A weekend in Dubai
Dubai has recently become a popular destination for Indian tourists who prefer having a stamp on their seldom-used passport rather than domestic travel. The major reason behind this is the increasing connectivity from various cities and relatively cheaper flight tickets.
Considering all these factors or maybe a few more our firm also decided to take its employees for an annual offsite to this magnificent city - I know you must be feeling - "What? an offsite? that too in Dubai?"
But this is actually feasible and you'll know as you read through.
Let me begin with some of the basic info after which I'll share my day-wise itinerary.
Basic Info
Dubai or The Emirate of Dubai is one of the 7 Emirates of UAE. The city has emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in the world, primarily because of its never-ending construction man-made architectural marvels. From a port city majorly know for trade, Dubai has turned itself to a city of skyscrapers in hardly two decades. So if anyone who gets fascinated by tall buildings, malls, architecture, technological advancements and of course shopping, then this is the place you must visit.
If we look at the map above, Dubai is a vertically structured city similar to Mumbai and majorly divided into two major parts:
Flight: Almost all Indian domestic carriers and a few international ones such as Emirates, Etihad (to Abu Dhabi), Fly Dubai, Kuwait Airlines provide connectivity from major Indian cities to Dubai. But if budget is not a constraint try booking Emirates because of its utter luxury and premium feels and will cost you around 20k return if you plan well in advance.
Hotels: There is no dearth when it comes to hotels in Dubai and one can easily find a hotel in any price range. For e.g. you can easily get
I stayed in Hilton Al-Habtoor for the first 2 days which is located between Downtown and Dubai Marina area and I think it was perfectly located as it just took us 20min drive to reach any of the famous places.
And I booked Atlantis for my last free day which I'll cover in Day-3 below
Transportation: Dubai is famous for its man-made architecture, therefore it has all modes of different transports such as metro, buses, trams, and mono-rail.
But, given the temperature and ease of use, I'd recommend taking taxis especially if you are traveling in a group as cost per person is almost similar to public transport.
For instance: Taxi from Hilton to Burj Khalifa (~7kms) costs somewhere around 25AED which is ~INR500.
Weather: This is one of the most important factors to keep in mind while planning a trip to Dubai as Dubai can be really warm during the off-season. I went in the month of September and even that time the temperature was above 40 degrees.
On the other hand, Dubai is built in such a way that everything ranging from Metro entrance to parking is air-conditioned. Hence, you'll hardly feel the temperature unless you are walking down the street. Marina Bay area or when you are in shopping in old Dubai or Gold Souk
Food: I feel Dubai is the only place outside India where you feel like home in terms of food. As there is a large number of migrants from India, Pakistan and other neighboring countries, it is very easy to find Indian restaurants. Even chains like Pizza Hut and Burger King have almost similar options as available in India, unlike other countries where you just have one option lying somewhere in the corner on the food menu.
Day-1 (Dubai mall, fountain & Burj Khalifa)
After taking the morning flight from New Delhi at around 10AM, I landed at Dubai airport at around 1PM. The airport is so majestic that they have a built train system within the airport to transfer passengers from the gate of arrival to the immigration hall. The formalities at the airport were quite smooth and I reached my hotel around 3:30PM where all my colleagues were already present wearing their pajamas and getting ready for the kick-off sessions.
Though the sessions were quite interesting with band performances, group activities and award distributions, my mind was continuously figuring how to just sneak out and experience this beautiful city which I only saw in videos and pictures. We got this much-awaited breakthrough during our tea break when I along with 3 of my friends decided to get on to a taxi and head towards the downtown area.
We started with the Dubai mall which is the largest mall in the world housing hundreds of brands, fountains, an artificial gold souk, cafes, and even an ice-skating rink.
Must visit - is the famous cheesecake factory which is located somewhere this fountain:
After having these mouthwatering cheesecakes, it was time to witness the world-famous Dubai fountain show. The first show starts at 6PM wherein each show lasts for around 15-20min. The best place to see the show is the Apple store gallery at level-1 with Burj Khalifa's view right in front, and as expected it was undoubtedly the best one I have ever seen.
The first day ended with some shopping, a few photographs, and never-ending Burj Khalifa's glimpses.
Day-2 (Ski-Dubai and Dubai Marina)
Day-2 started with a heavy breakfast and some "how to sneak out" plans on the breakfast table. Since some of the sessions were organized with our managers, there was a little possibility of our absence not getting noticed. Nevertheless, it was the time when our college class bunk experience came into play when we all planned to sit near the exit gate and somehow get out before lunch.
The plan was to visit all the destinations which are unique to Dubai and not actually there back in India. The most effective to pass the hot afternoon was to visit the Ski-Dubai which is one of the major tourist attractions. Now some of you might think that how this is not present in India? we do have a ski park in Mall of India as well.
My answer to this is that it is probably 10 times bigger, better constructed with a lot better rides and should be definitely on the list if you are going with kids.
Dubai Marina
Dubai Marina is kind of a large official complex that has huge beautiful buildings beside the sea, a street of cafes, Dubai eye (similar to the London eye) and an artificial river flowing between. This is a good place to spend an evening and catching up with friends over a beer. And to our coincidence, we did catch-up with one of my college friends who was there in the Dubai Marina area only that evening.
After spending some fruitful time and sharing a few college stories we hopped on to the taxi to show our "high faces" to our bosses in the office party and pretended how we enjoyed the day attending various sessions.
Day-3 (Burj Khalifa and Atlantis stay)
So this was the last day which was a free day given to us to explore Dubai, I decided to visit "At the top" which is floor-124 in Burj Khalifa. I'd suggest booking the tickets online as they are relatively cheaper. They do have certain breakfast, lunches and dinner combos one should definitely check in advance as they are pretty cost-effective and worthy of every penny.
Burj Khalifa being the world's tallest building undoubtedly offers an incomparable experience starting from its entrance which showcases its history, a laser statue, one of the fastest lifts, photography offers and one of the best views.
Since we were asked to check-out and book our own accommodation for the free day, I thought of experiencing Dubai's luxury and booking a hotel room in one of the world's most expensive hotels - The Palm Atlantis.
Atlantis is situated on the edge of an artificial man-made island known as The Palm Jumeirah. Atlantis is certainly grand and probably the luxurious hotel I ever visited. Starting from the Limousine transfers, red carpet entry, magnificent castle-like interiors, and top-notch services - it is a must-visit for a day at least. So I checked in around 3PM and spent most of the evening in the water park and its lavish swimming pool.
The rooms are definitely expensive but you can fetch a good deal if you book well in advance. For instance, I got a room for ~15k/day which included waterpark and underwater aquarium entry. That was a pretty good deal as Atlantis water park which has some of the best rides such as Leap of Faith (categorized as most dangerous) is one of the best parks in the world.
The next day it was time to pack my bags and get back home to share all these memories with my family and friends.
Considering all these factors or maybe a few more our firm also decided to take its employees for an annual offsite to this magnificent city - I know you must be feeling - "What? an offsite? that too in Dubai?"
But this is actually feasible and you'll know as you read through.
Let me begin with some of the basic info after which I'll share my day-wise itinerary.
Basic Info
Dubai or The Emirate of Dubai is one of the 7 Emirates of UAE. The city has emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in the world, primarily because of its never-ending construction man-made architectural marvels. From a port city majorly know for trade, Dubai has turned itself to a city of skyscrapers in hardly two decades. So if anyone who gets fascinated by tall buildings, malls, architecture, technological advancements and of course shopping, then this is the place you must visit.
If we look at the map above, Dubai is a vertically structured city similar to Mumbai and majorly divided into two major parts:
- Downtown Area: covering the Dubai mall, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountain, Dubai Frame, Dubai creek, Jumeirah Mosque, Old Dubai
- Dubai Marina Area: Burj Al-Arab, The Palm, Atlantis and Dubai Marina, Mall of Emirates
Flight: Almost all Indian domestic carriers and a few international ones such as Emirates, Etihad (to Abu Dhabi), Fly Dubai, Kuwait Airlines provide connectivity from major Indian cities to Dubai. But if budget is not a constraint try booking Emirates because of its utter luxury and premium feels and will cost you around 20k return if you plan well in advance.
Hotels: There is no dearth when it comes to hotels in Dubai and one can easily find a hotel in any price range. For e.g. you can easily get
- Holiday-inn for ~3k/day
- Hilton Al-Habtoor for ~6.5k/day
- Taj (with Burj view) for ~12k/day
- Atlantis for ~18k/day
I stayed in Hilton Al-Habtoor for the first 2 days which is located between Downtown and Dubai Marina area and I think it was perfectly located as it just took us 20min drive to reach any of the famous places.
And I booked Atlantis for my last free day which I'll cover in Day-3 below
Transportation: Dubai is famous for its man-made architecture, therefore it has all modes of different transports such as metro, buses, trams, and mono-rail.
But, given the temperature and ease of use, I'd recommend taking taxis especially if you are traveling in a group as cost per person is almost similar to public transport.
For instance: Taxi from Hilton to Burj Khalifa (~7kms) costs somewhere around 25AED which is ~INR500.
Weather: This is one of the most important factors to keep in mind while planning a trip to Dubai as Dubai can be really warm during the off-season. I went in the month of September and even that time the temperature was above 40 degrees.
On the other hand, Dubai is built in such a way that everything ranging from Metro entrance to parking is air-conditioned. Hence, you'll hardly feel the temperature unless you are walking down the street. Marina Bay area or when you are in shopping in old Dubai or Gold Souk
Food: I feel Dubai is the only place outside India where you feel like home in terms of food. As there is a large number of migrants from India, Pakistan and other neighboring countries, it is very easy to find Indian restaurants. Even chains like Pizza Hut and Burger King have almost similar options as available in India, unlike other countries where you just have one option lying somewhere in the corner on the food menu.
Day-1 (Dubai mall, fountain & Burj Khalifa)
After taking the morning flight from New Delhi at around 10AM, I landed at Dubai airport at around 1PM. The airport is so majestic that they have a built train system within the airport to transfer passengers from the gate of arrival to the immigration hall. The formalities at the airport were quite smooth and I reached my hotel around 3:30PM where all my colleagues were already present wearing their pajamas and getting ready for the kick-off sessions.
Though the sessions were quite interesting with band performances, group activities and award distributions, my mind was continuously figuring how to just sneak out and experience this beautiful city which I only saw in videos and pictures. We got this much-awaited breakthrough during our tea break when I along with 3 of my friends decided to get on to a taxi and head towards the downtown area.
We started with the Dubai mall which is the largest mall in the world housing hundreds of brands, fountains, an artificial gold souk, cafes, and even an ice-skating rink.
Must visit - is the famous cheesecake factory which is located somewhere this fountain:
After having these mouthwatering cheesecakes, it was time to witness the world-famous Dubai fountain show. The first show starts at 6PM wherein each show lasts for around 15-20min. The best place to see the show is the Apple store gallery at level-1 with Burj Khalifa's view right in front, and as expected it was undoubtedly the best one I have ever seen.
The first day ended with some shopping, a few photographs, and never-ending Burj Khalifa's glimpses.
Day-2 (Ski-Dubai and Dubai Marina)
Day-2 started with a heavy breakfast and some "how to sneak out" plans on the breakfast table. Since some of the sessions were organized with our managers, there was a little possibility of our absence not getting noticed. Nevertheless, it was the time when our college class bunk experience came into play when we all planned to sit near the exit gate and somehow get out before lunch.
The plan was to visit all the destinations which are unique to Dubai and not actually there back in India. The most effective to pass the hot afternoon was to visit the Ski-Dubai which is one of the major tourist attractions. Now some of you might think that how this is not present in India? we do have a ski park in Mall of India as well.
My answer to this is that it is probably 10 times bigger, better constructed with a lot better rides and should be definitely on the list if you are going with kids.
Dubai Marina
Dubai Marina is kind of a large official complex that has huge beautiful buildings beside the sea, a street of cafes, Dubai eye (similar to the London eye) and an artificial river flowing between. This is a good place to spend an evening and catching up with friends over a beer. And to our coincidence, we did catch-up with one of my college friends who was there in the Dubai Marina area only that evening.
After spending some fruitful time and sharing a few college stories we hopped on to the taxi to show our "high faces" to our bosses in the office party and pretended how we enjoyed the day attending various sessions.
Day-3 (Burj Khalifa and Atlantis stay)
So this was the last day which was a free day given to us to explore Dubai, I decided to visit "At the top" which is floor-124 in Burj Khalifa. I'd suggest booking the tickets online as they are relatively cheaper. They do have certain breakfast, lunches and dinner combos one should definitely check in advance as they are pretty cost-effective and worthy of every penny.
Burj Khalifa being the world's tallest building undoubtedly offers an incomparable experience starting from its entrance which showcases its history, a laser statue, one of the fastest lifts, photography offers and one of the best views.
Since we were asked to check-out and book our own accommodation for the free day, I thought of experiencing Dubai's luxury and booking a hotel room in one of the world's most expensive hotels - The Palm Atlantis.
Atlantis is situated on the edge of an artificial man-made island known as The Palm Jumeirah. Atlantis is certainly grand and probably the luxurious hotel I ever visited. Starting from the Limousine transfers, red carpet entry, magnificent castle-like interiors, and top-notch services - it is a must-visit for a day at least. So I checked in around 3PM and spent most of the evening in the water park and its lavish swimming pool.
The rooms are definitely expensive but you can fetch a good deal if you book well in advance. For instance, I got a room for ~15k/day which included waterpark and underwater aquarium entry. That was a pretty good deal as Atlantis water park which has some of the best rides such as Leap of Faith (categorized as most dangerous) is one of the best parks in the world.
The next day it was time to pack my bags and get back home to share all these memories with my family and friends.
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