Solo trip to Dubai

I have traveled to Dubai about four times and each time it was with family. Although I highly enjoyed each and every trip, this trip was my first trip without kids. For me the experience itself was totally different. Traveling solo is just as much fun as it is if you are with friends or family. For me personally without kids I got to do much more in one day then when I was with family. Kids are truly a blessing but they do slow you down while traveling, as they always have to pee or eat or snack or get bored and need attention. So the things that I would normally do in two or three days, on this trip I got to do in one day. I covered more surface area, saw more, shopped more, and walked around faster without being slowed down.


On this trip I took a metro to most places and it was much cheaper than a taxi, but if you are traveling with two people or more metro is not for you as it is slower and the cost will be the same as with a taxi. But if you are alone metro is ideal, however it does not go to all places. Traveling to Dubai gives you many opportunities to do and experience new adventures. It has something for everyone. Whether you are a shopaholic and enjoy browsing malls in different countries or you want to see the beautiful picturesque beaches of the modern middle-east or you want to experience a whole different country and tradition, Dubai has it all.







For me at first sight Dubai was not a desert of a Middle Eastern country like I had pictured in my mind's eye. Instead Dubai was like the United States very modern but just newer and bigger in my opinion. The cities that I could compare Dubai to would be New York or San Francisco. You are surrounded by high rise buildings that are NEW. And of course the beaches are everywhere so I could say it's like an island as well. Dubai is a paradise if you love shopping and malls like yours truly. You can find any store and all kinds of stores and shops that are either chain stores or
department stores from US to European to Australian. Basically any store that is big enough to run in another country is available in Dubai. So Dubai is not only great for shopping but also beautiful.



 Each mall that you visit is different inside and outside. I am not much of an architect but I would think that everything you see in Dubai has some kind of architectural beauty.  You can't possibly miss it. Every mall in Dubai consists of different designs, themes, and architecture that even if you are not much of a shopper, just seeing the different malls is like sightseeing on its own. The themes of the different malls, reminds me of the different hotel themes on the Las Vegas strip, but again everything in Dubai is NEWER.  

There is Wafi mall which is shaped like a pyramid. From the outside it is beautiful with the huge detailed statues to the hieroglyphics on the walls. The inside itself is also a must see with every corner of the mall designed differently, it adds so much character to the mall that you feel like you are in modern Egypt.

Then there is also Ibn batuta Mall designed in way to show the travels of Ibn batuta who was a scholar that traveled the world. So the mall which is named after him is designed like several different countries. One part of the mall or court is shaped like India with all white marble, like the Taj Mahal. Another court of the mall is designed like china it has Chinese designs and shapes and colors with a giant wooden ship sitting in the middle of the mall. There is the Persia court with all Islamic architecture like domes and blue tiles, followed by the Tunisia court, Egypt court, and Andalusia court (southern Spain). It is just beautiful and definitely a must see.

There is of course the Mercado mall on Jumeirah, which is close to Burj Al Arab. Mercado mall is themed and designed to look like European towns of Spain, Italy, and France. It is so cozy and beautiful that it makes you feel as you are walking the streets of Europe. With flowers on the windows and home like designs yet it is huge enough to hold over 400 shops.

Another mall known to all is the famous Dubai mall which is the biggest mall in the world. Even Dubai mall has different themes and styles all around but also so much more to see than just shop. You can see the Dubai fountain which is again the biggest fountain in the world. The fountain is similar to the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas but again because it is Dubai it is bigger, better, newer, and grander. There is the Dubai ice rink which is beautiful to ice skate in the most beautiful and biggest rink in the world in the hottest country. The waterfalls inside the mall which are huge man made waterfalls are nice to see and take pictures in front of. A must see is the pretty and huge umbrella ceiling in The Village court in Dubai mall. Let’s not forget the world’s biggest aquarium in the mall right in front of the world’s biggest candy store Candylicious.  Burj Khalifa the tallest building in the world next to Dubai mall and you can take pictures in front of the Burj from where you are at the Dubai fountain.

The Mall of the Emirates has a great and unique design to it as well. It is the only mall with an indoor sky slope with fresh snow that is manmade daily.  It has a 14 screen cinema and it has indoor magic planet which is like a theme park for adults and kids. During Christmas they usually have shows in the mall entrances with singing and dancing. The Christmas tree displays are huge and must see.

Mirdif City Center mall which is designed with luxury theme is so new it opened up in 2010. There are real palm trees inside the mall. The food court and parts of the mall give you a Moroccan feel to it. Mirdif city center also has the only indoor sky dive(IFLY) in Dubai.  It has Sky Trail & climbing wall which is a multi-faceted obstacle course that is suspended along the ceiling in the mall. It has a 12-lane cosmic ten pin bowling attraction,and vox cinema and magic planet. Dubai has a lot more malls but these are the highlighted malls and the ones I have visited more than once. When I travel I love to take pictures in the different themed malls, try any kind of entertainments that are available, and of course look for sales and shop for a deal.  

If you are planning on a trip to Dubai make sure you travel around winter time because summer is unbearably hot in Dubai. It’s true everywhere you go hotels, malls, cars, and taxis they are cooled with ACs but if you want to sight see and explore, chances are you will be outside and Dubai’s temperatures are pretty high. Even at night it is scorching hot. So best time to travel to Dubai is from November to March where outside temperatures will be most like in 80s and 90s and bearable.

Dubai has a lot more to offer, one of the things I enjoyed on this trip without kids was just hanging out at the beaches. I love to walk on the sand at Burj Al Arab beach. It is so relaxing and of course you get the most beautiful view of the Burj no matter which part of the beach you are walking on. The water is warm and see through and the weather is always warm in Dubai.

Another beach is the kite beach it is filled with families and kids so if you like a quiet beach this may not be the beach for you. It is gorgeous as soon as you look up in the sky it is covered with kites. There are all kind of kites in different shapes, colors, and sizes. When I visited this beach with my kids they were just running around after the kites as I was running around after them. This time I just laid in the sun and enjoyed the beautiful view of the sky. For me it was neither noisy nor too crowded. In fact I actually enjoy being around people as long as no one is bothering me or my piece of mind. I stayed here for a couple of hours, read a chapter of my book, had a frapaccino and went shopping to another mall.

Another beach in Dubai I quiet enjoy is the JBR’s The walk. It is located in front of Jumeirah Beach Residence and The Walk which is along shopping strip opposite the beach. Across from the beach is also every type of hotel normally 5 star hotels as this area is expensive in Dubai. The beach is beautiful and quiet. There are restaurants and coffee shops all within walking distance. The beach itself is just soooo pretty and also the only beach in Dubai where you can ride a camel along the beach for 50 dirhams $13-$15.  You can get two view if you take pictures on the camel, on the one side a city view with all the tall hotels and buildings, and on the other side you get the beach view. This beach is a must see if you will be in Dubai even for a day.

The Dubai marina itself is a gorgeous location. You can check out the Marina mall which is a dome shaped gorgeous mall and shop or just walk around the marina which is sight to see. There are bikes you can rent with an ID and 30 dirhams $8 for 45 minutes and ride around the Marina. I rented one of these tricycle type bikes it was so much fun. If you have music on your phone and a headphone you will make memories of the beautiful scenes that you pass by as you ride along the Marina. It is absolutely beautiful and I guarantee anyone will love it. At the Marina pier 7 right in front of the mall is also Dubai ferry you can ride or if you can afford rent yachts. There are also dinner cruises here as well.

You can also rent jet-skis and do parasailing on any of the beaches however prices are a bit expensive. I did go jet skiing but I went in Sharjah beach which is 15 minutes away from Dubai airport. It cost about 165 dirhams $46 for one hour. If you ask any taxi they will gladly take you to Sharjah jet ski beach. All the locals go jet skiing there and don’t be surprised if you see Emirate women young and old on jet skis with all their garb on, the whole long abayas and scarves on. It’s amazing to see the culture and how accepting they are of women doing all these outdoor adventures and getting encouraged by the men. For me it opened up my eyes of how I used  to see the Middle East.

Other than beaches and malls there is a lot more you can do like go on safari. A desert safari in Dubai is awesome you can arrange it from the front desk of any hotel that you are staying at. Depending on your budget and the type of safari you want, the front desk will make a call and set up a pick up for you, or you can call and arrange it yourself. If you plan on a safari you have to give yourself an entire day. Safari tours pick up guests from the hotels in a shuttle and drive to the desert. So the process of picking up different people from different hotels takes a while and the desert itself is about forty minutes away. You are then dropped off at the edge of the road and then each four people are escorted to 4x4 cars. From here on you are basically on a ride as the cars go through the sand dunes in the desert, it’s exhilarating and fun and feels like a roller coaster. Then you are dropped off at the tents. Outside the tents there are usually camel rides or dune bikes or sand boarding.  Sometimes these are included in the price of your safari tour some are additional prices so if you like you can ride any of these. When you enter the tents it is designed like a big giant square with the tents all around and the middle is open air stage and tables and floor mats everywhere. Guests are welcomed with a drink either juice or water and a snack. Then you find yourself a seat and there are hookahs you can enjoy. As it gets dark the show begins. The show consists of belly dancing followed by a traditional emirate dance.  After that everyone is welcomed to buffet dinner. Once you are back in your seats there are people walking around that will do henna tattoos on your hands for about 10 dirhams $3 and also you can take pictures with an eagle for about the same price. There is also a tent with emirate clothes you can wear and take pictures in although sometimes there is a wait due to long lines. After that everyone is escorted back in cars and dropped of the side of the road where you find the shuttle that you came with and are dropped off back to your hotel. The whole experience is pretty cool and definitely a must if you are in Dubai.

If you are traveling to Dubai in winter there will be two things available that are not in summer. Dubai Miracle Garden and Dubai Global Village are always available and open in winter because they are outdoors and anything outdoor in Dubai must be able to stand hot temperatures. Dubai Miracle Garden is one of the biggest flower gardens in the world it is absolutely beautiful. It is quiet far out so if your hotel is in Dubai getting to Miracle Garden will cost you about 80-100 dirhams $22-$27. But it is definitely worth the trip. The entrance fee is 40 dirhams  $11 per person. The garden itself is beautiful everything is the shape of flowers from a real life size airplane to giant teddy bear to birds and peacocks and everything else in between. Words are not enough to describe it and pictures don’t do it justice, but when you see it in real life you will definitely appreciate it. I have been to Miracle Garden about four different times and each year they change the park and add different items. People from all over the world come here, enjoy and take pictures. I must say everyone is super dressed up and fancy as they want to look nice in pictures here. And each time I am here I always spot a beautiful bride. I don’t blame them this is the best place for a bride to take pictures with a background of thousands of flowers. So if in Dubai in winter you will not be sorry you came to Miracle Garden. It takes about two hours to see the entire garden and they do have coffee shops, snack shops, and restaurants.

 

Global Village is another attraction in Dubai which is only open in winter. I would say the size of it probably is bigger than Disneyland in my opinion. It is 17,200,000 sq ft so it is like a large city on its own. It is close to Miracle Garden and open from 4pm so it is best to make a day of going to both attractions on the same day as it will save you a lot on taxi fair. It is best to go to Miracle Garden anytime from 10am to 3pm and from 4pm to12 midnight on you can visit Global Village. The entrance fee is very cheap about 15dirhams $4 per person. As you enter you are surrounded by different countries in Global Village. Each country has its own pavilion but it’s more like a mini city. Each country the outside is beautifully designed for what it’s famous for. And inside all pavilions have free concerts and dancing and shows. Each pavilion has many stores and shops with traditional goods like garments, goods, foods, etc. Each country sells different goods that they are famous for like honey in Yemen pavilion or black soap in African pavilion or Saffron in Persia Pavilion. There is a lot to see and do and buy just walking through the different pavilions. There are so many restaurants to choose from whether it is fast food you crave or sit down restaurants you can find almost any kind of food from Indian food, Thai, Persian, Emirate, to Chinese. There are also all kinds of kiosks selling snacks, tea, corn, etc. and of course café’s and coffee shops.  I myself enjoyed fast food which was KFC and I got hooked on the 2 dirham Karak chai from the kiosks. It was a highly addictive yummy tea with milk and Indian spices like cinnamon and cardamom. I think I had about 20 of these in the four hours I was there. There is also a huge amusement park on one side of Global village which has rides for kids, teens, and adults. All kinds of rides which I can’t even name, because most of them I don’t even know what they are called, but other familiar ones are there also like bumper cars, scary rides, a giant Ferris wheel, and all kinds of games with prizes. There is no entrance fee but each ride has an individual price, normally prices range between 30-60 dirhams $8-$16 per ride. Global Village has something for everyone whether you are with kids and family or with friends or solo. I have been visited with family and friends and this was my first time solo trip. I think I covered more area being alone this time and both ways with family or solo it was a lot of fun. You will definitely enjoy it if you ever decide to visit. The only thing I recommend if you are visiting any part of Dubai is to wear comfortable shoes. In Dubai no matter where you are visiting or sightseeing there is a lot of walking so do yourself and your feet a favor and come prepared and wear the most comfortable walking shoes you have.  By the way for those interested, Global Village does offer wheel chairs and stroller and even shopping carts for rent. I don’t know the prices for strollers or shopping carts but for wheel chairs I did ask and was told it was free the first two hours and 10 dirhams $3 for every hour after that, which is totally worth it if your are traveling with someone that needs it.

So that was my solo trip Dubai, a lot of shopping which I highly enjoyed. Some me time and relaxing at the different beaches and just enjoying the views.  Small adventures of jet skiing and riding bikes along the Dubai marina. Going on a desert safari and riding a camel. I enjoyed a fun day at Miracle Garden and Global village. Dubai like always was awesome, and a lot of fun for me. I hope to save up and visit Dubai again and try out some of the things I have not tried and go to places I have not had a chance to visit. I shared as much as I possibly could without turning this into a novel lol so I hope it was helpful. There was a lot more things I didn't even add as this blog got longer than I wanted but I hope it was helpful for anyone who is wanting to travel. If you are Dubai bound I hope you enjoy and have a fabulous time. If you have any questions please let me know and I will be more than happy to shed some light on things for you. Happy travels.