Ah, Dubai. Have you been there?
Matt had said that I would love Dubai - (He has been a couple of times), and low and behold - He was right!
This was my first time in Dubai. My first observation was, “Gee, I feel so calm here!” There was a calmness, and almost, stillness, that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Even amongst the few crowds we encountered, the energy and aura of those roaming around felt very peaceful. My next observation was the aromas as we walked around. Perhaps incense of some kind? It reminded me of the mornings where I would burn incense in our apartment, and because of this - I felt instantly content, and very much at “home” here. It didn’t take Dubai long to win me over did it?!
*If you’ve experienced this same energy too - Let us know! We would love to hear your thoughts.
HOW MUCH COULD WE FIT INTO 1 NIGHT IN DUBAI?
WELL, READ ON DEAR READER.
Melbourne to Dubai - We had a long lay over before catching our next flight to Athens.
We flew with Emirates and because of this long layover, our hotel for the night was free of charge. Little perk there!
And what does that mean for us? A few cheeky hours up our sleeve to explore!
Exploring Dubai Highlight #1:
- We caught an Uber downtown to take a look at the Dubai Mall, claimed to be the most “Stunning mall you will ever go to!” - I’m not a huge fan of roaming around shopping centres, (unless I have a reason to of course) but I took this opportunity to enjoy my surroundings - Taking it all in! I was indeed impressed. This mall certainly was stunning.
Exploring Dubai (Non) Highlight #2:
- We witnessed The Dubai Mall Aquarium, and although it was an astonishing set up - (Hard to say that we’ve seen anything like that in a mall) - Truthfully, the idea made us a little uncomfortable (That might be an understatement actually) - Hence why we chose not to capture any visuals of this. Somehow, I felt like this needed a mention…
Exploring Dubai Highlight #3:
- We came across a very aesthetically pleasing coffee store with a display of coffee bean bags that reached the ceiling! If you are a sucker for visual merchandising, a strong brand identity, and design - This place is a must! The name? - % Arabica - https://www.arabicacofee.ae - Serves and roasts the best coffee from around the world, including from their very own coffee farm!
Exploring Dubai Highlight #4:
- Can you have coffee without having a little treat? Well, if you ask Matt and I - The answer is usually, “No” *Insert bashful face here* and to our surprise… We stumbled across the perfect place! We firstly strolled around the outer area of The Dubai Mall and let our legs lead - Enjoying the warmness of the air after being on an air-conditioned plane. Once we did a lap, we took a seat in the open area to observe and enjoy our surroundings. As we looked around, Matt (with his laser like hawk eye vision) spotted a sign. It said, “Wild Souls” - Yep. That was it. This spoke to him, and his curiosity was called! “Let’s have a look!” Sure, let’s! :) https://www.wildsouls.gr (@wildsoulsgr + @wildsoulsuae) is a vegan deli! “We are slowly creating a new mentality. We are endeavouring to contribute to the creation of a better world.” - We love their Manifesto! Lovers of wild nature and the creatures that reside in it, f*ck plastic, their permanent goal is zero waste, raw ingredients used and more passionate points listed - (Check their website. It’s also beautifully put together!) We ordered: Peanut Butter Halva with Honey and Halva with Honey. We also grabbed an assortment of the nut balls to try. So, delicious vegan, raw, halva and nut balls it was! Perfecto!
- Ps. Having Greek heritage, I was so excited to know that this store was created in Greece! We chatted to the very friendly staff member who served us, and loved the situation of an Australian-Born-Greek, chatting to a Greek-Born-Living-In-Dubai. We spoke a mix of both Greek and English as we engaged! The feeling of home, away from home in Dubai of all places!
- We returned to our seat outside and enjoyed this flavoursome experience (Mm, halva!) while we people watched. Side note* We were already told on a few occasions that Dubai was so safe, “You could leave your wallet on the counter and no-one will touch it!” - We witnessed this first hand as we ate our treats, sipped our coffee and people watched. A lady left her backpack on a seat for 10-15 minutes. No one touched it. No one seemed to even be looking at it - Except us! It was there waiting for her when she returned. We looked at each other and said, “See, she just left it there, and no one battered an eyelid!” - True story.
Exploring Dubai Highlight #5:
- Ah! I hadn’t mentioned that the only experience we booked prior to our visit was to enter the skyscraper that is - The Burj Kalifa. Only the world’s tallest structure! There are 163 floors. Our ticket for 6:30pm, gave us access to express entry, The 125th and 148th Floor. Highly recommend booking as it was very crowded and the line was very long. Even with express entry, there was still a wait.
- Our experience included a free coffee or hot drink, free juice and free sweets. There was a lounge where you could enjoy your beverage and food whilst surrounded by the view of the city and the sky. Sunset graced us with it’s presence while we were up there - (This was no fluke! We booked the 6:30pm time slot for a reason *Wink!*)
- The view, the efficiency and swiftness of the lifts (Climbing so many levels with ease - Sheesh!), and the architecture itself is worth experiencing.
Exploring Dubai Highlight #6:
- As we were strolling through the mall, we came across Trove. We were intrigued by the interior and that name - “Trove” - I swear I had seen it pop up on Instagram! So we did a quick search. Yep, that was the one! To make our choice easy, we decided to return for a meal after our experience at The Burj Kalifa.
- No need to wait for a table. It was a Sunday night but there were still plenty of people out and about. The staff were very friendly. There wasn’t a table available yet with a front row view of the water fountain show that takes place every 20 minutes, but they assured us that as soon as there was a table available - They would seat us there. Fabulous! It didn’t take long and before we knew it we were seated with a clear view of the fountain.
- The fountain show was spectacular. It was so grand! There was a sea of people gathered to watch it in awe. We were there long enough to see two different shows. They must rotate and vary the formation of the show.
- Our food was delicious. Quick service too. We were happy and satisfied. Matt on occasion enjoys trying something new. I won’t give it away, but check out the below photos. The only clue I will give you is *Dragon* :)
- https://troverestaurant.com + @thetrove
That was perfect for a few hours in Dubai!
We made our way back to our hotel. I was just about to say, “And snuggled up” - But… I did forget to mention, our hotel had x2 singles. We laughed at this. Seperate beds it was - Another new experience for us *Insert laughing emoji here* - Dubai did not come with snuggles included. Buffet breakfast was waiting for us the next morning - (Woo hoo!) - The hotel provided transport back to the airport at 8:00am. Easy enough! We jumped on, headed back to the airport, checked in and boarded our flights to Athens…
*Our time in Athens was so brief. Stayed-In-An-Airbnb-Near-The-Airport-Kind-Of-Brief. This was because we had one more flight to go. The flight where we would be reaching our destination. Paradise Island. There are very few flights to Kefalonia at this time of the year and our flight was the following day.
Until the next travel tale - Be well, be safe, be curious and explore mindfully.
We thank you for being here.
One half of Joopiter's Sun,
Vicki.