This blog was long overdue. A few friends kept asking about my trip, and I finally decided to blog about it. Back in April, I visited Dubai during spring break. Why did I choose Dubai? A friend told me about the trip a few months before. She stated it was a travel group and when I checked dates, details, and price. I traveled with Jus Adventure (http://jusadventures.com/). There has been a name change to Jus Us Girlfriends (http://www.jususgirlfriends.com/). And honestly I felt Dubai, was a trip off the bucket list. So I decided to spread the word and GO!
The trips details:
*Half Day Dubai City Tour
*Cross the Dubai Creek by “Water Taxi”
*Photo Stop at Burj el Arab
*Photo stop at the Atlantis at the Palm Island
*Abu Dhabi Day Trip with Lunch
Tour Includes:
• Round trip flights New York-Dubai, Dubai-New York
• Airline taxes & fuel surcharges
• Personalized transport to and from the airport
• Half Day Dubai City Tour
• Cross the Dubai Creek by “Water Taxi”
• Photo Stop at Burj el Arab
• Photo stop at the Atlantis at the Palm Island
• 4*stars Tower Rotana Hotel or similar
• Daily Buffet breakfast at the hotel
• All taxes and entrance fees
• Abu Dhabi Day Trip with Lunch
• Services of English-speaking tour manager
The price was $1800 USD, and the dates were April 12-18th, 2017. Before the trip the travel agent, advised us on how to pack, what was appropriate to wear and things of that nature to prepare for the trip. Few days before the trip, we were given a time and location in the airport to meet. Roommates? If you didn't have one, you were paired with one.
The flight was a straight flight on Emirates. The food going and coming was good. The seats were comfortable, there were many different movies to choose from. And the best part unlimited wine! YES! The flight going was smooth, I was able to rest and there was plenty of legroom. Arriving in Dubai, customs was a quick run through and this could be because it was a group travel. The heat to me felt like the heat in Florida minus all the nasty humidity. Those who truly know me,is aware that I hate the heat. And I was perfectly fine throughout the trip.
The hotel we stayed at was called the Media Rotana, which was a luxury 5 star hotel. I was a bit disappointed with the check- in process, because it took nearly 2-hours for a few rooms to be ready. I was extremely tired for a 12.5 hr flight and just wanted to lay down and take a quick shower before that nights festivities. For having a few of us wait for our rooms, the hotel gave us access to the executive lounge for cocktails and appetizers. Unfortunately we didn't get to use the pass. But I am glad they offered.
Our rooms? Were spacious and equipped with mini bar, fridge, lot's of storage space, double beds and an amazing view of the Dubai Skyline. My favorite part of our room was the bathroom. The shower was all glass and the shower head was amazing. There was also a deep tub and a bidet, that was never used.
That night we went to the Emirates mall, which was so big and beautiful. We opted to have Lebanese food. I loved the Pita, olives and olive oil. But wasn't too pleased with the actual food. After that a few of us went our separate ways, to check out the mall as well as visit the currency exchange. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped by Baskin Robins for ice cream. Yum!
The next day? We had breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast was amazing. There was food from varies cultures and the natural sunlight peeking in was magnificent. This day was our trip to Abu Dhabi. I made sure to wear comfortable clothing. We were told that we had to be covered from head to toe, especially for visiting the Mosque. Once we all had breakfast, our tour guide met us in the lobby and showed us our bus. I liked this our tour guide, I believe his name was wyael or something close to that. He pointed out all the important buildings and landmarks along the way. We took photo-photo... that was his way of saying to take a picture. We were able to make stops as well for bathrooms as well as to find the proper garments to wear to the mosque. We had lunch at the Sheraton Hotel. And I fell in love with the desserts. After that it was time to head over to Harvest Village. What was there? Not much there was lot's of small markets to purchase souvenirs. We found our garments, for the mosque here! AMAZING! Now it was time to head to the mosque. Of course this place was beautiful. I couldn't describe with just words, and pictures don't do enough justice. It's one of those things you had to see for yourself.
Later that night, we headed back to the hotel. Some of the ladies went out for drinks and myself and a few others went back to the mall to find some grub. I didn't think KFC would be popular in Dubai. I went to the food court and looked at what the locals, chose to eat. And yes they were eating KFC, shocking I know. After dinner we decided to do a lil damage and go shopping. I purchased a few items, can't wait to show them off. Of course I ended the night getting ice cream. It was like the thing to do. I was on vacation so why not?
The next day was our tour of Dubai city, which was a half day tour. We all met at breakfast and after that we were off to our tour bus. I don't remember our tour guides name but he was excited to talk about Dubai. There were certain areas where pictures weren't allowed for security purposes. We stopped at the beach and was able to take pics by the Burj El Arab. The architecture in Dubai was something out of this world. We went to the museum of Dubai which I really enjoyed. We also went to ride on the water taxi as well as visit the Spice market Souk and Gold Souk. At the Souks you are as the customer is expected to negotiate prices. I picked up souvenirs from the souk but I regret not purchasing any spices. After we met up as a group, a few of us decided to stay and shop at the souk. The highlight of this idea, was eating at a Somalian restaurant. When I tell you my soul was happy, I can't stop thinking about. It was an amazing experience, the food the culture was wonderful. We got back to our hotel and went to rest a bit and shower because that night was our night to TURNUP. One of the the bell hops, offered to take us to 360, which was a club. We all went to a Palestinian restaurant for dinner. The food was very spicy but very enjoyable.
360? I felt like a celebrity, because they greeted us as such. We arrived by taxi and went in where we stopped to take pictures. We heard honking and when we looked it was golf carts coming to take us to the entrance of the club. Never had that experience before and I loved it. The cool air, the vibe was a great feeling. When we entered, the views were breathtaking. Dubai's skyline was beautiful beyond words. The drinks? not so much. They were typical NYC prices, but there wasn't much liquor. DUB! But the music was off the chain. The clubs in Dubai close at 3 AM and at 2 AM the roof top closed. So we were escorted downstairs. The music was great. I asked if they could play reggae and the DJ said "of course". Now, Dubai is a very religious Country. So dancing has to be done with taste. You aren't allowed to dance too close, to someone you are not married to. But other than that you will be fine. We closed the club down, NYC style! lol
The next morning, a few of us met up for breakfast. It was a free day so a few of us decided to head to the hotel's terrace for lunch and just to talk and relax. We met a few of the hotel guests and definitely enjoyed this time to relax. For that night, was our Safari night. We all agreed to do this activity together. What did safari night include? Dune bashing, camel riding, BBQ dinner, belly dancing, hookah (shisha shisha), henna tattoos, and atv riding. We stopped in the middle of dune bashing and took photos, there was a group of Asian women who literally jumped in our photos. I found that hilarious. Such an amazing night, despite the fact that our group was last to arrive at the camp site. I felt they forgot about us. When we got back to the hotel, a few of went to change and shower. Then headed to the terrace for drinks and of course to chat. After that we opted to go for a walk. Dubai reminds me of NYC at night. All of the tall buildings, fast cars, cool temperature at night... felt like home to me. This night we came back to the hotel after I walk, we sat in the lobby and spoke up until 4 am. Sometimes girl-talk is necessary, but it's always nice to know that your thoughts are shared with strong women from different battle fields.
The next day was our last official day in Dubai. We had breakfast, and decided to head to our rooms to rest up. A few ladies and I opted to go visited the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. It was located in the biggest mall of the world, The Dubai Mall. We were at the mall for a few hours and I felt we didn't even see half the mall. We went to the food court to grab lunch. I finally tried KFC, which actually tastes really fresh. I don't eat KFC in the states. Our appointment for the Burj Khalifa was 4 PM so we walked around, did some shopping and enjoyed each others company. This was our last chance for souvenir shopping so used the time to do that. The views from the Burj Khalifa can't be described into words. Wow just wow. Once we were getting ready to leave, the group had dinner plans on a boat ride. I opted out to try and visit the Executive lounge at the hotel. Once I got back to the hotel, I was so exhausted. Because I barely slept and was still on NYC time, my body was like "Cha you need some rest". I went out and grabbed pizza and a salad for dinner, watched a movie and slowly packed. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep. My roommate came in just to see if I was ok.
The next morning was our day of departure, we had our last amazing breakfast. went back upstairs to pack up our last things. And started the check out process. Of course with any vacation, you aren't ready to leave. We head back to the airport, which was a process in itself. We went through security twice, which I found kind of strange. We weren't allowed to bring cameras on the plane they had to be in your checked bag. I felt we were secluded from the rest of the travelers. When I say we, I am talking about those of us travelling back to the US. Our flight back home wasn't the greatest. We had a sick passenger and crying babies. The flight attendant made us a special cocktail, and left us with a few bottles of wine to enjoy.
Thoughts? I am not sure how I feel about travelling with a travel group. Honestly, it was nice to have a trip with folks from all walks of life. But I was annoyed with the complaints. I was also annoyed that parts of the trip deemed to me as unorganized. Other than that, I enjoyed my vacation. I do hope to go back in a few years to see more of the architecture. Dubai was my biggest trip and I am sure it won't be my last. I have met some great women, some new friends and had an experience of a life time.
If you do get the chance to go, let me know of your experience. Talk to me about your faves and your dislikes. I am sitting here thinking, where will my next big trip be? I am also thinking to add pictures at a later time.
I hope you enjoyed this blog, sorry is was so long.
Until next blog <3
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