If you only have one day to experience Dubai, this is the only way to do it right. Starting off in the morning, and going right through the night it’s pretty tiring, but a great way to see and do so many amazing things.
9am – 1130am Dubai Desert Safari – Cost 500 AED ($125 USD) per car: up to 5 or 6 people
The Desert Safari, also known as Dune Bashing is a popular activity for tourists and locals alike; it consists of going off into the desert and driving around the sand dunes like a manic for a while, stopping off for photos or a snack, and continuing on home.
We were offered the chance to ride this young fella, however based on his scowl we decided to pass
For the price of 500 AED (approximately $125 USD) the car will pick you up, and more importantly, drop you off again at your hotel. It will stop off prior to the Dune Bashing at an outpost where you can do all sorts of extras such as Camel Riding, Horse Riding, 4×4 Off Roading, posing with a Falcon, dressing up in local garb is optional.
We stopped off before hitting the dunes to prance around with Falcons and steered clear of the grumpy camels
We skipped most of the options, but couldn’t say no to the chance to prance around with a giant bird on our arm, the camel looked too comfy to mess with, and it was a little hot for the 4×4.
There is another option to go on an afternoon Dune Bashing tour, that includes a buffet style dinner, a belly dancing show and some more local things, such as dressing up for photos, however we had already decided to skip out on all the rest of these things so the morning option was better, as it was much more concise.
After the Dune Bashing you should change into more formal attire, as many of the best parts of Dubai require at least smart jeans and no gym shoes or open shoes for men (though I did see some people pushing the boundaries of this, I was turned away for wearing shorts from some places).
1:30pm Lunch at Burj al Arab 430-800 AED ($100-$200 USD) per person
The Iconic Burj al Arab, claims 7 Star Status in the Dubai Hotel Scene
This iconic hotel is off limits to sight-seeing tourists, however if you prebook a dining option via the internet you will be allowed to enter the hotel and walk around as if you are a very wealthy resident. We chose to dine at the top floor restaurant Al Muntaha (Arabic for ‘The Ultimate’ or ‘The Top’) Highlights of this hotel include the private panoramic elevator that takes you up to the 26th floor with a wonderful view of the sea and surrounding bay. The catch with using dining as an excuse to enjoy the opulence of the Burj al Arab is that they will expect you to order at least two courses, either a starter or main, or main and dessert. Due to the menu pricing it is better value to go for the 3 Course Business Lunch, which allows you to pick two Appetizers and a Main or one App, one Main and one Dessert.
Full Review of the Lunch Coming Soon..
4:30pm Drinks at Atmosphere in the Armani Hotel 122nd floor of Burj Khalifa 200 AED per Man
Sun setting behind the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world
The Burj Khalifa currently holds the title of the Tallest Building in the world; it really is a beautiful piece of architecture. Many tourists line up to pay the 135 AED for the entry to the 126th floor observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, however I’d recommend instead booking a table for drinks on the 122nd floor of the tower, entering through a private entrance and being whisked nonstop to the 123rd floor, you walk down a set of stairs into what must be the tallest bar in the world. This is the first encounter with the use of the word ‘Cover’ in Dubai.
Armani Hotel Dubai Burj Khalifa located inside the Burj, through a private entrance, this is the very best way to experience the view from the top of the Burj
In other lands a cover charge means that you pay an additional fee to enjoy the table or bar that you are entering, however in Dubai it means a credit towards your bar bill, and the Atmosphere bar in the Armani Hotel has a 200 AED Cover for men (not women..) therefore if you were to go there with your female significant other you could sit and spend 200 AED on 4 glasses of wine for the pair of you, and end up saving money because the observation deck would have cost 135 AED per person! Unfortunately I was there with for a business meeting with a colleague and as two men we had to spend 400 AED, we decided to pick a bottle of Aussie Shiraz that came with a $100 markup, but still got value due to the location.
Drinks at Atmosphere Lounge 122nd floor – we picked this Aussie Shiraz for $117 per bottle, but still think we made out ahead due to skipping the Observation Deck Admission Fee of $30 per person
If you get to the Burj Khalifa early take a little time to walk around the nearby Mall of the Emirates, it is a truly amazing experience, and highlights include Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope!
A Winter Wonderland in the middle of the desert? No problem.
Dubai is a city of Malls. another breath-taking one is Dubai Mall which hosts a massive Aquarium, that you can dive in if you so chose, after talking with a guy who did this a week prior I decided against the dive, unfortunately the Sharks in the tank use a lot of electrical signals to navigate, and due to the massive interference from being in the middle of a mall they are effectively blind, meaning that they constantly circle in a predefined pattern. If this is interrupted they can collide with the divers and freak out, possibly attacking, or more likely rushing off into other aquatic life or a wall of the tank, either way not something that was appealing to me. Admission to the aquarium was about $20 to walk through the tank in a tunnel, I decided to pass on that option too and just snap a pic from the outside.
Divers are taken in one at a time, with one Dive Guide per person to avoid interrupting the sharks swimming patterns
7:00pm Dinner in Jumeriah Madinat From 250 AED Per Person
The luxurious Al Qasr resort, the parking lot of this hotel is chock full of Rolls Royce’s, Ferrari’s and Bentley’s
The Jumeriah Madinat complex is home to some of the finest hotels; of note was the Al Qasr, and restaurants in Dubai, it is often referred to as the Venice of the UAE with many of the exclusive establishments only accessible by boat (these run constantly, and are free). There is something quite breathtaking about travelling through these canals, and one forgets that the buildings are a modern addition, the view of the Burj al Arab from the boat is fantastic.
View of Burj al Arab at Night from Madinat from the boat, in the ‘Venice of Dubai’
We dined at a Thai Restaurant called Pai Thai, here is the menu: they had excellent food and open air dining along the canal. The restaurant had a very exclusive feel to it since it was only accessible via the boat.
A selection of Thai Curries at Pai Thai, we opted for the Beef Massaman, Chcken Green Curry and Vegetable Red Curry
The food here was solid Thai fair, the view was superb, and the menu reasonably priced.
10pm Drinks at 360 Bar From 50 AED Per Person
360 bar Dubai a great bar, with an open rooftop to take in the sights of the city and lap up the cool sea breeze in the desert evening air
This bar offers the most amazing view of Dubai, situated out in the ocean; it is a round bar, with an open roofdeck that affords views of the coast line, dominated with the icons of the Burj al Arab and Burj Khalifa. This is the place to see and be seen, and a great place to kick back on the lounge chairs to take in the Arabian nights. In June the temperature outside became pleasant due to the sea breeze.
1:30am Flight Home- Business Class on Swiss Airlines
Swiss Air Business Class – what a stupid waste of space with their configuration!
The flight was a little tight, and such a weird configuration, they have it in 2-1-2-1… from front to back, meaning every other row of seats has a single seat in it, but they just fill up the extra space with solid plastic armrest! The seats themselves are a little narrower than I would like, and this didn’t help at all. That said, I was pretty tired after all the excitement and slept the entire way back to Zurich. I can’t really comment about the inflight service since the only thing I remember were the two times a flight attendant poked me in the ribs to wake me up and raise my seat, once at takeoff and once again for landing. I think she enjoyed jabbing me in the ribs…
This sounds like a day that suits me but I am going during Ramadan ,will these places still be serving alchahol?
Not really sure if they will or not, I just went for a quick jaunt myself rather than being an expert on the region. The local expats I was with told me that during Ramadan all the western restaurants that would open would have to ‘hide’ that by covering up their windows in drapes etc because even eating during daylight is prohibited by the laws, but they allowed it in this way.
There was duty free at the airport, if open worth grabbing something there, though if beer bring a bottle opening in your bags.
Thanks Matt,
Since reading your review I have booked into the Armani,staying on the122nd floor, I’m pretty sure we can get a drink in the more westernised hotels.
On the dune bashing,I’m keen but my partner hates the heat, I would imagine you travel in an open air buggy, was it stinking hot when you went? Or when travelling do you get a reasonable breeze to make it comftable ?
Good stuff, that’s a nice hotel. We were near the DIFC and just went there for drinks in Atmosphere. The safari is in a land rover, air conditioned so not unpleasant at all. Frankly it’s not a ‘must do’ but if you have the time it’s ok. They pick you up and drive you to a camp where there are camels, falcons etc and quad bikes, so if you want to go at it yourself you rent one, otherwise you just sit in the car.
We decided to skip the quad bikes thinking they would be too hot and sandy too.
Cheers
What hotel would you suggest to support a similar one day adventure?
There are too many to list- this one didn’t really require hotels- other than to change as we were out all day. We were in the DIFC area, my colleague stayed at the ritz Carlton and I at a nearby cheaper hotel- forget the name now but was the tallest hotel in the world… They are all quite reasonable, though if you want alcohol, western chains are better
Great ideas… how did you guys get around? I am just worried about transportation between all the sites and making sure there is enough time. Thanks!!
It’s pretty easy- we had a 4×4 meet us at our hotel, did the safari, dropped us back- then we took cars around the city- it’s all quite close.
Great itinerary – Do you think it would pose any problems for women traveling unescorted? Anything to be particularly aware of? I have heard that Dubai is very cosmopolitan but was curious on my first point.
I don’t know… It shouldn’t, but I’ve heard some bad things about women travelers in Dubai. It’s one of those places that is cosmopolitan, but also has roots where women aren’t regarded as they should be.
I would say most things here would be fine, but keep a level of awareness, maybe go with a small group tour for the desert trip.
City itself felt safe, but some chance of dubious taxi drivers and spiked drinks etc.
Don’t want to scare you off as it’s awesome, so go, but keep your wits about you!
Thanks for the note – Sounds good.
Beth
I plan on doing a self trip to Egypt and I’ll fortunately have a 20 hrs layover in Dubai. I found your post to be helpful. Did you consider doing the Palm dive (skydiving) while you were out there? And what was the name of the sand bashing company you used the last time?
20hrs is a good amount of time, you can do a lot with that. I didn’t really plan out my day.. it was with a friend and we did it on the fly so didn’t think about the skydiving (though I need to try that one day). Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the firm there, I think it came via the hotel concierge – one of least planned (yet fantastic) days.