United Arab Emirates | Dubai

Italy was always the final destination for our trip as we were meeting my family there, but I struggled to figure out what 2 or 3 places we should stay in between Hong Kong and Positano that made sense! Take a look at the map here and you may understand my predicament… A direct flight from Hong Kong to Rome is about 15 hours so we absolutely needed to divvy up the distance somehow, but where would we go?
I’d already visited Istanbul and Cappadocia, Turkey and the country was (and still is) experiencing much turmoil so we knocked Turkey off the list for safety reasons. We’d just been in Greece the year before on our honeymoon so Greece was out. Croatia was a maybe, but there were no flights that made sense! So after much research, I decided on Delhi and Agra in India to see the Taj Mahal as well as Dubai, UAE. Going into this trip, our goal was to venture outside of our comfort zone, see far away places we may not be able to see once we start a family together, and take chances – so India and the UAE fit the bill.
It was only after I’d booked my Emirates flight (BEST airline by the way) and stay at the Grosvenor House (and maybe best hotel ever..), that I realized we’d be in Dubai during the holy month of Ramadan. While a majority of the articles online said this would not be a good time for non-Muslims to visit, some noted it would be less crowded, more of a genuine cultural experience and as long as we were respectful in our dress and behavior, we’d be just fine!
Thankfully, I found the latter to be true. The city was fairly empty, shops remained open with reduced hours, hotels still served food and alcohol and malls simply barricaded food courts for non-Muslims to eat regular meals without distracting fasting visitors.

In hindsight, maybe I should’ve focused less on it being Ramadan and more on the fact that it would be 115 degrees Fahrenheit, ha! Nevertheless, we absolutely loved our time in Dubai and I strongly recommend you visit the “City of Gold” for a few days or extend an already planned layover.
Here are a few highlights from our time in Dubai:

1. Splurging on drinks and appetizers at the Burj Al Arab‘s Skyview Bar, the world’s only 7 star hotel and third tallest. Random tidbit: The Burj’s new pool terrace was constructed in Finland and shipped to Dubai in 8 pieces – quite a logistics phenomenon! Watch the video of its construction here.
2. Riding in a Toyota Land cruiser outfitted with a roll cage through Dubai Desert’s sand dunes. I like to think I’m fearless, but after 10 minutes of nervous laughter as we rocked side to side and spun out, I was honestly terrified!
3. Perusing the impressive Dubai Museum and learning about the city’s past as a fishing and pearl diving center. It wasn’t until oil was discovered in 1966 that Dubai showed up on the international map! You could even say it wasn’t until the Burj Khalifa was finished in 2010 that it showed up on tourists’ radars!
4. Riding up to the Burj Khalifa’s Sky Deck in a swift 90 seconds and taking in the 360 degree view. Random tidbit: My favorite Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, is currently leading the design and engineering behind Emaar’s $1 billion tower that will be 100 meters taller than the Burj Khalifa! Completion is targeted for October 2020.
5. Cruising over Dubai Creek via abra water taxi to the Spice and Gold Souks. While at the Gold Souk, I purchased a beautiful gold ring with a black, freshwater pearl. Hey, what’s a trip without a memorable souvenir?
6. Eating lots of delicious dried figs, apricots and pistachios and bringing a taste of the Middle East to my family, thanks to Vivel Patisserie.
7. Roaming around the Mall of Emirates (700+ stores) and Dubai Mall (1200+ stores). While we allocated our budget elsewhere, a part of me wishes we’d skied indoors at the Mall of Emirates’ Ski Resort. Oh well, next time!
8. Catching the late night Dubai Fountain Show right on time outside of the Dubai Mall. Touristy? Yes. Still a spectacle worth watching? Absolutely.

XO, HUTTON B.