Dubai: Luxury & Tradition

Dubai with a Middle Eastern flavor

......continues from ABU DHABI...............

We set off from Abu Dhabi with our rental car, heading for Dubai along this enormous ribbon of asphalt that cuts through the desert with about ten lanes. We were expecting nothingness and instead the entire journey is an open-air building site. We stop at a service area, recently opened, which stands on the border of what in a few years will be Dubai Park. We are catapulted into the Arizona of the seventies…perfectly and luxuriously reproduced. A first taste of Dubai. We are not in the city yet, but the first scheduled stop is the IBN Battuta Mall, the themed shopping centre focused on the travels of a famous explorer. Even if it is all fake, a stop is absolutely recommended. We continue on…and finally there it is on the horizon. Dubai and its skyscrapers emerge from the heat haze, welcoming us. We cross the whole of it, heading towards Deira, where we will spend the night.

We have chosen the Radisson Blu Deira Creek, which proves to be an excellent choice for its location and value for money. Once we have settled our things, defying the heat we make a stop at the gold souq, where the opulence is only in the windows of the countless jewellers, while around it Dubai shows off the worst of itself. After a few hours spent in the hotel, it is almost sunset and we go out on foot and after a short walk we reach the stop of the "abras", the old local boats that cross the Creek to take us to the old city for 1 dollar per person! And on that stretch of water beaten by the heat at sunset Dubai gives us a magical atmosphere. The wind towers of the old city, the wooden boats, the minarets lit by the last sun and animated by the evening prayer are Animated postcard that one cannot help but love.

We disembark at Bur Dubai and dedicate our evening to Al Bastakiya, the Mosque, the Souq and an excellent dinner on the Creek. Even though our skin burns even though the sun has been gone for a long time, we return to the hotel fully satisfied!

Dubai polished and cheeky

Today our day is dedicated to the most renowned attractions, its architectural symbols and the famous views known by everyone by now. We start from the seafront, with a stop at the Jumeirah Mosque, and continue to Jumeirah Beach, in its most famous stretch, where a selfie under "the sail" is a must. The beach is beautiful, perfectly organised and clean, with a touch of Malibu.... we enjoy a nice fresh coconut but without really considering the idea of sunbathing... We continue our tour as far as The Palm Jumeirah, admiring the beautiful villas built on the fronds of the most famous palm in the world. Crossing Dubai Marina, we head back towards the centre and make our way to the Dubai Mall and Souq, spending a large part of our day here.

We admire the Burj Khalifa and the fountain show (absolutely copied from Las Vegas!!!!!!) and lose ourselves among the thousand opportunities that the Mall offers. In the evening, after a bit of relaxation, we move to Souq Madinat Jumeirah, where we have dinner and bid our farewell to Dubai!