Most people think of Dubai as a “stay in your hotel resort” type destination. The hotels in Dubai are superb and have a lot to offer. However when you’re not sunbathing in the intense Dubai sun, there are some great ways to experience in Dubai outside of your hotel.
1. Skydive!
So a little bit crazy, but I can’t recommend it enough. Skydiving is an incredible experience everyone should do at least once in their lifetime. It’s also much safer than it looks!
You can organise your tandem skydive with Skydive Dubai. This means you will be strapped to a trained professional who does this dozens of times a day. You can choose to skydive over the Palm or in the Desert. I highly recommend the Palm as you can see the World Islands, the coast line and the city.
It’s quite an expensive thing experience but it truly is worth it! The cost is 2199 AED / £473 for the Palm location, and 1699 AED / £365 for the Desert. There are sometimes some deals on to get it cheaper – keep an eye out!
2. Dune Bashing
Another thrill seeking activity but notably less scary than the last one! A dune bashing is a fun way to explore the desert and also try some traditional foods. Your experienced driver will take you over some desert mountains in a 4×4 vehicle – quite quickly! The desert area is vast and very picturesque, especially at sunset.
Booking an excursion with Desert Safari Dubai will allow you to experience the desert at sunrise, sunset or even have an overnight stay. Our driver stopped at some scenic desert spots which allowed us to walk over some of the dunes and get some great pictures.
3. Burj Khalifa
The Burj is the tallest building in the world! You can visit level 148 for 370AED (£79) or level 125 for the reduced price of 140AED (£30). Either way you will get a fantastic view over Dubai from this height! See the skyscrapers, the World Islands, Dubai Marina and out into the desert.
The Burj Khalifa is accessed through the grand Dubai Mall. This is another great place to visit – not to mention it’s super air conditioned for those extremely hot days! You will find a bunch of designer shops and nice restaurants.
4. Beach Club
A common view of Dubai is that its extremely strict on drinking and clubs. This is definitely not true! Dubai has some incredible bars and clubs to visit. Zero Gravity Dubai is an example of an amazing beach club. You can visit this club in the day time or at night time. The day time sessions or ‘brunches’ include a free buffet and free drinks: beer, cocktails, spirits – the works! Other drinks are available at the bar. With it’s glass edged pool and private beach access you won’t be disappointed!
In the day time you can purchase luxury sun beds next to the pool but there are plenty of regular sun beds. It does get very busy after mid day so if you want to secure a spot then try going earlier.
5. Dubai Marina
The Marina is a great location to go on a night. There are plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from if you want to get away from your hotel. Note that a lot of restaurants require a smart dress code and some are pretty pricey!
I would highly recommend Siddharta Lounge by Buddha Bar. It’s a little more casual with a great rooftop view. It’s the best food I had in Dubai (and possibly ever) with great cocktails and plenty of shisha available.
On the Dubai Marina website you can find lots of other places to eat and drink. The Hilton’s rooftop bar has a great ocean view towards the Palm.
Originally written for adventuresofaginger.co.uk.
Photo by Bahnfrend – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47599245