Day Eleven - IMAX and Souk

Today we took the metro back to the IBN Buttua Mall to see Resident Evil 5 in IMAX 3D. It was a great way to get out of the midday sun plus we don't have IMAX in Ireland and the film isn't released for another two weeks back home. The 3D was impressive when compared to the RealD which we have in Cineworld back home.

Vinnie at the Cinema 

IMAX Time!

After the mall we ventured to the old old part of the city around Deira. This part of town hosts the gold and spice souks. In contrast to the rest of the city it's lower in rise and very walkable. Narrow streets are packed with shops selling all kinds of Arabian Delights. The vibrant and live down here is remarkable. It's crowded with locals and tourists all hinting for that bargain yet it feels very safe. Highly recommend a visit to this part of town, which is often overlooked.

Gold Souk 

In the old Deira Town, this tower aids in ventilation

Patrick at the Gold Souk

You can cross the creek for 1Dhs in one of these wooden boats

Getting back to the hotel we took a dip in the pool before rounding the day off with a very late dinner at the Wagamamas in the hotel. The portions here are much bigger then home before a little dancing in the Zinc nightclub.

The hotel pool with the Burj Kalifa in the background

Day Ten - Outlet Shopping

Still a tad wrecked from the relocation from Cape Town after breakfast we fell relaxed at the hotel before jumping in a cab for the Dubai Outlet Mall.

The view from our hotel room, not as impressive as the last, but the location is better.

As mentioned before, the taxi service here is first rate. Uniformed drivers, air conditioned cars and cheap. The meter starts at 3.5Dhs (70cent) and increase very little for each KM. An average journey will set you back a few euro at most. In some cases it's cheaper and quicker to take a taxi then public transport, plus you won't break out in a sweat.

You can't help to see this building as you travel around downtown Dubai

The Dubai outlet mall is best reached by taxi, en route you will pass by the the proposed and yet to start Dubailand and Universal Studio Park. Unfortunately recession hit Dubai hard in 2009 and only the entry gates were installed. Apart from that the theme parks are just desert.

Dubai Outlet Mall

The mall is admittedly not as fancy as those downtown, but it has all the brands at discounts up to 90% off. We couldn't resist the temptation and picked up a few items. Brands included Superdry, Gap, Tommy, Puma etc. As an out of towner you can receive a bonus discount card from customer service. Highly recommend the shop trip out here.

Before heading home we swung by the Dubai Mall for some Waitrose shopping then headed home. We popped down to the hotel nightclub, Zinc at 1:30am. It was packed. The music was western. People smoke and drank freely and danced around in revealing outfits in complete contrast to the Islamic morals outside.

Day Nine - Double Dubai

We are back in Dubai! We never thought the holiday would take a twist like this. We landed after 5am and hoped to through the airport quicker then the last time as we knew our way. Granted we did get through passport control very quickly but the wait for the bags delayed us. We didn't really sleep on the overnight flight which wasn't the best. It was one of the older Emiriates planes with an older style entertainment system. They even cut back on our food, when our meal arrived it was minus a meal, this was the vegetarian option, basically the trimmings which everyone else got but no main. Very odd. During our flight the iPhone 5 was announced on our information/news screens.

As our new hotel, another Crowne Plaza is very central and connected to the city metro, we took the train as opposed to a taxi. It's only 300 metres from the metro to the hotel but that isn't easy when its 111F/42C outside.

Check in isn't normally until 2pm, but as priority members we managed to check in after 7am, got an upgrade to an apartment suite and breakfast added for this morning. Bliss. Even the Internet is free here compared to Cape Town.

After a feed we went to sleep, setting the alarm for 1pm. Everything in Dubai is open until at least midnight so you miss nothing having a late start to the day.

We headed to the IBN Bututta Mall on the outskirts of the city. The metro connects it. It's divided into 7 or so areas based on congenital or country themes ranging from China to Egypt. After a few hours here we headed back to the hotel to make use of the leisure facilities.

We dined in Trader Vics, which is part of the hotel. It was jammed. Thursday are the start of the weekend here and all the locals were out drinking the night away. Our hotel is a little hub of nightlife activity sporting several bars and clubs. All free for us to enter as guests. Dubai again never fails to surprise is, the club was jammed.

Day Three - Heat

We've visited some hot countries before but Dubai wins hands down. It's just IMPOSSIBLE to function outdoors when the temperatures exceed 40 degrees. We found out the hard way today as we took a taxi from the hotel to the Umm Suqeim Beach in Jumeriah. This is the beach which is overlooked by the world famous 7 star Burj Al Aarb Hotel. Walking on the sands was quite unbearable in, even the water was far from cold, it was roasting.

Our next destination was the nearby Souk Madinat Jumeriah mall, less then a 1km walk, but it took us around 30 minutes to walk, having to take breaks in the bus stops along the route. It was just too hot, but thankfully the bus stops are air conditioned!

The Souk Madinat Jumeriah mall is small compared to the mega malls in the area, but it's styling and architecture makes it worth the visit. Jumping in another taxi we headed inland to the Mall of the Emirates, another mega mall complete with SkiDubai, a full sky slope which features daily snow showers and penguin shows!

Skiing in the Desert

We took it easy this evening, opting to rest by the hotels swimming pools, one of which has a glass floor dropping down 5 stories. Moon bathing is the best option, it's still warm, around 35 degrees, but no risk of getting sun burnt. Our hotel provides stunning views overlooking the skyscrapers of downtown Dubai.

Dubai Marina

For a nightcap we jumped in yet another taxi and took the 30 minute drive to the Dubai Marina, the worlds largest man made marina where ascended up to the 52 floor of the Marriott Hotel for a beer.

Dubai Marina

Cheers from the 52nd Floor

Getting back to the hotel around 1am, we settled in to watch the live celebrity big brother final direct from the UK, the internet is a great thing!

Day Two - At the top of the man made world

Malls, malls and more malls. Dubai is essentially a series of linked shopping malls by 7 lane motorways and metro stations. Okay it's much more then that, but with over 40 malls in this one city, the largest with 1,200+ stores you will find yourself in your element if shopping is your thing. Thankfully mall sightseeing is ours, so we are thrilled.

Outside the Hotel

One of the Swimming Pools at our Hotel

Our hotel complex is based in an area called Festival City, which has it's own shopping mall, the aptly named Festival City Mall, which itself houses a massive IKEA. Nothing in Dubai is small, they dream up something and realise it 5 times bigger and better then anyone else could. Oil is the currency here (for now that is) and a litre sells for less then 20cent.

The view of Downtown Dubai from our Hotel

From our past experiences, the breakfasts at Crowne Plaza are incredible, and our location didn't let us down. After over eating we took in a little stroll around the complex, it's outdoor decks and pools overlooking Dubai Creek and Downtown Dubai. As a city lover the views are paradise. Nothing natural, only man made waterways and skyscrapers as far as the eye can see with the odd sand dune too.

Vinnies Shop

After a quick visit to the Festival City Mall we took a taxi to the nearby Deira City Centre Mall which offers a vast range of US and UK retailers from Marks and Spenser, Boots to American Eagle Outfitters. We couldn't stop ourselves from shopping! Cutting the visit short (around 2 hours) we left via the Metro for The Dubai Mall. 

The metro is a new addition to the city. It runs over two lines and offers three classes of travel. Women get their own class. It travels underground in the city centre, otherwise it's elevated providing interesting views of barren sand wasteland yet to be developed. Looking out you notice no one walks. Everyone gets around in air conditioned cars. It's just impossible to walk around as 1. there are no footpaths 2. there are no pedestrian crossings and 3. it's too warm. After a Metro and Bus ride we arrived at the largest shopping mall in the world (by surface area). It contains some 1,200 shops within 15 separate malls. 

Outside Starbucks!

For your entertainment there is an amusement park, one of the worlds largest aquariums and shark tunnels, a dancing fountain, the largest of it's kind in the world and not forgetting a trip to the 124 observation deck of the world tallest building, the Buraj Kalifa. The main purpose of our visit to the Dubai Mall was our 6pm visit to the Buraj Kalifa. It's worthwhile booking in advance for cheaper and guaranteed time entry tickets to the observation deck. We timed our visit with sunset, a must really. Seeing the sun set over the Arabian Desert is a sight I'll remember for life. The have treated the glass making it safe to look at the sun, which appears as a perfect round orange ball. It's incredible stuff. There are in total 160 floors in this building, measuring 0.829km high (half a mile high).

Vinnie At the Top

The view down to the other skyscrapers

The view down

The Dubai Mall Aquarium

Vinnie in the Souk Area

Dinner time at Vapiano

Afterwards we attempted to visit the entire mall, but after spending 6 hours there we had to admit defeat. The mall is just too big to appreciate it all in one go. We did however manage to see the wonderful dancing fountains, the worlds largest (no surprises there) which runs every 30 minutes from 9pm outside the mall in what is called the Downtown Dubai area.

The Burj Khalifa at night

The Dancing Fountain