My Defnitely Dubai Experience- Part 1

This post came a bit late since work has been so busy when we came back from Dubai.

This is my own version of "72 hours in Dubai" , it is basically like the 36 hours series of the New York Times. When you are faced with very little time to tour a place, the best way to go around the city is the hop on hop off tour which will bring you to all the tourist destinations. I have discovered the Hop on Hop off in Kuala Lumpur and again with the Les Car Rouges in Paris, good thing there is the Big Bus Tour in Dubai. It is quite expensive compared to the Metro but it saves you the hassle to decipher the map and it saves time so you can enjoy the place more rather that get lost finding your way.

We chose a hotel that is strategically located near the airport and Big Bus Tour Terminal, and there is only one hotel that satisfies both- The Raffles Dubai. I made a separate post why I chose Raffles for my stress free holiday and you can read it here. 

Of the 21 stations of the Big Bus Tour, only the Wafi Station (where Raffles is located) has both stop for the City Tour and the Beach Tour. The 48-hr ticket for the Big Bus Tour costs 295 dirhams/adult and 130 dirhams/child (under 15 yrs old). You can check their routes, download maps and see other packages on their website.

there is my husband rushing to get a good seat

Our first day was devoted to the blue route or the beach tour. I was so excited to know that Mercato Mall can be accessed in one of the stops. We always see Mercato on TV and it looks very enticing. I was surprised that no one hopped off at the Mercato stop- only "us". The stop was a bit far from the mall and one still needs to cross the road since the mall is located on the opposite side.

The Mercato- An Italian Inspired Shopping Mall

We never regret doing a little walk because Mercato is really worth visiting for. You can check their website to see what the mall has to offer. Mercato is such a lovely place to take pictures.. here are some pics we took inside the mall.

my husband and my lovely daughter having fun

can you see us?

 After our Mercato visit we went back to the Big Bus station across the street. It was very hot since it is almost 12nn and still summer in Dubai. Thank God the bus stations are airconditioned. I was amazed how advanced Dubai is.

Me and my daughter comfortably seated while waiting for the next Big Bus.

Contrary to their advertisements, big bus does not come very 30 minutes, I felt we waited longer. The inside of the waiting area does not inform passengers the time of the next arriving bus unlike in Paris where the time is flashed in every station.  

Our next stop- the famous Burj Al Arab. Here are some of our encounter with the iconic Dubai Structure. The Big Bus stops near Jumeirah beach for a minute to give tourists like us a chance to take pictures

Up close on the other side of the road near Souq Madinat Jumeira.

After the stop at Burj Al Arab it is already lunch time and our stomach is rumbling. We hopped off at another stop called Souq Madinat Jumeira to find a place to eat. The place looks like any other Arab structure from the outside but it was breathtaking on the inside. From here one can ride a boat to tour the Madinat Jumeira River and nearby hotels. One ride costs75 dirhams and will last for an hour.

one of the wooden boats that will bring you through the Madinat Jumeira River

surreal and breath taking

me and my husband on board a wooden boat

We stopped for a while to fill our gastronomic desire and settled at Trader's Vic for lunch we were attracted to the exotic ambiance the place emits hence we dropped down our first choice -Toscana which is an Italian Restaurant located just opposite Trader's Vic. Of course I need to do a lot of bargaining for my daughter since she really loves Italian food so much. You can check Trader Vic's opening hours or book a table here.

finally a treat for my taste buds.

Okay please let me eat first and continue my definitely Dubai experience Part 2. 

Raffles Hotel Dubai & the Many Reasons Why

Vacation is one thing everyone is looking forward to, especially those working here in the Middle East for 6 days a week.  EID Al Adha is set on a fix date unlike the Eid of Ramadan which depends on the moon, so planning your vacation for Eid of Hajj is more feasible.

I searched the all time reliable online booking site Booking.com for hotels. It will be our first time in Dubai and I want our short stay to be a stress free and memorable one.

My criteria for this particular trip are:
1. A Five Star Hotel
2. A Hotel near the airport
3. A Hotel with a bathtub and free wifi
4. Breakfast Inclusion
5. A Shopping mall beside the hotel.

I run search and put all the filters and only 7 hotels appeared on the list. What caught my attention are the Grand Hyatt and The Raffles Hotel so I booked them both. I checked out the pictures of the rooms of both hotels, I refuse to compare the rooms but I guess the pictures in the website will show the differences. However allow me to enumerate the reasons why I chose the Raffles Hotel.

I know I did not give justice to Raffles in this Hotel Facade Pic, sorry I am in a moving cab.

1. A picture paints a thousand words and so they say...the room offered by Raffles are all with private balcony and with enough space. I arrived at Raffles with all my expectations met. Nice wide room, balcony overlooking Burj Khalifa from afar and the Raffles swimming pool down below. A nice corner tub and a separate shower room with candles to set the mood.  An executive desk and a sofa bed, being in this space makes you want to stay there all day and not leave the hotel room.

Executive Desk

Raffles Club Room

Raffles Swimming Pool viewed from our balcony

2. Raffles is interconnected with the Wafi Mall - one of the stations of the Big Bus Tour and the only station that one can access both the Blue Route (Beach Tour) and the Red route(City Tour).

3. The Wafi Light and Sound Show which is one of the highlights of the Big Bus Night Tour can be easily accessed and just a walking distance from Raffles.

4. There is a library inside the hotel, the very first hotel that I have been to with a library, not to mention the SPA, the pool and the gym.

Raffles Library

5. The International Buffet Breakfast at Azur Restaurant offers a wide variety of foods.

6. Lastly and which I consider as Raffles best asset is it's friendly staff who always have a smile on their faces and make you feel at home.

If you book directly at their website you will have an option to choose between hypoallergenic pillows or feather ones, sparkling or non sparkling complimentary bottled water, and your choice of daily newspaper (I chose Wall Street Journal)

There is a complimentary fruit basket and Raffles Signature Toiletries.

I booked the Raffles Club room and some of the perks included is the access to the Club Lounge which serves daily continental breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and canapés which we really enjoyed.

French Macarons, Salmon Ceviche, Mushroom Tarts

enjoying cocktails with the persons I love

and they have the best wines

My rating for this hotel is 5 stars and a 2 thumbs up!!

I will definitely go back and stay at Raffles whenever I am in Dubai.

How to go to Dubai from KSA

Dubai is only 2 hours away from Saudi Arabia and it is the best destination for a 3-4 days vacation. We have been looking forward to our EID Vacation since this is the only time that we can get out of work and live a stress free life.

1. Check Tickets Online - usually tickets are more expensive during Eid. So if you really wanted to pouch through with this vacation, better plan ahead and search for tickets at least 3 months in advance. My favorite site to check tickets online is the sky scanner website. You can also download their apps on your smartphone or iPhone and it look like this

 

 2. Book Hotel- you can book hotel in advance at no extra cost and no cancellation fee, all you need is a credit card to guarantee your reservation. There are many booking sites online that offers this deal but my favorite booking site is Booking.com like sky scanner they also have an application that you can download on your gadgets. Booking.com logo looks like this..

3. Get Visa- the normal process like in getting your Schengen Visa is to have the tickets and booking confirmation first. In UAE however, there are other options. You can get a tourist visa which is sponsored by a hotel or a travel agency which fortunately you can also get online and no need to visit the UAE embassy in Riyadh. You can also have a family sponsored Visa if you have relatives living in UAE. If you are a GCC Resident i.e. you are an expat living in KSA or any other countries under the Gulf Country Council the easiest way for you is to get Visa On Arrival. There are rules in getting VISA On Arrival and you can get it here. The Visa on Arrival for GCC Residents in KSA depends on the profession written on your Iqama, usually professionals like doctors, lawyers etc. and their dependents under their sponsorship can get Visa on Arrival. If you are in doubt you should call the UAE Embassy in Riyadh, The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs- Dubai or directly call the Dubai Airport and get connected with the immigration dept.

What Are the Requirements in Getting Visa on Arrival:

1. Passport valid for at least 6 months

2. Original Iqama

3. Exit Re- Entry Visa

4. Letter of Employement - not required but a very good supporting document in case your Job Description is questioned 

5. AED 220 as payment. 

Procedure in Getting Visa On Arrival:

1. Pay AED 220 at the Foreign Exchange Counter. They will give you a form to fill up.

2. Once the form is filled up queue at the Immigration and present all the above documents.

3. The Eye Scanning procedure is also done in that section.

4. They will stamp your Visa and Passport for a 30 day Visit Visa.  

Then off you go to visit Dubai. 

NOTE: If you think your job is not listed better get visa on advance to save you the trouble of being held at the immigration or being sent where you came from. 

Read My Definitely Dubai Experience on my next post.

Hope this helps...Happy Trip!