On late October of 2018, Rahul and I visited India. And on the return flight, we decided to make a stop at luxurious Dubai and enjoy it for 3 full days. Here is our itinerary that we made on the go, but it includes the iconic locations and luxurious experiences that anyone expects from the United Arab Emirates.

Visa

Because Rahul and myself are not American citizens we needed to get a visa. However, we were planning to stay in Dubai for 3 days, which made us admissible for the 96 hours transit visa. Also, because we were flying with Emirates, we could apply for this visa beforehand which made it so much easier for us to plan this trip.

If your planning to apply for this transit visa with Emirates, you can go to this link.

Hotel

For accommodation, we decided to stay at the Atana Hotel, which is located 15 minutes away from the Burj Khalifa. The location of this hotel was very good, as we were pretty close to everything, and the price of it was affordable. It included a breakfast buffet, and all amenities it has (pool, spa, etc.), and for us what made it the best was the service. At the main lobby, you can find a tour desk which was very helpful for us to make a reservation for the afternoon tea that we did on the second day.

Transportation

To go anywhere we wanted, we decided to use Uber and the local cabs. From the airport to the hotel, we took a local taxi which (thankfully) accepted credit cards. As a side note, if you are planning to take local cabs, make sure to always carry UAE currency or ask if they accept credit cards.

Because we did not have time to exchange currency, we opted to use Uber most of the time. The drivers were friendly and pretty fast, especially because we were not that far from the main attractions.

And now, here is the itinerary:

Day 1

Gold Sukh

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we decided to take an Uber and go to the Gold Sukh, which is a traditional market from Dubai. Here you can find hundreds of retailers offering great deals for jewelry made from gold, silver, diamond, and any other amazing precious stone.

In pour case, we decided to walk around and check a few jewelers. To be honest, we were not planning on making any purchase, therefore we were just window shopping. We took a few pictures, as we noticed that most tourists took them, but we always checked if the jewelers allowed it or not. At the entrance of the store there is always a sign if you can record or take pictures, so always make sure to respect them.

Kite Beach

After two hours and a half at the sukh, we decided to have lunch and rest at Kite Beach. Our original plan was to go to Jumeirah beach, but our Uber driver recommended us Kite. After the 10 minutes ride, we reached the beach. We had lunch at “Amor Gelato and Pizza“, and obviously, we had Margherita pizza.

Kite beach has a different vibe from the rest of Dubai. It is more friendly and very watersport center, which we enjoyed. We relaxed by the beach and jump in for a swim until dawn. It was a great way to end the first day and head back to the hotel.

Day 2

Dubai Frame

For our second day, we opted to visit the controversial Dubai Frame. We bought the tickets online the day before, which was very helpful as to enter the frame, with online tickets is much faster. If you are planning to visit it, buy the tickets online and make sure to arrive 20 minutes before the timeslot you scheduled.

Also known as the biggest frame in the entire world, the Dubai frame is based on Zebel Park and opened in early January of 2018. At its 150 meters high, the frame offers you a panoramic view of Dubai, as well as the glass-clear floor that makes you think you are walking on air. This impressive addition to Dubai’s skyline offers to every visitor an immersive gallery that includes projections, audio and visual a view to the future of Dubai.

Desert Safari

For the second half of the day, we decided to do a desert safari. This was an experience that is a must for everyone while staying in UAE. We had booked this tour beforehand through Expedia, after reading good reviews about it. Most of the tours are half a day, which starts by picking you up at 2 pm from your hotel and takes you to the desert which is an hour away from Dubai city.

We made 1 stop before the sand dune drive, in this stop, most of the tours gather and you have many options for activities. In our case, we decided to do the quad biking for 20 minutes. It was an exhilarating activity, and Rahul loved it.

After that, we went back with our tour guide who took us to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve where we started the sand dune drive. It was like being in a roller coaster with lots of bumps, a must for everyone.

Then, we stop and took amazing pictures with the sunset as our background. These pictures are engraved in our hearts, as it was a unique experience.

In the end, we were taken to a Bedoin style campsite, where before dinner we watched a belly dancing performance. The food was exquisite, and the entertaining top notch. We truly loved this experience, and hopefully, in the future, we can do it again.

Day 3

The Dubai Mall

On the third and last day of our stay in Dubai, we decided to go to one of the biggest malls in the whole world: The Dubai Mall. with 1 200 shops, is one place that needs at least 3 days to fully know it.

Our Uber ride from the hotel to the Fashion Avenue of the mall was no more than 15 minutes. We entered the mall with no expectations at all, besides its size. But boy we were blown away. The design of it is outstanding and luxurious, and because of that, we could understand how this mall attracts over 54 million visitors every year.  After walking around, our main activity of the day was about to start, and we went for our high tea at the Burj Khalifa.

High Tea at the Burj Khalifa

Visiting the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the whole world with a total height of 2,722 ft, is something everyone should do at least once in a lifetime. However, in our case we were not planning on going all the way to the top (144th floor), we wanted something a little bit more exclusive: High Tea at At.Mosphere.

Before visiting Dubai, we discovered this option to have exclusive tea time at the Burj. However, every time we tried to book it, we were not able to find or it was way too expensive ($300 per person). Hence, we were not able to make a reservation until we arrived at our hotel (this is why we loved Atana). Rahul, my lovely husband, talked with the tour desk lady and she made the reservation for us, without paying anything. We will only get charged after consuming the food. And, the best part of all, the price was no more than $95 per person. Although we wanted the table next to the window, she said it depended on availability. So we decided to wing it and do it. And we got it! Because we made the reservation 2 days before, the only available time was at 12.30 pm, so basically, our High Tea was High lunch. Nonetheless, it was amazing.

The High Tea takes place at At.Mosphere, and this restaurant is located in the Armani hotel, at 123rd floor of the Burj Khalifa to be more exact. We arrived on time at the lobby of the hotel and were directed to the elevator that took us to the 123rd floor in less than 30 seconds. Later on, we were greeted and taken to our table by the window. The views were breathtaking, and the food as well. We had champagne and 3-course meal, ending with a refreshing tea and a tower of sweets. For sure this was the highest point of our trip, but it was totally worthed.

After this amazing lunch, we went back to the mall to do some final shopping and headed back to the hotel. That last night we packed and got ready because the next early morning we were heading back home.

For sure we will visit again Dubai; because look at us, we loved it!