Our Dubaying Adventure

As most of you probably know, Dubaying is our sister company located in UAE. As part of a project to do, Beiruting was invited to Dubai and it was amazing.The team was invited by Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, in addition,the tour was organised in collaboration with Traccs Dubai.

Dubai is a city that must be experienced to be believed. Where else can you spend the morning on the beach, the afternoon snow skiing and the evening camel riding in the desert?  Where  else  can  you  dive  with  sharks  in  a  shopping mall  and  watch  dancing  fountains  at  the  base  of  the  world's  tallest  tower?  Whatever your passion, whatever your age - Dubai will never disappoint.

Day 1: For the first part of our trip, we were hosted by Palazzo Versace Dubai which is set in the heart of the Culture Village - the next centre of Dubai. (link to the inauguration album on Dubaying.com)

Palazzo Versace is a 5 star luxurious palace in the new Dubai creek close to where the Dubai 2020 Tower will be built. It is designed with elegance and supreme detail. It is luxurious with an Italian touch. Oh, the rooms... just phenomenal. Beautifully designed big spaces where comfort meets the most modern and latest technology. Every square foot has been designed by Versace and crafted through supreme Italian workmanship. Pretty much everything is designed by Versace and we mean everything! Even the glasses, plates, and utensils we used at the delicious breakfast we had in the morning. Of course when in Dubai... you have to take a dip in the pool right? We did and the pool design reminded us of the roman baths and left us breathless to be somewhere so lovely. Of course the biggest advantage of the hotel is the fact that it's so close to the malls and to be close to the malls would mean having to be far from the Dubai marina area which isn't that much of a problem.

Here are some quick distance facts about Palazzo Versace:

• 15 minutes away from Dubai International Airport
• 8 minutes from BurjKhalifa and Downtown Dubai
• 3 minutes to the Al Jadaf Metro Station
• 5 minutes to Dubai Festival City Mall and 8 minutes to Dubai Mall

We simply had to rush to the mall for some shopping on our first day and we did. They were so generous to give us a credit card with 1000 dirhams on it. We enjoyed visiting the Paris gallery where they have one of the largest collections of perfumes. Our wolf-like nose senses were on alert the entire time for those rare and custom made aromas. Souk El Bahar was the restaurant we picked to eat at and we were not disappointed. It had a great variety of food that was delicious and its location was perfect too since it is just next to the fountains.

Day 2: We had a quick light breakfast and some coffee as we had an early wake for an exciting day. Perhaps it was the highlight of our entire trip. We went on a hot air balloon ride and Falconry sightseeing. Since we had to be onsite for the sunrise, we had to leave the hotel around 4.30am... yes it was tough, but definitely worth it!! The balloon ride took off from a designated take off site in the desert off from Dubai - Al Ain Road in the area of The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. It is about a 35 minute drive from the BurjKhalifa and 45 minutes from our hotel. We took off next to and flew over the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve; home to many indigenous species like Oryx and Gazelles.It is an unforgettable tour of Dubai that everyone must experience in their lifetime.So surreal to see the dunes and never-ending desert from this vantage point (we could even see Oman at some point). We saw sporadic trees, camel farms, wild gazelles, a magnificent sunrise, homes of sheikhs, miles upon miles of shifting dunes. The weather was beautiful, and we felt completely safe with our pilot Andrew. There is such a feeling of peace and quiet as you float along at the same speed as the wind, this is a trip not to miss!  When we landed, an amazing experience by the way,10 classic Land rovers (convertible please.. J) were waiting for us to drive us to Al Maha, the Falconry site. Upon arrival at the conservation area we were whisked away to our falconry demonstration. Nick our falconer had brought the bird with him. After an brief explanation of how important falcons were to Bedoins, we learned about ancient and modern training techniques used with these fascinating creatures. There was a nice air show and we were given the opportunity to get up close to one of Dubai's most amazing creatures-the falcon. This adventure was concluded with a scrumptious breakfast at the stunning Al Maha Desert Resort, nestled inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve.Then we went back to the Versace for a cool afternoon to spend by the pool. In the evening, we had dinner at the excellent Artisan where we met the Dubai Parks and Resorts representatives.

Day 3: At the Top Experience BurjKhalifa. Then we visited Old Dubaiand had a guided tour of Al Fahidi Fort and an Abra tour. During lunch time we were so hungry and luckily we had a meeting with the Dubai film festivals representatives at Tortuga restaurant. It was a pleasure to meet with ShivaniPandya who is the Managing Director of the Dubai International Film Festival. Our dinner was just as delicious as our lunch in the Anantara Asian styled restaurant.

Day 4:We skied! Yes in Dubai! We know it's not a new concept anymore, but the experience is phenomenal. Entering from a hot outside atmosphere to a freezing cold Dubai Ski mall is a weird and fun experience that we will never forget. What's more interesting is the fact that right after our skiing activity we actually went on a safari trip on the dessert. You can't be in Dubai and not experience both in the same day are we right? We rode in an old classic Land rover on the bumpy sand hills of Dubai.  The tour departed in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo-stops during an exciting dune drive to the first destination a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert. We stopped to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where we had the opportunity to do a camel ride, sand boarding and try out a henna design on hand or feet. Finally,we enjoyed a delicious barbecue dinner and shisha (yes... our national Arguilleh ;) ). And of course, we watchedthe belly dancer performing her show around the campfire by starlight before returning to Anantara The Palm Dubai. It was wow!

Day 5: On our last day, we stayed at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort at the Dubai Palm. It is an amazing resort but very different from the Palazzo Versace. This resort is inspired by traditional Thai architecture in an Arabian setting.  A 45 minute drive from Dubai International Airport and within easy reach of a plethora of exciting attractions including Aquaventure Water Park, Mall of the Emirates, Ski Dubai and Dubai Marina. The view of the Burj Al Arab is simply amazing. Naturally, we could not resist throwing some of our Dirham coins in the Trevi-like fountain for luck after we got out of our beautifully large room. We spent our time mostly relaxing by the pool and we were walking by the beach, we noticed some rooms were located in the sea which directly made us feel nostalgic about Maldives. Sadly we spent less than 24 hours in that beautiful resort, but hey there's always next time!

We concluded what we always knew about Dubai. It really is a city where the impossible is made possible. Where you cannot help but be impressed, awe-struck and mesmerized by its determination to transform what used to be a sandy dessert into beautiful resorts, tall towers and amazing snowy malls!