5 DAYS IN DUBAI DURING A PANDEMIC

So I'm going to start this one off and say Dubai was not at the top of our list of cities we wanted to visit. Because of the pandemic, 3 days before our planned trip to Greece and Egypt it was cancelled so we had to make a quick decision - cancel our vacation as a whole and waste the PTO we already had approved or find somewhere else to go. We decided we were going to make the most of our situation and find some place that was open. Of the limited options that allowed U.S. citizens to travel, Dubai was our top pick because we had never been to Asia and it allowed up to knock a continent off our bucket list. And we are SO glad we went because it turned out to be one of our absolute favorite places we've been so far! Here's what we did during our time there, what we had to do due to COVID-19 restrictions, and our tips for you if you ever decide to visit.

TRAVEL BASICS:

In order to travel to Dubai from the U.S., we had to present a negative, PCR COVID-19 test that was taken within four days of the departure flight. All we had to do was print our negative test, show it to the employees when we were checking in to our flight and that was it. Super easy! We flew out of Chicago on a direct flight to Dubai on the airline Emirates. If you've never flown on this airline before, it's a MUST at least once. While it was a 13.5 hour trip one way, the flight was one of the most exciting parts of the trip. The plane was HUGE, clean, upgraded, had an extremely helpful and kind crew, with amazing food, and a goodie bag that included a toothbrush, eye mask, socks, brush, and ear plugs. Plus since we were traveling during the pandemic, we got a separate goodie bag with sterilization supplies like a face mask, sanitizer gel, and cleaning wipes. Overall, it was a great flight experience and we couldn't wait until our flight home so we could experience it all again.

WHERE WE STAYED:

This AirBNB in Downtown Dubai that is extremely central right next to the Dubai Opera and in walking distance of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall.

WHERE TO EAT/DRINK:

• Paul - the BEST brunch we had on the trip and it's located right in the Dubai Mall

• St. Tropez Bistro - yummy lunch spot for after a long day of skiing in the Dubai Mall of Emirates

• Claw - we hit up this bar almost every single night of our trip. Great food, awesome drinks, and the funnest people.

DAY 1

Use this first day to explore Downtown Dubai and get a feel for the city and the culture.

• Dubai Mall - go on a stroll around the largest mall in the world that includes the world's largest indoor aquarium along with access to the Burj Khalifa. Walking around the entire place seems nearly impossible, so be sure to plan where you want to go.

• Dubai Fountain - take in the view of the Burj Khalifa and watch the humongous evening fountain and light shows.

DAY 2

This day we planned on doing a day trip to Abu Dhabi and then Ferrari World, but because of the pandemic, the borders of the UAE were closed so we couldn't go across without quarantining there for two weeks which was not going to happen. So we last minute put this plan for our day together.

• Ski Dubai - located in the Dubai Mall of Emirates, this was something that was not originally on our list of must-dos, but because we couldn't go do an Abu Dhabi day tour, we needed to find something else to do. And what a great way to spend most of our day it was! It turned out to be extremely fun and we are so happy we did this. Who would have thought you could ski on a mountain INSIDE a mall? And this mountain is HUGE! Not only do you get to ski, but you also get to play with penguins, zip line, tube, and much more! Plan to spend a few hours here.

• Burj Khalifa: At the Top Sky Tour - we recommend timing this tour to sunset so you can watch it from the tallest building in the world. But if you get the Sky Tour, you get to go to level 148 whereas visitors only get to go to floors 124 & 125. It's worth it to pay to go up the extra 23 levels.

DAY 3

• Instagram Photoshoot - we were pretty exhausted and sore from skiing the day before, so in the morning we decided to explore the city and find the most Instagrammable spots.

• Desert Camel Safari - our absolute favorite part of our trip was this amazing excursion we went on. Beginning at about 3PM and lasting for close to seven hours, this was a great adventure into the Arabian Desert. We started off with an ATV ride over the desert dunes that was followed by a thrilling 30 minutes of dune bashing (which is nothing like you would ever expect, but in the best, most scary way possible) before we stopped to watch the sunset while sand surfing. We then headed to camp where we had the chance to ride camels, interact with a falcon, eat an amazing meal, try on traditional Arab attire, watch a dance show, and smoke hookah. This was a great tour that we would HIGHLY recommend on any trip to Dubai.

DAY 4

This is a great day for you adrenaline junkies out there like me (Cam)!

• Skydive Dubai - since I was younger, I've always had skydiving in Dubai on my bucket list as it is one of the best views in the world jumping out over the Palm Islands. While jumping here is a bit more expensive (like $600 USD) than most places you can go around the world, you will understand why it's worth it.

• XLine Dubai Marina - while in the city, don't miss your chance to zip line on the longest urban zip line in the world! Measuring 1km in length, up to 170m in height, and with an average speed of 80km/h, you will get to go zip lining from one of the Amwaj Towers across the marina to the Dubai Marina Mall. A fun experience unless you're Em, haha!

DAY 5

We spent our last day in the city with a relaxing beach day. I will tell you we went on this trip in September, so it was HOT. Like 120°F every day. So the beach was rough, but we drank away and hung out at the pool to cool off.

• FIVE at Palm Jumeriah - there are tons of beach locations for you to go to, but we chose to get a day pass and spend the day at this hotel which had a beautiful view of the skyline, infinity pools, multiple places to eat, and tons of beach chairs and umbrellas to lie under.

XOXO, Cam