Two weeks ago, I went to Dubai for holiday. I know, you will probably ask me exactly same question like many of my friends did: "Why Dubai?". The truth is I have a friend who used to live in Dubai 4 years ago and is now residing there again, he has been asking me many times to visit the city just for once. After one year, I finally agreed to travel just to see how Dubai looked like.
As a newbie to the United Arab Emirates, I had no idea whether the city would fit my liking or would be safe for a girl to travel to alone. I didn't even know what to pack for Dubai which I previously shared about it with you in the Fit and Flare blog post. Knowing my concern and worry, my friend had arranged everything to make sure I would have the best and most memorable stay in Dubai.
Right after I got out of the airplane, there was a guy from Marhaba agency waiting for me with my name written on a white board. He escorted me to the fast immigration check-in row and security screening, helped to claim my luggage and took me to my Limousine car outside the airport. Easy peasy! My first impression on Dubai? "Man, this is fun! I think I liked it already". Now, here is an advice for you. If you travel to Dubai for the first time, make sure you book Meet and Greet Airport Assistance beforehand. This will make your life so much easier as Dubai airport is really big, confusing and crowded. Getting an airport assistance will save so much time and troubles from waiting 2-3hours just to clear immigration, trust me!
This was the view that I woke up to every morning when I was there. It's such a peaceful, beautiful and tempting view. After breakfast, my friend took me for a ride to explore the city. All I saw were buildings and buildings, one after another standing next to each other creating a beautiful city skyline. The sky was clear, temperature was just right. Everything seemed to be trying to show me their best.
Took a photo with an empty street in the afternoon.
and visited Victoria Secret's store thereafter.
Beautiful sunset view from my room.
Believe it or not, it was around 7pm when I took this photo. It didn't look like the evening was approaching, did it?
At night, my friend made a reservation for us to dine at At.mosphere restaurant located on 122th floor of Burj Khalifa, also known as The tallest Building in the world. He just wanted to amaze me with many wonderful things, I knew and really appreciated him.
Photo credits to Burj Khalifa
While dining, we got to enjoy this spectacular view of Dubai city at night.
Photo credit to: Federico Ravassard
I always lost my words whenever I looked at the scenery like this. There was a mixture of proud, happy, empowering and conquering feeling altogether. I never thought that I would be able to stand at the top of the tallest building in the world one day. Never!
The dinner was fantastic! Great food, hilarious conversation, wonderful view and ambience, there was literally, nothing I could ask for more. My first day in Dubai ended on a very high note just like that and it broke all my worries about Dubai completely. I knew that all I needed to do was to relax and to enjoy myself as much as possible.
Day 2 in Dubai started very early at 7am with a breakfast at the most luxurious hotel in the world- Burj Al Arab hotel.
At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world, however 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirahbeach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. *According to Wikipedia
A long escalator with huge fish tanks on both sides for walls to get to the reception area was the first thing that guests would experience. But that's not all yet, this was just the beginning of what Burj Al Arab hotel had to offer.
From the 180 meters high atrium, the exclusive 24-carat gold iPad offered to every guest upon check-in, gold-plated lifts, to the 24 meter (79 feet) wide helipad projects from the building 210 meters above the ground and the luxury Hermes bathroom amenities, everything was an eyes-and-ears opening experience for me.
Having a breakfast in a luxury hotel like that was truly a dream-come-true.
We had a short walk outside the hotel after breakfast and had some photos taken. Early in the morning but It was already so hot and sunny, I couldn't stay outdoor for long. We drove to the next tourist attraction which was not very far from Burj Al Arab.
Right here at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, I found everything I needed: indoor air-conditioned Arabian market with lot of shops, restaurants and outdoor beautiful architect with green water, blue sky made a perfect picturesque view.
From the outside to the inside, every where was filled with rich and vibrant Arabian spirit and culture. With fashion, jewelry, antiques, furniture, art, oils and spices and many more, this market had endless things to entertain me throughout the day.
I lost track of time while having myself "dived" into the colorful Arabian treasures, the further I walked, the more things I found.
Time always goes by so quickly when you travel. When I found myself enjoying the most, it's time I had to leave Souk Madinat Jumeirah for other places before my dinner. We drove to WAFI Mall, also well-known as the best shopping mall for luxury shopping at affordable prices.
Found her while I was walking around the Wafi Mall, I asked her if we could take a photo together, she said: "Yes" and this was what happened!
Even the ceiling looked fascinating to me! Influenced by many architectural styles, from Egyptian to Turkish, the mall is dominated by its modern interpretation of the Pharaohs, whose epic splendor is conveyed through exquisite stained glass, intricate mosaics, carvings and sculptures. *According to Wafi Mall.
Everything is such a beautiful piece of art.
Tea time with strawberry, yogurt and ice-cream followed by mango and raspberry drink few hours later while looking at Dubai street, my day 2 in Dubai was absolutely wonderful beyond expectation.
I thought my days in Dubai couldn't get better than this but I was wrong as day 3 was even better than day 1 and 2. And because people always say "Save the best for last" so I thought, I should reserve a full dedicated post (with many photos, of course) for day 3 in a separate entry.
This blog entry is, indeed quite overwhelming.
Thank you so much for reading, everyone.
(To be continued)