Dubai, UAE

Our holiday to Dubai was truly spectacular and not just because it involved a special birthday celebration!

We were greeted with warm Arabian sunshine on arrival, and it stayed for the entire duration. The climate in the UAE is one of its many appeals, and guaranteed almost all year round. Dubai is simply stunning. It’s massively bling, yet overwhelmingly true to its origins. I sensed the Sheikh’s vision everywhere I looked. In creating Dubai he set out to impress, and impress he did!

This mega city is bigger than I ever imagined. In fact, it could be divided into five smaller cities: ‘The Palm‘, ‘The Marina‘, ‘Al Arab/nearby souks‘, ‘Downtown Dubai‘ and ‘Dubai Creek‘ all distinct areas in their own right. We managed to visit four of the five in our short one-week stay – plus a trip out to the desert.

1 – Cleanliness

Firstly, Dubai is an extremely clean place. The metro stations and trains are like newly built museums with shiny floors and crystal clear glass. The streets are ‘dirt-free’ and the malls glisten, notwithstanding the obsessive use of light bulbs!. The entire place felt very new. But then, it is new. Twenty five years ago the Dubai we know today didn’t exist.

2 – Infrastructure

The second thing that struck me about Dubai is that it desperately lacks an eco transport infrastructure. People should be able to move around the city in a more eco-efficient way. Perhaps the extreme summer temperatures restrict outdoor activity, so maybe pedestrian walkways or cycle lanes will always be a non-starter. But for us, being unable to take to the pavement to discover Dubai by foot was a huge disappointment. The only way to get anywhere is by taxi, even for very short-distance trips.

3 – Expansion

Dubai is still growing, at an alarming rate too. We saw cranes, hoarding, concrete, steel and workmen by the thousand. Will the city ever be finished? Will it continue to expand, grow and evolve into an ultra city? The proudly placed ‘EMAAR’ signage is woven into the city’s skyline. It’s difficult to look up without seeing the world’s largest construction brand boldly fixed to the top of buildings. If I’d been responsible for Dubai’s concrete jungle, I’d demand my name embedding in the skyline too! With more plans for regeneration in the pipeline, the face of Dubai is set to continue changing. A new Marina and more iconic landmarks are already under construction.

4 – Culture

One thing that UAE do well is take care of their own. So tale has it, Emirati folk are born to a life of privilege. They can expect large houses and grounds, salaries, weddings and honeymoons from the government – subject to a few minor T&Cs of course.

But I do have to mention a negative here and that’s the country’s general reluctance to accept equality. LGBT communities aren’t welcome in Dubai and that goes against what I stand for. My daughter and her girlfriend had to be very careful and sadly this ruined parts of our holiday. I also found the ‘women only’ section of the train somewhat awkward.

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Accommodation: Beach Apartments, Palm Jumeriah

Overall Complex

As the apartments form part of the Fairmont Hotel Complex we were able to make full use of the site’s 5-star facilities. For those wanting a luxury getaway for a fraction of the cost, the Beach Apartments present an ideal way to do it. The pool, pool areas, access to the beach, reception lounge, gym and other facilities were all maintained to an excellent standard. The booking site photographs didn’t do them justice.

Location – immediate vicinity

Good quality supermarkets and decent restaurants are located on the opposite side of the road in the Golden Mile Galleria. The Galleria is close to a small, friendly, expat community and we spent most evenings in the eateries there.

Cleanliness

The apartments could be (and probably were) categorised as luxurious. However, we found them a little on the tired side and in much need of a deep clean! Both of the apartments we stayed in had large balconies. One, facing south, overlooking the sea and Dubai Marina, the other, facing north, spanning Downtown Dubai and Burj Al Arab.

Location – accessibility

Getting anywhere from Palm Jumeirah is difficult and requires transport. We had to order taxis to take us to destinations that were less than a 30 min walk away. The Marina and Atlantis Hotel Waterpark were just a stone’s throw from our apartments, but with no pedestrian walkways on or off the palm, we had to use taxis to get there. (Overall Rating 87/100)

Desert Excursion

The desert adventure was the highlight of our holiday. The description in the online itinerary was extremely accurate. Right down to the food menu served in the Bedouin Camp.

Our tour guide, Tony, was an absolute star and I’m convinced it was his friendly and informative input that made the day as special as it was. Nothing was too much trouble and he went out of his way at every opportunity to add value wherever he could. For example, spotting a Sandfish in the desert and stopping the vehicle en route to show us the cute little creature was a perfect touch – thank you Tony! Esme (who hosted the falconry display) was also great. In fact, all the staff we came into contact with were extremely pleasant. We witnessed jolly banter among the tour guides too, creating a welcoming ‘family’ atmosphere that was warming be part of.

The day was hot (as expected), the sand was soft and the beautiful golden landscape went untouched for miles. Tony shared facts about the true Emirati culture (past and present) right into the night. It was fascinating. He was also on-hand to answer the abundance of questions we threw at him. It was such an enjoyable experience.

I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to visit the desert in a fun, engaging and informative way. (Overall Rating 96/100)

Burj Khalifa

Our £30 per person visit to floors 124 and 125 of what is currently the world’s tallest building was enjoyable. But it certainly wasn’t the jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, out-of-this world experience it could, in fact, should have been!

The lack of wow-factor is a missed opportunity in my opinion because the fountains, on the building’s doorstep, are spectacular. The Burj’s exterior is also quite amazing and watching it glisten in the different throes of light was truly beautiful. Both of which are free to do!

The week prior to visiting Burj Khalifa we went to the viewing deck of Shanghai Tower (the second tallest building in the world at time of writing) and this was a far better experience. The build-up in the lift was more exciting and the viewing deck was also less crowded, offering a more peaceful space to absorb the breathtaking views.

Sadly, I wouldn’t revisit Burj’s viewing deck again, even if it was free. It doesn’t have the pizzaz it deserves. I hope the management team invest in the viewing area to create truly memorable experiences for its visitors. (Overall Rating 84/100)

Aquaventure Water Park

Visiting the Aquaventure Water Park was the biggest let down of our holiday. Comparing any water park to Florida’s offering is a mean feat, but when Centre Parcs’ ‘swimming pool in a greenhouse’ ranks higher, then something’s amiss!

So the lazy river was longer than most I’ve been to and the beach area was nice. But a water park should be more about excitement than relaxation! – and that’s what Aquaventure lacked for me.

The refill con

Not only was it quite pricey to visit, but we were conned into buying ‘refill’ drink containers for the kids, costing around £25 for three. The advertisement states an unlimited amount of free soft drinks, so in spending £25, I appeased myself that by the end of the day, it would serve as a good investment. Disney operate a ‘refill’ drinks arrangement and having taken advantage of it in the past, I decided to try it here. However, at Aquaventure only the first drink is free. I’m stunned they get away with advertising ‘free refill’ when what they actually mean is ‘free first fill’. The word ‘refill’ is any fill after the first! The cost to refill was around £5 each, so we ended up spending an eye-watering amount on soft drinks and came away with three unwanted children’s drink containers into the bargain!

Exiting the park

Although we bought online tickets, we still had to queue at the busy entrance area when we arrived, with no aircon, for about 45 minutes. A frustrating wait which ironically paled into insignificance compared to the fiasco queuing system to leave the park. We had to wait in a taxi queue for nearly 2 hours to leave the complex. YES 2 hours! This put a literal dampener on our water-based outing. We weren’t alone either. All park visitors, still wet from the day’s activities, were subject to the same dreadfully long queue to leave. We witnessed unprecedented chaos in dispersing large crowds from a busy park. Not only is Aquaventure’s approach to H&S an accident waiting to happen, but it showcased the most disorganised and dangerous site and crowd management I’ve ever seen.  People were fighting to get in taxis and others paying £100s for unsolicited taxis – just to get away!

Overrated, expensive, manipulative and extremely poorly managed. (Overall Rating 70/100)

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Boat to Dubai Creek: Gold Souk and Dubai Fort

Dubai Fort

Our trip to Dubai Fort (museum) was a complete fluke and only came about after stumbling upon a photo of the fort by accident. The fort is seldom promoted which is a shame as we found it to be an utter gem in the heart of the old city. The fort boasts an underground museum which tastefully presents a selection of artefacts that tell the traditional Emirati story. How they lived, what they ate, how they built and what contributed to their success. The best history lesson I’ve ever had!

Gold Souk

The gold souks were a bit less impressive, but the smells and sounds of the old market satisfied my urge to discover the ‘real’ Dubai so still worth a visit. The stallholders chanting the same lines for hours on end became a bit tedious. I’m not looking for a Rolex watch, Gucci bracelet or Louis Vuitton bag – so please stop asking!

Boat trip

The boat trip to Dubai’s Old town was excellent too. We left the extravagance of Dubai Marina and within thirty minutes we were skirting past the beautiful Burj Al Arab. It was breathtaking to see the world’s most nautical looking hotel from the sea. Many selfies had! (Overall Rating 84/100)

Food & drink

The lack of readily available alcohol took some getting used to. Although we visited Dubai with an open mind and respect for the Arabian culture, I just assumed a handful of restaurants would offer wine – but we didn’t find any. The cravings soon dissipated with a reminder of how I pride myself on adopting local customs. Instead, shisha pipes and camel milk made for interesting alternatives to my familiar crushed grapes! I also noticed a distinct lack of fish and veggie foods on the menus. I can only assume that either the Arabians prefer meat dishes, or the area has been heavily influenced by the American palette. On the whole, food in Dubai is pricey. But as one of the most popular tourist hubs this century, that’s hardly surprising. Anyone visiting would be naïve to expect otherwise.

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Date of visit: 11 April 2017 to 18 April 2017