My Definitely Dubai Experience - Part 2

It has been almost a year since I made my last post but I need to finish things I left undone. So here is my culminating post on our trip to Dubai last September 2014.

After we had lunch at Trader's Vic we roamed around Souq Madinat Jumeira to check out some good stuffs and as I mentioned in my previous post it is like Tiendesitas in the Philippines

store selling miniature lamps 

I can't resist checking out this Burberry Scarf

That ends our first Day in Dubai.

Day 2 we started of by riding the famous Dhow Cruise. It would tour you around the rivers of Dubai and the ticket is included in the Hop on Hop Off price you paid. You have to check the time because the Dhow Cruise run on a schedule and you have to allot 1 hour for the tour.

Wooden Dhow at the background

There are FREE mineral water for every ticket but don't be deceived by the ice-cream cups they are for sale. 

Inside the Wooden Dhow during a cruise with Baskin and Robbins Ice cream for sale

After the Dhow Cruise we went to the Famous Gold Souq, of course not leaving Dubai without buying one for each of us. 

Gold Display

Every one with smile on their faces because we got what we wanted at an incredible price of 8,000 AED.

Happiness

We get tired after the shopping spree. We went back to Wafi Mall to check out Biella Restaurant and we decided to have our dinner there before we call it a night. 

@ Biella 

Food is good and staffs are friendly. We waited at Biella until the scheduled light and sound show at the Wafi Mall Grounds. The show was amazing, sorry my video failed to upload because it exceeded the limit of 100mb allowed. 

That ends our Day 2. On our last day before we fly back to KSA, we spent the morning in the SPA and of course I would not leave Raffles without dipping in their pool. 

Raffles Pool Lounge

Thats it for our Dubai Adventure. See you on my next post. Happy Reading!

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. 

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!