C&L Dubai trip - part 1 - Dubai Mall, Frame, JBR Beach and Burj Khalifa Pool

**LN89** · 19 May 19, 04:41 PM

Dubai trippie

Travel day and day 1

Hi and welcome to a little trippie for a recent visit to Dubai.

I am Laura and my husband is Chris, we both love to travel

My sister moved to Dubai last year and we planned to visit either April or May time. We wanted it to be as reasonable as possible (well as reasonable as you can make Dubai), as we were off to WDW in September. We ideally wanted to make the most of the Easter bank holidays as if flew late Thursday coming back the following Sunday, we would only need to take 4 days leave but would be away for 9 days. However, the flights with Emirates were so expensive but then I discovered you can fly with Etihad to Abu Dhabi and they then put on a bus to Dubai. This takes about 90 minutes but it saved over £500 so meant we could do it

.

My sister is a teacher, their school holidays had been early April so she would be working. In Dubai the working week is Sunday- Thursday so by going these dates we would actually get to spend a good amount of time with my sister even though she was working.

We flew from Heathrow on Maundy Thursday, our flight was at 8.45pm so we both worked and left a bit early and met on the train and got the tube to Heathrow. I find the piccadilly line quite painful as it feels so slow but considering my whole journey cost about £6 so I can't complain!

We got to the airport about 6 and dropped our bags off, we were told that our plane was delayed by an hour. It was frustrating but nothing we could do about it, the thing I was most worried about was we would probably then miss our bus transfer in Abu Dhabi but they told us we would just be put on the next bus instead.

We got through security relatively quickly and were both so hungry so went to see what restaurants were in terminal 4, don't think I've flown from this one before. We found carluccios and decided to go for it as we both fancied pasta.

Our food was served quickly but we took our time with the wine due to the delay. We wandered around the airport and then we decided to get a drink as we still had over an hour wait for our gate due to the delay. Everywhere seemed very busy though so we ended up back at Caluccios, there was a long queue for a table but you could sit at the bar for a drink. We had a slight panic as our flight disappeared off the board, but it reappeared and at 9 we proceeded to the gate.

The flight was uneventful, it wasn't as nice as Emirates but considering what we saved we weren't complaining. I was so shattered I got a solid 4-5 hours sleep despite having an annoying couple decide me who kept talking loudly and generally faffing about trying to work their TV.

We landed in Dubai at 8.10am, our bus was due to leave at 8.20am so we knew we wouldn't make it. It took ages to get off the plane and then we had a long wait for bags so even if we'd landed on time we might have been tight for the bus. The next bus was at 10 so we had enough time to get a coffee and some breakfast - by breakfast we mean a pizza baguette

, we weren't given any on the plane but that might have been as we were asleep.

It was very hot outside so the bus aircon was very welcome, we left on time and we snoozed some more on the bus. We got to Dubai at 11.30. We weren't sure where we were dropped so we just got an uber to my sister's apartment.

We got to hers about 12 and caught up, she had loads of school work to do so we decided to head out about 2 to explore and go to the Frame.

I'd actually visited Dubai for a few days in January with a friend for her 30th birthday, we'd done some of the sights but hadn't visited the frame. This is bizarre, it's a giant photo frame, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Tickets were about £10 each and it had some great views so we were glad we did it.

The glass floor

We then walked around the park and towards the metro, this was a fair way especially in the 37°C heat! We found it and got the metro to the Dubai mall. Tickets were about 6Dir each which is about £1.20.

We were planning to go to the cheesecake factory in Dubai mall, my sister text to say she and her bf might come and meet us so we waited for them. We just ordered cheesecake, I'd been here in January but Chris hadn't visited a cheesecake factory since our first visit in Orlando in 2015. I had the banana cream and Chris had the raspberry and white chocolate. This was about £10 each with a refillable soft drink.

After this we went and saw the waterfall and the fountains. We jumped in a taxi back, getting back about 7pm. We were tired from the night flight so just ordered some chicken wings from wing stop - very similar to buffalo wild wings (a favourite of ours) and had an early night.

Day 2 - Boozy Brunch at Zero Gravity

We were planning to do Zero Gravity's supernatural party today. This is an unlimited brunch, I'd done the tropical one last time and wanted to take Chris. The Saturday brunch was 5 hours of unlimited alcohol so we thought we may get a bit tipsy to say the least!

We decided to try the metro to get there. My sister lives quite out of the way and there is no way to get anywhere without a taxi. I find this frustrating as I someone who walks everywhere usually, but I cant complain too much as we did have free accommodation.

Rather than getting a taxi the whole way to Zeros (which was 18 miles away) we jumped in an uber to the closest metro station. The metro was 10.50Dir each. It is quite slow but we got to the marina fine and it was lovely walking along (albeit very hot as it was 37°C again). Just before Zeros there is a calisthenics park, I love this sort of thing and was desperate to have a go, I'd stuck some shorts in my bag that I could slip on under my skirt and even taken my chalk to Dubai with me.

After a photo for the gram we continued and got to Zeros about 11. You pay for the brunch when you get there but it doesn't start until 12pm, you can use the sunbeds until then though. The unlimited brunch was 245Dir for women and 295 for men, so came to £120 for us both. For Dubai, this didnt seem too bad, especially for all the alcohol included and the pool/sunbeds which you usually have to pay a fair bit for on the beaches.

I bought an iced coffee for 20Dir and we relaxed on some loungers on the beach.

Come 12pm we were let loose on the buffet and unlimited drinks. We stuck to cocktails, there were many different ones and they also had a tequila slushy station and a gin station. The food was very good, I ate far more than last time!

I said to Chris that I was going to pop and get some fruit but I got asked if I wanted an ice cream sundae and the fruit was soon forgotten 😂.

Chris later on did actually succeed on getting some fruit.

There's a pool and the beach is also gorgeous so we just spent most of the rest of the afternoon eating, drinking cocktails and relaxing.

We got pretty tipsy, I have no idea how much we drank but there was lots of very drunk people (which was probably me last time). We got a couple of drinks just before 5 when the unlimited finished and stayed on the beach watching the sunset.

We went back up to the pool area to get changed, we were thinking of staying for a bit but it was carnage with drunk people falling everywhere. We went to sit outside but it was still so hot so we stayed inside for a little while then got an uber home.

We got dropped by a little shop and went and grabbed some crisps, when we got back to the house Chris realised he didn't have his phone. Luckily we had used uber so were able to contact the driver and the driver brought it back to him!

After that excitement we relaxed and then went to bed.

Day 3 - Pool Day

My sister had the day off work for Easter Sunday (not all schools had this so it was a nice surprise), we decided to do a pool day. Some places let you pay for a pool pass, we went to the Burj Khalifa club which was 150 Dir each. This included a 75 Dir voucher for lunch.

This was amazing, we had incredible views of the Burj Khalifa as we were just at the bottom of it! For lunch Chris and I had the pasta dish and louise had a club sandwich. Drinks were really expensive but they gave you water throughout the day so we didn't buy any drinks.

[url=https://www.thedibb.co.uk/p/2ekgpHe]

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We got to see the lunch time fountains

About 5pm we headed back, I could feel I'd caught the sun on my back and shoulders, I'd been putting on factor 50 but I'm guessing getting in and out of the pool was too much for my pale skin in the heat! I'm not sure how I'd have coped at a water park as I stayed in the shade a fair bit!

We got back to my sisters apartment and relaxed and got a Burger King for dinner as my sister had been raving about the Mexican fries.

Part 2 - Creek, Burj Khalifa, JBR and Desert Safari

Melbatb · 19 May 19, 08:25 PM

I have really enjoyed our Dubai trips so it is lovely to remember them again! It certainly seemed hot for April!

staceylou · 19 May 19, 10:35 PM

Hi, you managed to see and do a lot!

We (family of 4) go in August (I know the weather will be crazy hot but school holidays!). Can you share the details of the bus tickets - they sound like great option especially if they stop at the Atlantis as that's where we are staying. TIA

joanna23 · 20 May 19, 04:04 AM

Originally Posted by staceylou

Hi, you managed to see and do a lot!

We (family of 4) go in August (I know the weather will be crazy hot but school holidays!). Can you share the details of the bus tickets - they sound like great option especially if they stop at the Atlantis as that's where we are staying. TIA

I’m also interested to hear how you get on in August. We loved Dubai but Summer holidays would be a much better time for us to go. Let us know!

**LN89** · 27 May 19, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by staceylou

Hi, you managed to see and do a lot!

We (family of 4) go in August (I know the weather will be crazy hot but school holidays!). Can you share the details of the bus tickets - they sound like great option especially if they stop at the Atlantis as that's where we are staying. TIA

Hi, of course, it was the City Sightseeing Bus Dubai. We booked tickets online and they quite often do discounts. I would definitely recommend it. Staying in the Atlantis will be amazing, have a fab time!

**LN89** · 27 May 19, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Melbatb

I have really enjoyed our Dubai trips so it is lovely to remember them again! It certainly seemed hot for April!

Thanks, it certainly felt hot for my very fair skin

!

19 May 19, 04:41 PM	#1
	19 May 19, 04:41 PM LN89 VIP Dibber ✓Premium Member
LN89 VIP Dibber Join Date: Jan 12	C&L Dubai trip - part 1 - Dubai Mall, Frame, JBR Beach and Burj Khalifa Pool Dubai trippie Travel day and day 1 Hi and welcome to a little trippie for a recent visit to Dubai. I am Laura and my husband is Chris, we both love to travel My sister moved to Dubai last year and we planned to visit either April or May time. We wanted it to be as reasonable as possible (well as reasonable as you can make Dubai), as we were off to WDW in September. We ideally wanted to make the most of the Easter bank holidays as if flew late Thursday coming back the following Sunday, we would only need to take 4 days leave but would be away for 9 days. However, the flights with Emirates were so expensive but then I discovered you can fly with Etihad to Abu Dhabi and they then put on a bus to Dubai. This takes about 90 minutes but it saved over £500 so meant we could do it . My sister is a teacher, their school holidays had been early April so she would be working. In Dubai the working week is Sunday- Thursday so by going these dates we would actually get to spend a good amount of time with my sister even though she was working. We flew from Heathrow on Maundy Thursday, our flight was at 8.45pm so we both worked and left a bit early and met on the train and got the tube to Heathrow. I find the piccadilly line quite painful as it feels so slow but considering my whole journey cost about £6 so I can't complain! We got to the airport about 6 and dropped our bags off, we were told that our plane was delayed by an hour. It was frustrating but nothing we could do about it, the thing I was most worried about was we would probably then miss our bus transfer in Abu Dhabi but they told us we would just be put on the next bus instead. We got through security relatively quickly and were both so hungry so went to see what restaurants were in terminal 4, don't think I've flown from this one before. We found carluccios and decided to go for it as we both fancied pasta. Our food was served quickly but we took our time with the wine due to the delay. We wandered around the airport and then we decided to get a drink as we still had over an hour wait for our gate due to the delay. Everywhere seemed very busy though so we ended up back at Caluccios, there was a long queue for a table but you could sit at the bar for a drink. We had a slight panic as our flight disappeared off the board, but it reappeared and at 9 we proceeded to the gate. The flight was uneventful, it wasn't as nice as Emirates but considering what we saved we weren't complaining. I was so shattered I got a solid 4-5 hours sleep despite having an annoying couple decide me who kept talking loudly and generally faffing about trying to work their TV. We landed in Dubai at 8.10am, our bus was due to leave at 8.20am so we knew we wouldn't make it. It took ages to get off the plane and then we had a long wait for bags so even if we'd landed on time we might have been tight for the bus. The next bus was at 10 so we had enough time to get a coffee and some breakfast - by breakfast we mean a pizza baguette , we weren't given any on the plane but that might have been as we were asleep. It was very hot outside so the bus aircon was very welcome, we left on time and we snoozed some more on the bus. We got to Dubai at 11.30. We weren't sure where we were dropped so we just got an uber to my sister's apartment. We got to hers about 12 and caught up, she had loads of school work to do so we decided to head out about 2 to explore and go to the Frame. I'd actually visited Dubai for a few days in January with a friend for her 30th birthday, we'd done some of the sights but hadn't visited the frame. This is bizarre, it's a giant photo frame, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Tickets were about £10 each and it had some great views so we were glad we did it. The glass floor We then walked around the park and towards the metro, this was a fair way especially in the 37°C heat! We found it and got the metro to the Dubai mall. Tickets were about 6Dir each which is about £1.20. We were planning to go to the cheesecake factory in Dubai mall, my sister text to say she and her bf might come and meet us so we waited for them. We just ordered cheesecake, I'd been here in January but Chris hadn't visited a cheesecake factory since our first visit in Orlando in 2015. I had the banana cream and Chris had the raspberry and white chocolate. This was about £10 each with a refillable soft drink. After this we went and saw the waterfall and the fountains. We jumped in a taxi back, getting back about 7pm. We were tired from the night flight so just ordered some chicken wings from wing stop - very similar to buffalo wild wings (a favourite of ours) and had an early night. Day 2 - Boozy Brunch at Zero Gravity We were planning to do Zero Gravity's supernatural party today. This is an unlimited brunch, I'd done the tropical one last time and wanted to take Chris. The Saturday brunch was 5 hours of unlimited alcohol so we thought we may get a bit tipsy to say the least! We decided to try the metro to get there. My sister lives quite out of the way and there is no way to get anywhere without a taxi. I find this frustrating as I someone who walks everywhere usually, but I cant complain too much as we did have free accommodation. Rather than getting a taxi the whole way to Zeros (which was 18 miles away) we jumped in an uber to the closest metro station. The metro was 10.50Dir each. It is quite slow but we got to the marina fine and it was lovely walking along (albeit very hot as it was 37°C again). Just before Zeros there is a calisthenics park, I love this sort of thing and was desperate to have a go, I'd stuck some shorts in my bag that I could slip on under my skirt and even taken my chalk to Dubai with me. After a photo for the gram we continued and got to Zeros about 11. You pay for the brunch when you get there but it doesn't start until 12pm, you can use the sunbeds until then though. The unlimited brunch was 245Dir for women and 295 for men, so came to £120 for us both. For Dubai, this didnt seem too bad, especially for all the alcohol included and the pool/sunbeds which you usually have to pay a fair bit for on the beaches. I bought an iced coffee for 20Dir and we relaxed on some loungers on the beach. Come 12pm we were let loose on the buffet and unlimited drinks. We stuck to cocktails, there were many different ones and they also had a tequila slushy station and a gin station. The food was very good, I ate far more than last time! I said to Chris that I was going to pop and get some fruit but I got asked if I wanted an ice cream sundae and the fruit was soon forgotten 😂. Chris later on did actually succeed on getting some fruit. There's a pool and the beach is also gorgeous so we just spent most of the rest of the afternoon eating, drinking cocktails and relaxing. We got pretty tipsy, I have no idea how much we drank but there was lots of very drunk people (which was probably me last time). We got a couple of drinks just before 5 when the unlimited finished and stayed on the beach watching the sunset. We went back up to the pool area to get changed, we were thinking of staying for a bit but it was carnage with drunk people falling everywhere. We went to sit outside but it was still so hot so we stayed inside for a little while then got an uber home. We got dropped by a little shop and went and grabbed some crisps, when we got back to the house Chris realised he didn't have his phone. Luckily we had used uber so were able to contact the driver and the driver brought it back to him! After that excitement we relaxed and then went to bed. Day 3 - Pool Day My sister had the day off work for Easter Sunday (not all schools had this so it was a nice surprise), we decided to do a pool day. Some places let you pay for a pool pass, we went to the Burj Khalifa club which was 150 Dir each. This included a 75 Dir voucher for lunch. This was amazing, we had incredible views of the Burj Khalifa as we were just at the bottom of it! For lunch Chris and I had the pasta dish and louise had a club sandwich. Drinks were really expensive but they gave you water throughout the day so we didn't buy any drinks. [url=https://www.thedibb.co.uk/p/2ekgpHe][/url We got to see the lunch time fountains About 5pm we headed back, I could feel I'd caught the sun on my back and shoulders, I'd been putting on factor 50 but I'm guessing getting in and out of the pool was too much for my pale skin in the heat! I'm not sure how I'd have coped at a water park as I stayed in the shade a fair bit! We got back to my sisters apartment and relaxed and got a Burger King for dinner as my sister had been raving about the Mexican fries. Part 2 - Creek, Burj Khalifa, JBR and Desert Safari __________________ Laura Disney Trippies WDW 2022 (first time with a toddler) WDW and Disney Cruise 2019 HK Disney 2017 Disneymoon 2015 Edited at 08:36 PM.

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