The Last Day In Dubai – Al Arab and Dubai Marina

The water was so crystal clear and clean, however it also was warm enough to feel like you were swimming in a bath. I was dreaming of nothing more then to jump in as the sun was glaring down on us. Unfortunately we didn’t bring our swimsuits with us, and it would definitely not be a good idea to go in our birthday suits in Dubai. It was a very hot day.  To top it all off I forgot to put sunscreen on so we had to make a quick stop in the Sunset Mall, which is located on the way to the Burj Al Arab (the only 7 star hotel in the world). We weren’t able to get in inside the hotel.  I can only imagine how luxurious it must have been there; perhaps some day! From outside its not as impressive as you would think.  It appears just like any of the other unique shaped buildings throughout Dubai and just looks like a nice hotel on the beach.

We walked around for a while and then stopped for lunch in a Lebanese restaurant called Times of Arabia.  This was one of the very few restaurants I have eaten at lately in which they have air conditioning outside. The food, staff and the view of Madinat were fabulous so it was definitely a great choice. We ordered some fresh made hummus with pita bread, Haloumi cheese, Shish Towook (chicken cubes in garlic sauce) and a Chicken Shawarma platter. I wouldn’t recommended it if you’re on a budget as our bill came our to £130 which was a little bit steep although fairly normal for Dubai.  This was our one fancy meal in Dubai and with the whole ambiance it was well worth it.

The other thing we chose not to do was to visit The Palm. Not because we didn’t want to but due to our limited time in Dubai, I didn’t see the point just to drive to the end, to the Atlantis and drive back. The resort offers many attractions  like swimming with dolphins or sea lions, the big waterpark and an aquarium but none of these were in our plans so we just took a taxi straight to the Marina.

Even though this is Dubai, I wasn’t thinking that the Dubai Marina could be so big. When the taxi driver asked us where in the Marina I had no idea what to say. I remembered from some maps that there is a shopping center so we just went there to catch some free WIFI and figure out where to go next. It turned out we were pretty much in the middle of it so everything worked out perfectly.

The whole marina was so beautiful; it’s an artificial canal city with many skyscrapers, yachts, restaurants, and pathways for pedestrians. I felt a bit like I was in Manhattan with all these tall buildings surrounding me. Since it was getting late and we had a flight to catch in the morning we walked around for a bit, took some photos and we went back to the hotel.

Third day impressions:

• Make sure you put a lot of sunscreen on if you’re planning to be outside, and bring some extra with you if your planning to go swimming.
• Take your swimsuit with you all the time, as you never know when you will want to swim or just jump in the ocean.
• Go to Madinat Jumeira for a little shopping and a great view of Burj Al Arab.
• If you have money take a helicopter tour over the palm, otherwise you wont get the full sense of how amazing it is.
• If you want to get great photos of Dubai marina make sure you take a tripod with you, so you can capture the best shots during dusk and in the late evening.