I’ve actually been to Dubai twice on my travels, back in 2003 and then again last year in 2013. It has changed a lot in that time, and while it’s not my favourite city due to the almost “fakeness” of it, it does allow for luxury and relaxation which is pretty rare for me as a cheap Hong Kong backpacker. We settled for decent accommodation but went cheap on sightseeing to make up for it.
My Dubai Trip 2013 – On the 9th Floor of the Burj Khalifa!
We decided to take out the option of an apartment for our stay and picked the Capitol Residence Hotel Apartments which were spacious, well located and luxurious. We were able to visit the following cool sights in Dubai to keep within our budget:
1. Dubai Creek.
Dubai Creek is the amazing old town part of Dubai down by the water. It serves as proof that this colossal skyscraping metropolis was once a tiny port town – we enjoyed a walk along the promenade at Dubai Creek admiring the old school boats that go across the harbour.
My Dubai Trip in 2013 – down by Dubai Creek.
2. The Palm Jumeirah.
You can wander about on the famous Palm Jumeirah. It’s free to get here – just a residential area on reclaimed land that looks like a palm tree from the air! You can walk it for free but it gets hot. We visited the swanky hotels at the end – they’re even more posh than where we stayed!
3. Dubai Mall
Despite being a Hong Kong Girl I am not a big shopper but I loved browsing the stylish Dubai Mall, which is free to enter and walk around. It is the biggest shopping mall in the world. As a bonus, The Dubai Mall also has a completely free aquarium and a free fountain out the back.
4. Burj Al-Arab
This is as swanky and posh as it gets!! The Burj Al-Arab is apparently the world’s only 7 Star Hotel!! We knew the deluxe suite for a backpacker would break our budget of a lifetime, but you can get your photo taken at the front for free of course, so we did!
Outside the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE.
5. The Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is currently the highest building in the world. We didn’t want to go to “the top” though as the cost is too much – about $30 US. Instead we sneaked into the Armani Hotel and managed to get up to the 9th Floor for free. The Burj Khalifa is currently the highest building in the world….Not great views but we didn’t have to pay for it! To see these amazing places you can apply for dubai visa.
I look forward to sharing more of my Middle East stories – we also visited Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Jordan and Turkey.
