(From Fairmont The Palm – overlooking the Marina)

Dubai To-Do List – Travel Blog Couple

Alright, we’ve covered the hotels and the food, but what is there to do in Dubai?

In a word, tan. It is HOT and SUNNY, like, ALL THE TIME! There is no excuse to go to Dubai and come home without a tan. We will recommend super high strength sun tan lotion at first, though, until you get a base tan down, then switch to a tanning oil. You’ll be the creamiest brown you’ve ever been!
If you can find a beach that looks out over the water back towards the city, even better.
And the water? You know how you walk to the edge of the beach, wait for the waves to bring the water to your toes and brace for the cold? Yeah, that doesn’t happen. It is so warm!!! Just the perfect temperature to walk right in and take a long, luxurious swim. When you’re done there rinse off the salt and sink into the crystal blue pools that every hotel has to offer. It just doesn’t get any better than that!

There are paddle boards, catamarans, kayaks and jet skis for rent all over the place. Feel free to enjoy those at your leisure; they’re very reasonably priced by the hour.

Definitely, definitely, definitely take a day trip around the city to enjoy the eclectic architecture. There are buildings there that I’m surprised are able to remain upright! And you’ll love them even more when the sun goes down and the lights come on. They are a spectacle, to be sure.
Must see buildings include, but are not limited to, Burh Khalifa (duh), Burj Al-Arab (duh), the Dubai Mall (largest mall in the world – check) and Emirates Mall (actual ski hill indoors – what?) and a day-trip to Abu Dhabi to see the Emirates Palace Hotel and, drum roll please, the Grand Mosque. (OMG! https://www.instagram.com/p/BFCw2pkvBr9/?taken-by=travelblogcouple)

Other daytime things to do: ride camels, go dune buggying, watch belly- and Fire-dancers and wear authentic Arab garb. And the best thing is…you can do ALL that in one spot! But! Take our word for it. Don’t cheap out on Groupon for this one. Pay the full price and get the most. It’s called Desert Safari and it’s a must-do!

Also, take a morning to go downtown to the Gold Souk and Spice Souk. The sheer volume of gold and spices is nearly overwhelming! It’s an awe-inspiring assault to the senses! Be warned, though, you will be hounded by salesmen trying to get you to pay way too much for purses, wallets, watches, etc. But stay strong and don’t pay full price for anything!  😉

If that’s not enough check out this list from Trip Advisor for more: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g295424-Activities-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html

So that’s it for Dubai! If you have any questions on our travels or would like more info on places to go or see in Dubai please reach out to me at [email protected]!

We’ll catch up with you again soon from our next stop….Colorado!

Thanks for reading! Safe travels!

P.S. Follow us on Instagram (@travelblogcouple) to see all the amazing photos Melanie takes from all our journeys!  🙂

Welcome back travel lovers! In our last post, Dubai, Hello! (https://travelblogcouple.com/dubai-hello/) we talked about the incredible accommodations and customer service to be experienced in Dubai. Today we’re going to delve in the delectable, delicious and sometimes dromedary, FOOD!

For those on a budget you’re going to want to portion a large percentage of it towards dining experiences. Let me tell you, eating in Dubai is not just about the taste, it’s about the views, the glamour, and the grandeur of the restaurants.

First of all, in all the hotels we stayed at there was a very inexpensive breakfast buffet. Think of any food you’ve ever wanted to have for breakfast and they will have it. They even make omelettes and pancakes right in front of you in minutes! FILL UP! Have 4-5 plates of heavenly breakfast! (This will save on over-spending on lunch because you’re going to want to break the bank on supper!) Also, if you ask ever so politely they may even make you something by request; like eggs benedict and filet mignon: https://www.instagram.com/p/BFLLQzhvBuf/?taken-by=travelblogcouple

For lunch, just grab a snack by the pool or in one of their insanely large malls. Or, if you are the adventurous type, find a place that has camel burgers! Yes, that’s right…camel. We tried the camel at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi (day trip!) and it was extremely tasty! No major difference between camel and cow. The texture is just slightly finer, softer, and the taste has just a tad of gaminess to it, but if you didn’t know you were eating camel you’d think there might have been a tangy sauce added to your burger.

For your final meal of the day you may want to make reservations depending on where you go. At the more well-known buildings like the Burj Al-Arab and the Burj Khalifa you will definitely need to make reservations. We HIGHLY recommend a seating that will include the sunset. That way you get to see unbelievable views during the last rays of sunlight and and incredible light show after the sun has set over the gulf. Now, don’t forget, when you’re dining at hotels or fancy restaurants you can buy alcoholic beverages and they are more than not cheap! (Note: Alcohol is not sold outside of hotels or fancy restaurants. If you want some for you hotel room make sure to purchase it at the airport in Dubai before going to your hotel!)

Spend one evening at Atmosphere, the restaurant at the top of the Burj Khalifa…in fact, book right now, before you even book your flights to Dubai, and request a window seat for the 5:30pm seating. The picture at the beginning of this blog is their tuna tartare and it’s probably the BEST food I have ever eaten in my LIFE! And, of course, you can’t go wrong with the view from the tallest building in the world. Duh.

Take an evening at the Burj Al-Arab (the building that looks like a sail) by grabbing a drink at Gold on 27 then hopping across the building to Skyview Bar for an eclectic meal in a sort of tapas style. Again, it’s pricey, but well worth the experience. For aesthetics of the actual bar these two are the coolest!

And no matter where you’re staying take a trip over to Raffles hotel and go for dinner just before sunset at Tomo! The views from this restaurant are so beautiful they have their own hashtag! (#tomoviews) Plus, if there’s room, they have traditional Japanese seating style tables outside with the incredible view of downtown Dubai! (https://www.instagram.com/p/BFEn__HPBt9/?taken-by=travelblogcouple) Oh, and did I mention it’s the BEST sushi? It is SOOOO good!

So, save your hard-earned cash for some of the most unique and luxurious dining experiences of your life! Next post we’ll talk about what do people actually DO when traveling in Dubai! Until then….happy adventures!

The Travel Blog Couple

Kevin and Melanie

Thanks for reading and following us on Instagram!!! (https://www.instagram.com/travelblogcouple/)

There are wonderful, far off places we all dream of traveling to: Hawaii, Thailand, New Zealand, Fiji, to name a few. Lush, verdant, mountainous places with waterfalls and grass skirts.

Dubai is not one of those. It is definitely not lush or verdant…and sand doesn’t make a very good skirt. It sure wasn’t a place I’d EVER dreamed of traveling to. And yet, there it was, on my lists of 101 Things I Want to Do in 2016. Why? Simple. Because Melanie wanted to go.

And so we flew…in a plane…for TWELVE AND A HALF HOURS. But, WOW, is it worth it! There is not a cleaner, shinier, sparklier place in the world! (That I have been to to compare.) It’s like Vegas without the “sin” and way more room. If you want to feel like you’re wealthy this is the place to be.

Let’s talk accommodations first:  It doesn’t seem to matter what hotel you go to, the customer service is, across the board, the best I have ever received. North America take a lesson. We were fortunate enough to stay at three different hotels during our week so we got an excellent cross-section of the city. If you have the means stay at Raffles for a few days! It’s the top-rated hotel in Dubai and for good reason. It’s like walking into an Egyptian palace with sky-high ceilings, massive ornate pillars, and even a waterfall. The service at this hotel is unbelievable from the moment you walk in. They even give complementary turn-down service in the evening just in case you have troubles fluffing your own pillows! Oh, did I mention the views? Get a room with a city view and you’ll never want to sleep again. The view of downtown at night is like Vegas meets Vancouver meets Disney World. (https://www.instagram.com/p/BFMXBxTPBvr/?taken-by=travelblogcouple) The only drawback to this hotel is it’s closer to the airport than downtown where all the fun stuff is. But the hotel is SO incredible people often don’t even leave.

Our next stop was Fairmont Dubai. This one is right downtown and can offer much closer views of the night lights. If you request early enough, be sure to get a room with a view of the Burj Khalifa (currently the world’s tallest building); it is quite magnificent. One of the more endearing features of the Fairmont Dubai is it’s pools! They have a Sunrise pool that catches the sun on the eastern side of the building and a Sunset pool that gets the sun in the afternoon. But the coolest part is they’re both on the 9th floor! You can swim with a view! (https://www.instagram.com/p/BFFg2epvBjp/?taken-by=travelblogcouple) They don’t offer quite the grandeur of Raffles, but they are more affordable and the location is superior for shopping and nightlife.

Our final stay was at Fairmont The Palm. (Clearly, we were Fairmont people this trip.) This was my personal favorite! If you’re more the social butterfly then this is your hotel. The two-tiered deep blue pool right on the beach with views over the bay of the skyscrapers at the marina make this the ultimate venue for tanning and relaxation. We even took a cruise around the bay on a catamaran! I mean…just go look at this picture (https://www.instagram.com/p/BFAmZNrvBmP/?taken-by=travelblogcouple)…tell me you don’t want to be there RIGHT NOW! I don’t think I need to say anything else about this hotel other than look at this picture too: (https://www.instagram.com/p/BFAbm_GvBhU/?taken-by=travelblogcouple). Seriously? This hotel made us want to stay in Dubai for another three days. Drawbacks? Ummmm…..it’s not close to other things to do but a $15 cab ride will get you to the marina and the nightlife there. But LOOK AT THIS: ( https://www.instagram.com/p/BE9KCVyvBlx/?taken-by=travelblogcouple ).

OK, now I want to go back…I’m gonna go simmer down…on the next blog post I’ll tell you all about where to get food (SOOOOO GOOD!), and where to focus your time while you’re traveling in Dubai!

Hi! We’ve just returned to the new world from Dubai, UAE and our experience was so overwhelming that we have been inspired to start this travel blog. We realized, while there and while reflecting on our adventure, that we could have done our trip better. Don’t get me wrong, we ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! But, in retrospect, we should have spent a little extra money on things we went the cheaper route on and we should have allotted more time to some things we thought wouldn’t take much time.

So, our mission, which we’ve chosen to accept, is to provide anyone with an itch to travel a place to go to get a brief, yet educated sneak peek at their destination. Our intent is not to play spoiler for places or things you have yet to see, but to make sure you get the most LIFE in your ADVENTURE! What we mean by that is giving our readers (viewers) extra tools in their travel tool box beyond the map, the professional internet pics, or the sales-driven rose-colored goggles of tourism. Consider this blog high-level customer service for those who wish to feel and experience their journeys like the traveling elite. We want you to have the BEST time possible while at your destination, using your time and your money wisely.

Let’s face it: traveling ain’t cheap! And traveling comfortably ain’t even more cheap! (Take it from the guy who’s 6’5″ and usually ends up seated on the plane behind the person who just loves to sleep with their chair in the reclined position the whole damned flight, so I can’t see the screen anymore and my knees are jammed so tight against the seat it feels like some sort of ancient torture device. Then when I ever so wonderfully get a chance to stretch ONE leg out into the aisle it immediately gets run over by scurrying stewards (or stewardesses…let’s be politically correct for just a moment) or passengers with poorly timed bladders who spring from their seat to rush to the bathroom as soon as the seatbelt light goes on.  But…back to the point…) So, for the better part of the working world who take their one or two weeks of vacation a year and spend all that they’ve saved year after year on that one big adventure, we would live to offer you this blog in hopes that your well-earned money becomes well-spent money and your well-earned time off becomes wonderfully-LIVED time away.

Please join us on this exciting journey as we take you through our experiences of hits and misses, ups and downs, ins and outs, fun, enjoyment, and the way that we live our lives to the fullest.

And thank you ever so much for reading, watching, hearing and following us.

The Travel Blog Couple

Kevin and Melanie