Our journey begun on January 10th, 2019. Goodbyes were hard but our families have been so supportive which was a huge help. We flew from Glasgow to Dubai. Now I will be honest, Dubai was never in our ‘top 10′ destinations we would like to visit list’ but soon after our friend Eileen moved to Dubai last year, she invited us over, and we are so glad we made the decision to visit her. It made sense to stop at Dubai first, and what a start to our adventure it was!
From the minute we arrived at Dubai airport Eileen and her fiancée Fadi treated us like VIP’s. We were greeted with an Arabic traditional breakfast and champagne, which was delicious by the way. Our first evening was spent in the Dubai dessert. Eating traditional Arabic food. Kebab meat (shaf) and delicious salad and meat kebab rolls. I wish you could taste through the screen as it was amazing! Fadi lit a fire and we sat, surrounded by the Dubai dessert chatting and drinking. Pure bliss.
Saturday was spent at the world famous beach club – 0gravity. It was our first experience of a brunch in Dubai where you pay a certain amount and have unlimited drink and food for 5 hours. What a great day of partying we had! As well as 0gravity we did brunch at SOHO Beach club. We were treated like VIP’s all day and had the most fun partying with Eileen and Fadi! A more chilled vibe was at Cove Beach club where we spent the day relaxing by the pool and beach.
Most of you will recognise the world famous Burj Khalifa which you will find on most Dubai travel brochures. The building, to look at is spectacular. 829.8m total in height, it is the tallest structure building in the world since it’s opening in 2008. It took a mere, 10 seconds to reach the top in the super-fast lift, which made your ears pop. The doors opened and you were hit with an instant nausea – a good rush but scary. Now don’t get me wrong, you could see the whole of Dubai which at times took your breath away, but for the price you pay (up to 400durahm, around £70) it was not worth it! We were lucky enough to receive a free pair of tickets from Fadi.
Our evening was spent at Cavalli – Inspired by and launched in collaboration with celebrated designer, Roberto Cavalli, Cavalli Club is the distillation of all things fabulous. For 300 duraham each (around £60) we were served a multiple of courses with a variety of foods whilst being entertained by a spectacular show. It really was a VIP experience!A highlight for us was visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It is the largest mosque in the country. Abu Dhabi was around an hour and half from where we were staying with Eileen and Fadi . It was breathtakingly beautiful. On arrival all women had to wear an Abaya – a loose over garment, worn by Muslim women. Kyle was given a long sleeve polo shirt to cover his tattoos. The building itself was huge. The blue sky was piercing against the white stone building.
It really was an amazing building with stunning architectural features. Our afternoon was spent at Ferarri World Theme Park. We were able to ride the fastest roller-coaster in the world – 230mph. A must visit is Mr Myagis – an Asian style street food restaurant high up with great views of Dubai. Karaoke every night and girls get unlimited drinks during ladies night for just 99durham (£20) Bargain!! No wonder I was up belting out some Tina Turner….
Our final day was spent exploring different places in Dubai. We started our morning with a breakfast looking over the creek – which was beautiful ! During our desert BBQ, I lost my thumb ring so Eileen said we should visit the Silver Souk – a traditional silver Arabic market. I bought a stunning new thumb ring which will be a lovely memory of Dubai forever. We then visited the Dubai Mall. The largest destination for shopping entertainment and leisure in the world with over 1,200 retail stores. It’s not just a shopping mall – oh no! They have a Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in the middle of the mall. And so much more which we would have needed another few days to see it all!
Our last afternoon was spent at the Global Village. It was such a unique and integrated destination with the world’s finest shopping, dining and entertainment from across the world. Every country around the world had a pavilion, each representing the richness and culture of the country. For only 15durham (£3) it had the most stunning traditional stalls. Good job it was our last day as I would have spent a fortune! Our last evening was spent at the Marina in Dubai at Asia Asia. A traditional thai food restaurant on the 9thfloor over looking the Marina’s private yachts and beautiful buildings.
Our week in Dubai was made extra special as Eileen and Fadi went above and beyond to make it the best time ever. We can’t thank them enough for this week – memories we will cherish forever. Dubai was so much more than we expected : from the out of this world sky line, to the super extra shopping facilities, to the fun loving diverse people that live here, to the delicious traditional foods, it really has been a week to remember. If you, like us aren’t sure about visiting Dubai, you really should!
Travelling The Distance 