We have had 4 days in Dubai. This was the perfect place to end our journey. It is like an amusement park only spread out over the entire city. The first day we had booked a private tour. We arranged for the driver to pick us up from the cruise ship with all our bags. He took us on a tour for the day and then it was back to the hotel to check in, shower and change before dropping us off at the Dubai Mall at the end of the day. We first went to The Frame – I can’t believe I walked across the glass floor! The Frame is a giant Frame that you can go up to the top and view the city. It measures 493 feet in height. The glass floor allows you to see directly below you. There were many delights in The Frame I was able to write my initials in a giant interactive prism. They had metal souvenirs of which I collected one. They also had an incredible video at the end on the future of Dubai and all things possible. Next we went to Palm Island. Palm Island is a man made island built from reclaimed land. When viewed from above it looks like a palm tree. Atlantis has a hotel here. Here we went up to The View. This observation deck is even higher at 787 feet and again allows 360 degree views of Palm Island and beyond. Next we visited a mall with a ski hill inside. We had drinks near the only 7 star hotel in the world – not in the hotel though but we did get photos of it. Then it was time for lunch – we had a wonderful meal of lamb cooked in a traditional way. We finished the day on the 154th floor of the Burj Khalifa – 1919 feet above ground. Here we enjoyed a beverage and appetizers while we soaked in the city. Despite my fear of heights I even went on the 152nd floor outside deck.
I didn’t think anything could beat our day 1 tour but I was wrong. On Day 2 we were able to get up at our leisure and in the afternoon we went on a jeep safari to a Bedouin camp. Ian went quad riding and sand surfing. We went dune bashing – which was thrilling but nauseating. Then we went to the camp. Food and entertainment was wonderful. The entire excursion was amazing.
On Day 3 we again slept in. We took a cab to the marina where we boarded a luxury yacht for a three hour tour. It was a beautiful afternoon to be on the water.
Today is Day 4 – repacking again for the trip home. It will be a lazy day by the pool before heading out tonight to the airport. We leave at 1:00 am tomorrow.
