to sit in the car and wait) so the tour guide could only give us one hour to look around. He said normally the whole group goes in and asks for extra time!! He felt bad for us, but had to consider the rest of the tour. We then headed back to our hotels (and the tour guide was very nice and kindly stopped for my mother to take some sunset photos).
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE TOUR
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (stunning – abya provided for women)
Emirates Palace
Drive Through Presidential Palace & Etihad Towers
Heritage Village (some good photo opportunities from the beach here)
Islamic Art Gallery (people trying to sell hand made rugs for extortionate prices, a waste of time in my opinion)
Dates Market (we didn’t end up going here)
Louvre Museum (AMAZING)
Ferrari World Photo-Stop
Bottled water
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
Lunch (we only had a couple of choices for lunch – wasn’t my kind of food – but I am quite fussy – it was a buffet with something for everyone)
Gratuities (we gave a small tip as the guide was very nice)
If you book this tour, you can be collected and dropped off at any location within Dubai, which is very convenient.
We booked our tickets on https://viator.tp.st/wuz2s3FB
In the evening I met a friend at Weslodge. The bar is on the 68th floor of the JW Marriott Marquis in Business Bay, which is the second highest hotel in the world. Ladies Night is from 7:30pm to Midnight, ladies receive 2 free drinks, ½ off main courses & 2 additional drinks with purchase of a main course, which we took advantage of.
http://www.weslodge.ae/ladies-night/
Day 3:
We hung out at the hotel in the morning and enjoyed the pool and beach.
In the late afternoon we headed to Mall Of Emirates to see Ski Dubai, have a coffee and look around the shops.
After this we went to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel; then onto Bahri Bar at Jumeirah Mina A’Salam for some happy hour sunset drinks. As it had a perfect view of the Burj Al Arab.
Day 5:
I headed back to The Retreat on the Palm to hang out at the pool and beach.
In the late afternoon/early evening we walked along the boardwalk to Atlantis to look around the hotel, see the famous Chihuly glass sculpture in the main entrance and look around the shops and see the beautiful aquarium.
Day 6:
Today we hung at the hotel in the morning and then had a spa treatment at Ottoman Spa, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, a perfect place to rejuvenate and unwind.
A great way to relax and de-stress your body and mind. With 42 treatment rooms, steam rooms, saunas, snow rooms and two thalassotherapy pools.
The spa is built with marble and exquisitely decorated with dark woods, mosaics and murals. The spectacular Turkish Hammam is the heart of the spa.
We had the Royal Ottoman - Talise Signature | 60 minutes
Turkish splendour: Relax in the splendour of the hammam as the heat and delicate aromas prepare you for the traditional ‘kese’ mitt body polish and foam massage. Savour the warm glow from the marble as your hair is shampooed and your scalp is massaged, followed by a moisturising conditioner. Your body then is enveloped in a honey mask to revitalise your complexion.
It is expensive, we paid 635 AED each, which is £141,33 (at time of writing). But it was our special treat for my birthday. And you get full use of all the spa facilities before and after your treatment.
https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/jumeirah-zabeel-saray/spa/talise-ottoman-spa/
I headed back to The Retreat on the Palm to hang out at the pool and beach.
In the late afternoon/early evening we walked along the boardwalk to Atlantis to look around the hotel, see the famous Chihuly glass sculpture in the main entrance and look around the shops and see the beautiful aquarium.
Day 6:
Today we hung at the hotel in the morning and then had a spa treatment at Ottoman Spa, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, a perfect place to rejuvenate and unwind.
A great way to relax and de-stress your body and mind. With 42 treatment rooms, steam rooms, saunas, snow rooms and two thalassotherapy pools.
The spa is built with marble and exquisitely decorated with dark woods, mosaics and murals. The spectacular Turkish Hammam is the heart of the spa.
We had the Royal Ottoman - Talise Signature | 60 minutes
Turkish splendour: Relax in the splendour of the hammam as the heat and delicate aromas prepare you for the traditional ‘kese’ mitt body polish and foam massage. Savour the warm glow from the marble as your hair is shampooed and your scalp is massaged, followed by a moisturising conditioner. Your body then is enveloped in a honey mask to revitalise your complexion.
It is expensive, we paid 635 AED each, which is £141,33 (at time of writing). But it was our special treat for my birthday. And you get full use of all the spa facilities before and after your treatment.
https://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/dubai/jumeirah-zabeel-saray/spa/talise-ottoman-spa/
Day 7:
Today was my birthday. We enjoyed a relaxing beach and pool day at the hotel, had pink champagne on the balcony at sunset and then went to Nobu Noir Ladies night at Atlantis, The Palm, where we enjoyed 3 complimentary drinks, I had a Lychee on the Rocks, which was absolutely delicious and then some amazing Mudhouse Sauvingon Blanc rose and white wine. They kindly gave me a birthday cake with a candle, which was very sweet.
Day 8:
We checked out of the hotel at 12 midday and headed for the Dubai Mall, we enjoyed looking around and getting some Arabic coffee along with our favourite latte at Arabica. We also had some lunch at Pret. We then headed back to the hotel.
For this trip we actually to a taxi from the hotel to the nearest metro station (Internet City or Sharaf DG) and then took the metro to the mall (and we did the same on the return trip). It is cheaper to do this and nice to experience the Dubai metro (they have a women & children only carriages and gold class). If you are in the front or rear carriage you can get some great photos and videos of the journey.
Today was my birthday. We enjoyed a relaxing beach and pool day at the hotel, had pink champagne on the balcony at sunset and then went to Nobu Noir Ladies night at Atlantis, The Palm, where we enjoyed 3 complimentary drinks, I had a Lychee on the Rocks, which was absolutely delicious and then some amazing Mudhouse Sauvingon Blanc rose and white wine. They kindly gave me a birthday cake with a candle, which was very sweet.
Day 8:
We checked out of the hotel at 12 midday and headed for the Dubai Mall, we enjoyed looking around and getting some Arabic coffee along with our favourite latte at Arabica. We also had some lunch at Pret. We then headed back to the hotel.
For this trip we actually to a taxi from the hotel to the nearest metro station (Internet City or Sharaf DG) and then took the metro to the mall (and we did the same on the return trip). It is cheaper to do this and nice to experience the Dubai metro (they have a women & children only carriages and gold class). If you are in the front or rear carriage you can get some great photos and videos of the journey.
We hung out at the pool and beach at the hotel for sunset, which was lovely.
We then showered, changed and waited in the lobby for our transfer to arrive. Our flight was at 1.30 AM, so we had a long day. We checked into the Ahlan Business Class Lounge (as I had two free lounge passes from when I signed up to my AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold Credit card).
You have been referred for an American Express Card.
http://amex.co.uk/refer/kirstpy7xvt?CPID=100200078
We then showered, changed and waited in the lobby for our transfer to arrive. Our flight was at 1.30 AM, so we had a long day. We checked into the Ahlan Business Class Lounge (as I had two free lounge passes from when I signed up to my AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold Credit card).
You have been referred for an American Express Card.
http://amex.co.uk/refer/kirstpy7xvt?CPID=100200078
Overall a very successful trip to Dubai. I have been living and working in Dubai on and off for 10 years, so really enjoyed showing my mother around on the trip.
I posted lots of photos and videos from my trip on my instagram and insta story highlights, if you wish to see more check it out IG: kirstypoole https://instagram.com/kirstypoole?igshid=1qtyms23ia4hl
Our Hotel
The Retreat Palm Dubai – Mgallery by Sofitel is the first holistic wellbeing resort in the Middle East. The staff are excellent, so friendly and helpful. The pool and beach are really lovely and well maintained. The food is absolutely delicious. They had loads of great healthy options, including lots of vegan choices and everything is clearly labelled, including the health benefits of the food. Some of my favourites included turmeric cheesecake, activated charcoal and cashew parfait.
Dubai is really easy to get around, taxi’s are really convenient and inexpensive, the metro is also a great mode of transport and the cheapest way to get around (even if you aren’t going to somewhere with a metro stop – you can take a taxi to and from the metro (if it’s a longer journey – otherwise it isn’t really worth it).
Comments
Post a Comment