Dubai is like nowhere else I have been.
From the moment you land your eyes cannot keep up with the constant changing views.
It’s a amazing city that offers so much. We travelled over the February mid term with 1 teenager and a 11 year old, this was a trip of a lifetime.
We travelled to Dubai with Emirates over the school mid term, 4 of us, we wanted something different, a new experience, good weather and fun.
Our trip began with direct flights from Dublin to Dubai on with the award winning airline Emirates (on their boeing 777-300) and I can see why, their aircraft and service were excellent. The kids loved the choice of movies , programmes and games on their inflight system, you can even call someone in another seat for a chat!!
We liked the blankets, food choices and generous refreshments along with friendly and professional cabin crew,
There are wifi packages available to buy onboard if you did want to use your phone/tablet.
We arrived at 1am in Dublin, they are 4 hours ahead, the airport was so busy, a bit of queue at passport control but the size of the airport with all the graphics – we were kept entertained. We had prebooked a transfers which was waiting for us outside the baggage hall, it was quiet busy not sure if just ordering an uber might have been quicker.
Emirates
In 2020, Emirates was the largest international airline according to IATA’s World Air Transport Statistics 2021. And we stay committed to providing you with a better flying experience with us.
We booked a 2 bedroom suite with Kitchen facilities in the https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dxbdj-delta-hotels-jumeirah-beach-dubai/overview/
This hotel is Ideally located between The Walk, JBR and the Dubai Marina, Delta Hotels by Marriott Jumeirah Beach, Dubai. This four-star hotel features 360 rooms, suites, and fully serviced apartments, offering magnificent Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach views. Experience seamless comfort with amenities including a fully equipped kitchen, free Wi-Fi, and space to relax for the whole family with up to 4-bedroom apartments. Discover five international restaurants and bars, including our award-winning Brazilian churrascaria – Fogueira .Indulge in ultimate relaxation at our tranquil on-site massage centre, enjoy a rejuvenating workout in our fitness centre, or go for a refreshing swim in our outdoor pool. Whether you’re in Dubai for business or pleasure, Delta Hotels by Marriott Jumeirah Beach offers a tranquil oasis in the heart of it all.
Take a look at the hotel rooms. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dxbdj-delta-hotels-jumeirah-beach-dubai/rooms/#
There is also a supermarket right beside the hotel, very handy for getting some snacks and necessities. You can access the metro within a few minutes from the hotel and there is a walkway over to the Marina which a lovely area to walk around or experience on of the themed restaurants in Pier 7 https://www.pier7.ae/whle you watch all of yachts coming and going! There is an outside seating area on floor 34, a nice area to sit out in the evening after dinner.
Our first day was Tues, we explored our area – walking down the the Dubai Walk and had a late breakfast in ‘Bake my Day’ https://bakemyday.ae/ – lovely choices for brunch, smoothies, coffees and freshly baked pastries including waffles. We booked the Burj Kalifa https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/observation-decks/at-the-top/– which includes a visit to floor 125 – the tallest building in the world –The Burj Khalifa took six years to build. Foundational excavation work commenced in January 2004, and the tower was formally opened on January 4, 2010.
Bringing Burj Khalifa to life required a combination of visionary ideals and solid science. In the process, the project amassed an awe-inspiring number of facts, figures, and statistics.
World Records
At over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa holds the following records:
- Tallest building in the world
- Tallest free-standing structure in the world
- Highest number of stories in the world
- Highest occupied floor in the world
- Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
- Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
- Tallest service elevator in the world
Tallest of the Supertall
Not only is Burj Khalifa the world’s tallest building but it has also broken two other impressive records: tallest structure, previously held by the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota, and tallest free-standing structure, previously held by Toronto’s CN Tower. The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has established 3 criteria to determine what makes a tall building tall. Burj Khalifa wins by far in all three categories.
- Height to architectural top
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building. This includes spires but does not include antennae, signage, flagpoles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely used and is used to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat rankings of the Tallest Buildings in the World. - Highest occupied floor
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest continually occupied floor within the building. Maintenance areas are not included.
- Height to tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element. This includes antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment.
Access to the Burj Kalifa is from within the Dubai Mall https://thedubaimall.com/ – this is a massive shopping centre – give yourself plenty of time to explore, there is so many shops, attractions and places to eat including the Cheesecake factory! You can also access the Aquarium here https://www.thedubaiaquarium.com/ – this also a very popular attraction. One of the nicest areas in the DUBAI Mall is the Waterfront area, it is worth going out there in the evening time and they have a lakeside water show every half hour -it’s free and really nice. You may want to prebook one of the restaurants here to eat and enjoy the views. I would recommend you don’t prebook a taxi from the Dubai Mall as it’s hard to figure out which entrance/exit to meet them – it’s probably easier to flag one when you are outside or use the Metro – it’s easy to commute to various locations in Dubai City https://www.visitdubai.com/en/articles/guide-to-dubai-metro
You can also use the Tram which offers easy access in the City https://www.dubai-online.com/transport/tram/
On Weds, we went to the Wadi Water Park https://www.wildwaditickets.com/– this was reasonable value and included a lunch, the park was probably more suited to younger children – if you have older kids they might find the Atlantis waterpark more varied. https://www.atlantis.com/dubai/atlantis-aquaventure
After our day at the waterpark – we had dinner in the Beachcomber https://www.jumeirah.com/en/dine/dubai/beach-hotel-beachcombers in the Jumeriah Beach Hotel, overlooking the sea and the Burj Arab – we had dinner about 6oc at sunset , this was so picturesque, really memorable and the food, cocktails and service were excellent– the kids particularly enjoyed the sweet. and chilli chicken There was a football area just beside our restaurant the kids enjoyed playing there for a while also.
On Thurs, the boys played golf in Majilis, Emirates Golf Course https://www.dubaigolf.com/emirates-golf-club/golf/courses/the-majlis/ – this was also a fantastic experience.
The girls had a lunch in Catch 22 https://catch22.ae/ and enjoyed some beach time.
The week can fly by, On Friday we had prebooked a desert safari which included dune buggies, sand surfing, a camel ride, dinner and a arabian show, it was another great day and evening.
On Saturday – we went to Expo https://www.expo2020dubai.com/, this finishes in March 2022, an amazing experience. Expo 23 will held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
On Sunday our last day! We headed up to our friends resort on the PALM – the https://www.rixos.com/en/hotel-resort/rixos-palm-hotel-suites – this place is amazing, beachfront location with a choice of pools, indoor and outdoor restaurants and luxurious accommodations & suites to suit big families. They have outdoor classes and gym with sundown yoga. You can access lots of watersports and as it’s all inclusive you can enjoy endless ice creams, cakes, cocktails and mocktails in the swim up bar! We had a lovely dinner in their Italian restaurant in the hotel, the kids loved the pizza’s
TIPS YOU MIGHT FIND HELPFUL
- Download the UBER app and put in the various key locations – the airport, your hotel, apartment, Dubai Marina etc.
- Set up Revolut in Dirham if you haven’t done already – use Revolut as much as you can – you don’t pay exchange rate fees.
- Get a prepaid phone card – you quickly run out of data on your home plan. Wifi is password protected in most places.
- Bring a mobile charger – especially if out all day or if your family are splitting up at the Dubai Mall!
- When you go on the desert Safari’s there is lots of ‘sell ups’ offering you bigger dirt bikes and cars – plan before you go if this is what you want to do before you might get railroaded.
- Also when we were out on dune buggy, they locals come up to you to take pictures with the xxxxxx’s – this is good, but they can ask you for a lot of money after the photo’s are taken, make sure you agree a price in advance so there is no misunderstanding – 50 Dirham seem to be standard.
- Dubai airport can be busy – give yourself plenty of time at checkin.
- There is not limited selection of eateries where the Dublin flight departs from, the duty free has plenty of choice.
- Make sure you sign up for the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme before you travel to gain your miles! https://www.emirates.com/ie/english/skywards/
Overall we found the staff to be very friendly and helpful especially at our hotel.
Eating out can be expensive, I would recommend doing some research in advance and maybe having lunch in your suite.
