Dubai without clichés – Travelling my way

Dubai is such a popular touristic destination. Since I’ve been visiting the city twice, now I was mainly focusing on the places, I've never visited before. When travelling, I love exploring the real cultural sights and the truly unique places. Join me for a wonderful stay in Dubai! Summer stayed with me for a short holiday at least.

As you might know, I come from Hungary, in November it can be pretty cold and foggy there, so it was quite a bliss to enjoy summer and sunshine once again this year. You know my kind of style when it comes to discovering a new place. I believe in culture and values. I’m not saying you should not go up to the top of Burj Khalifa in case this is your first stay in Dubai! Do walk on Jumeirah beach and take pictures of the unique 7-star hotel Burj-Al-Arab! Go to the desert, take part in the camel ride and the desert safari dinner, you will love it! But if you want to skip all these „must-see Dubai adventures” and you are seeking for something different, follow me now!

Where to stay in Dubai?

This time I chose to stay in the five star Shangri-La Hotel close to Burj Khalifa. Look at the spacious room with the magical view, just loved it! The room itself was bright and comfortable, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an excellent breakfast with a huge variety of products, like the one in Dubai: all kind of eggs, pancakes, fruits, vegetables, ham, cheese and pastry, you name it. In the evening I enjoyed the pool very much with the special view of Burj Khalifa. Grab a great glass of wine and relax by the pool! It was nearly 33 degrees, it truly felt like being on a summer vacation.

Old town visit

Old town always belongs to my favorites, wherever I am, I always try to visit the old part of the city, it spreads culture and history. Gold Souk offers hundreds of different stores that sell gold, a few minute-walk away from there enjoy the smell of the arabic spices like saffron, cumin, cardamon and so much more. I crossed the river by a traditional boat and arrived right to my favorite restaurant called Bayt Al Wakeel. I enjoyed a lovely arabic-style dinner by the river. Loved the mood!

Dubai Expo 2020

I planned to go to the Expo and believe me, it’s so worth it! Try to go early morning for the opening, it’s definitely less crowded. Rent a bike, just how I did with the Careem Bike App, and you will be able to go around the huge Expo by yourself! Bike rentals are available right at the entrance. First and foremost I was curious to see the Hungarian exhibition of course. It was mainly focusing on the the natural water sources of Hungary, it represents the spas and mineral water of the country. I loved every minute of it, you can taste three different types of water and also buy local delicacies on spot like artisan chocolate, wine acid based drink called Shrubbie, jams and goose liver paté. The show upstairs is all about water, magic and snapshots from Hungary. Sit down and relax for a few minutes!

I especially loved the Saudi and Pakistani exhibitions besides that, full of life and natural beauties. I so want to visit these countries in the future.

Saud-Arabia

Pakistan

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My favorite places in Dubai – Marina

Everytime I want to relax or just a few minutes on my own, I love walking around the Marina area. Lovely restaurants on the way and it’s spectacular by night, so much life in the harbor. You can rent yachts or go to speedboat rides, it’s such a fun place to be.

The cultural side – Mosque visit

I already visited the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi years ago, I was curious to see the one in Dubai called Jumeirah Mosque. You can actually enrol to visits at 10 am and 2 pm. While you are waiting for the tour, enjoy they serve you arabic coffee, tea and snacks like pancake with curry. The tour was very informative, we learnt about muslim lifestyle, Koran, Mecca and pilgrims.

When it’s beach time

A  good fifteen - minute- walk from the mosque, I just discovered the most amazing beach in Dubai, it’s called La Mer. The area is calm and full of restaurants. First I had lunch at a Turkish place, then walked right to the beach. It's a public beach with shower and shops, not too crowded and the water was amazingly warm. Pure bliss!

Miracle Garden – The tacky side of Dubai

Last time I visited the city, I didn’t get the chance to see this place, so I decided to go ahead now. The garden was first launched on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Right now it’s the world’s largest floral garden featuring 50 million flowers. It’s pretty colorful and it makes you smile. Thousands of superb creations, oasis in the desert, really. You enter a fairy tale and even tough it’s tacky, it still belongs to Dubai.

Walking around  - It’s sunset time!

Catch the sunset by the sea at the Palms! Go to Atlantis and walk on the breakwater path. This is the best place for a romantic walk! You can take monorail, which serves as a local train from Marina or simply grab a taxi! Just look at my photos, I loved when the sun went down and I managed to capture this moment. You can walk here endlessly and enjoy the sea breeze.

This is the end of my short visit. I hope to go to Oman and Saudi Arabia next time. Such an amazing culture and adventures, there is so much to explore in this region! Hope you enjoyed your virtual trip with me. See you here next time!