A Day in Dubai

I am forever being asked which destinations are on my bucket list and I have to admit that there are quite a few. I long to see the natural wonders of the Northern Lights and Iceland’s volcano’s but on the other end of the spectrum exploring the man made wonder of Dubai is high up my list too.

Flights to Dubai take around seven hours, and I was challenged by Travel Bag to see what sights I could squeeze in, in a 24 hour visit.

My morning would start gently with a nice relaxing Balloon ride, where we take to the morning skies and glide over the tranquil desert as the sun starts to rise. I would imagine we would be awestruck at the spectacular desert vistas while enjoying an hour in the air.

Whilst still in the desert our next adventure would be a private 4 x 4 Adventure Safari. A private guide takes you to drive on some of the best sand dunes in Dubai’s desert and then you get to try the popular desert sport of sandboarding – how much fun would sliding and riding down the sandy slopes be?

Having watched a program on television about the construction of the world’s tallest building, a visit to the Burj Khalifa is next on my list as I imagine it would be getting very hot outside by now.

Stood at 2,723ft the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and also home to the Dubai Mall which is the world’s largest, shopping, leisure and entertainment complex and is home to over 1,200 shops! I am pretty sure we would need all day there to explore it all, but my main aim would be to get to the top observation deck on the 148th floor and take in the spectacular views of the Palm and city around us before having lunch in the restaurant-bar on the 122nd.

No trip to Dubai would be without visiting the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah who promise to astonish and delight, to thrill you at every turn, to deliver amazing experiences that translate into everlasting memories. Where else would you find more than 500 species of fish, sharks, corals and shellfish in a huge aquarium in a 5 star hotel.

It is one of my dreams to swim with Dolphins and the Atlantis Hotel is also home to Dolphin Bay where you can meet and get up close to and with these amazing creatures in deep or shallow water.

We would finish off the day in their Seafire Steakhouse and Bar before taking a moonlit stroll along the beach. One thing’s for sure………..one day isn’t enough!!

Check out this video by TravelBag with their suggestions for a day out in Dubai.

I did a crowd source of some of my fellow bloggers for this post and here are there suggestions for visiting Dubai:

Charly from PodCastDove wants to take in the views from the Buri Kahlifa and see the miracle garden, have nose at the shopping malls and stay in the underwater hotel.

Mary from over40andamumtoone says the Spice and Gold Souks are just amazing, worth wandering through even if just window shopping. There are so many shopping malls to get lost in too. The Dubai Museum is worth a visit as it’s such a contrast to all the high rise buildings, a trip on the creek in a Dhow is a must too. If you want to get out of the city itself I can recommend The Dune Riding 4×4 safaris and a trip to Al Ain for a total contrast.

Anna from intheplayroom recommends a day trip out to Fujairah to experience more of the history of the UAE and they have gorgeous relaxing beaches with a more laid back and quiet atmosphere than Dubai.

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