Are you planning to give your family a fabulous surprise this year? How about a magnificent vacation in one of the most vibrant destinations in the world! Dubai, o Dubai, that’s the only one place that comes to my mind whenever I think of the best of family times, and unforgettable memories! I was looking for a luxury holiday destination for my wife and kids, last year. And Dubai was certainly the best option suggested by many of my friends.
I finalized a 5 days tour to Dubai that was supposed to cover most of this magical city’s attractions. The entire week has been undoubtedly an unforgettable set of memories for us. While the city offers everything from awe-inspiring sand dunes and magnificent rugged mountains to serene beaches and luxurious hotels; it also has old dusty villages, fascinating museums, and ancient architectural masterpieces to speak for its own history.
I am a travel bug and love to visit varied places every now and then. However, it was an absolutely unique experience for my wife and children. They loved the tour to the core and enjoyed those six days like never before! I had a few special places on the plan, for my kids; and a few of the world’s biggest and most fascinating shopping malls for my wife. Furthermore, a romantic cruise dinner after many years made the two of us recall some valuable moments. While we were enjoying the exciting desert safari, the super exciting beaches and marine activities awaited us the next day. Well, there are so many more things that we did and experienced. Let’s go one by one to cover the entire five days and check how to go about planning the sightseeing, food, shopping, and other things.
On arrival in Dubai, you will be transferred to the hotel you have chosen for the stay. After a small break and refreshments, a beautiful evening of leisure begins. We visited the Mall of Emirates and Dubai Mall. You can choose from a number of options including Deira City Centre, Burjuman Centre, Jumeirah Plaza, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Festival Cantre, and Al Ghurair Centre. You can also visit the famous souks – the Gold Souk, Spice Souk, and Textile Souk.
After a shopaholic day, day 2 can be an exciting trek tour – the Hatta Trek Tour. Just sit back in a 4×4 vehicle that crosses a plethora of terrain along the way to Hatta. While traveling, my kids were simply amazed at the spectacular views across long undulating desert landscapes and impeccable rocky mountains. We took our first stop at the Hatta Heritage Village. The entire drive through the desert was a memorable one and introduced us to the Fossil Rock and Camel Rock, the unique rock formations that were otherwise hidden among sand dunes. The tour takes enough of your day 2 and the vehicle drops you back to the hotel for dinner and rest.
This is the day when you can wander around the city. Of course, you can choose some other day but we picked day 3 for the Dubai city tour. The tour allows you to explore everything about the city – the old and the new. It introduces you to a myriad of places, which are some of the most beautiful attractions all over the Middle East – Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Mosque, Jumeirah Beach & Hotel, Sheikh’s Mohamed Palace, Dubai Museum, Deira Towers, Al Fahidi Fort, and many more. You can then make a stop at the Gold Souk mesmerizing you with dazzling gold all around.
The second half of the day was probably the loveliest point of the tour, for me and my wife. We left the hotel for a memorable evening on a Dhow Cruise. The delicious dinner on the cruise and the essence of true Arabian hospitality were equally sumptuous. The dhow silently takes you along Dubai Creek, passing by some intriguingly unique views of the city by moonlight and you are sure to get lost in the charm with your sweetheart!
Get ready for an early breakfast and hold your excitement for another Dubai wonder – the Palm Island and Atlantis. This is certainly one of the top most tourist attractions in Dubai. The incredibly built Palm Island is a popular worldwide destination while Atlantis makes it to the list of the most extravagant hotels across the globe. You can take a look at the 1,539 room ocean-themed resort that occupies the entire upper portion of the land crescent. Surrounding Palm Island, Atlantis is just off the coast of Dubai.
After a wonderful tour to Atlantis, the next thing to experience is the world of breathtaking water adventures at Aquaventure. River ride as long as two km, shark-infested lagoon, the thrilling white water chargers & water rapids, waterslides, Splashers, and what not. You can also experience the underwater world. My kids totally loved the place and didn’t wish to come out of the water park till we actually dragged them with us!
We woke up to a lazy breakfast and headed to some last-minute shopping and of course, a few of the missed out activities. Shopping is super cool malls of Dubai is indeed an overwhelming experience but shopping in traditional Dubai souks is an equal pleasure as well. Take a look at thousands of Arabian goods and articles, bargain, and shop for the best ones! We bought a number of things for our kids, home, and friends from these souks – the token of wonderful Arabian memories. Apart from shopping, we had lunch at one really good restaurant that served amazing cuisines from around the world. As we missed snowboarding in skiing in Dubai Mall the very first day, we planned all that on day 5. Kids loved the snow world and enjoyed skiing for hours. After a quick photo session, we moved down for a visit to the biggest aquarium. Well, I was speechless at the sight of this huge aquarium; they have maintained enormous underwater life that simply fascinates tourists of any age! After that, we tried the big bus tour – lots of fun and photography.
Yes, the latter half of the day took us to the most-awaited desert safari in Dubai! While one can choose any of the packages – early morning, afternoon, evening, and overnight; we had opted for an evening desert safari especially for the breathtaking sunset. The 4×4 desert safari is an exhilarating excursion through the Dubai desert that gives you a sheer adrenaline rush experience. You can try sandboarding down the dunes, take a calm camel ride, book a quad bike, fly in the hot air balloon while the sun sets, and reach the typical Bedouin-style campsite. The campsite offers a number of activities such as henna tattooing, traditional costume photography, shisha facility (hookah), and belly dance performance. The BBQ dinner under the starry sky is definitely the cherry on the top!
The best thing I liked about the city is its well-managed transport. Taxis are in plenty and cheap. Rental cars are clean and safe as well. Buses, metros, and new trams are absolutely worth trying.
The tour came to an end with a fantastic set of memories in Dubai. The vacation ended, not the memories – they are for a lifetime now.
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Dubai, the jewel of the United Arab Emirates, is a city that lives up to expectations at every turn. Located on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf, this vibrant metropolis blends seamlessly between tradition and modernity, offering a unique Dubai travel guide experience that mesmerizes visitors from all over the world. From the iconic skyline dominated by futuristic skyscrapers to t...