Superficial fancy flashy city of 90% foreigners with ultra-modern architecture, luxury lifestyle, and lively nightlife.
As an American from Los Angeles, Dubai has never appealed to me. If anything the thought of superficial glam and surface-level glam has grossed me out. We already have superficial rich people in LA. We already have a luxury city of hotels and pretty commercial areas in a desert…it’s called Las Vegas.
“No thanks!” – was my immediate response.
But I couldn’t notice that I did have a handful of interesting friends who lived in Dubai. Ones that kept inviting me to stay at their place in Dubai. Since they were traveling often (as many people who live in Dubai are) and didn’t mind sharing their vacant apartment.
Once I finally arrived, I realized a few extra things:
- Dubai definitely has a class system with many layers. All kinds of rich, middle, and poor (or service workers). And many people from many places (Europe and Asia mostly). And with seemingly, good social mobility.
- Just about everybody speaks English.
- The city has actually over-delivered upon its image for many people. I hear many stories of people who moved here for work, thinking they wouldn’t like it but ended up liking it. The standard of living is high (great infrastructure, very safe, cost is low considering the luxury life you have), and they liked meeting and having nice connections with people from all around the world.
- Dubai is also a conveniently-located central point to Europe, Asia, Africa.
Most locals would say Dubai is not so big. That you can see most tourist-things within 3 days. But others may suggest 5 days to really enjoy the lifestyle and check out the nice restaurants, arts, and nightlife.
Where to stay:
- Can’t really speak on this. I stayed at friend’s places and each one was nice anywhere. Just a matter of budget and preference as to what things you want to do. For sure, you should be near a metro line so you can zip around town quickly.
Hostels:
- Torch 77 – nice view from 77th floor.
- Skyview Hostel – nice view from 60th floor, and very social busy atmosphere. Best rated.
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- Being that Dubai is hot as heck, walking around outside (even at night) is probably not going to be very fun. You’ll spend most of your time indoors.
- Dubai Mall – nice walking areas
Activities to do:
- Museum of the Future –
- Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark – yes, the big waterpark is fun for kids and family and doing slides and what not. But it’s also a nice place to sit at the beach and enjoy the views of the city. You can treat it as a big noisy spa. Of course, I recommend going on weekdays so you don’t spend so much time waiting in lines (for rides).
- Burj Khalifa & Dubai Mall –
- Beaches
- Desert tours – also sandboarding
- Buildings & architecture –
- Parks, gardens, green spaces –
- Beaches, bridges, water-points –
- Arts & museums –
- Sunset views –
Restaurants & Cafes:
- sdfds
As expected, a place like Dubai has many posh bars and restaurants. Even your usual average common brand restaurant/bar will be extra fancy in Dubai. There are so many that I haven’t even listed.
Bars & Clubs:
- Amazonico
Miscellaneous tips:
- General travel tips for United Arab Emirates.
- Expense – everything is above average cost, but still much cheaper than other expensive cities. And with Dubai’s flashy fancy reputation, it comes out cheaper than you’d expect.
- Public Transportation:
- Bus –
- Metro – very fast, clean, new and modern, easy to use.
- Taxis – since the whole city is full of hotels and developed real estate, there’s official taxi stops everywhere. Just walk outside and jump into one. It’s very safe for everyone, even foreigners or solo females, day or night. It seems they (the licensed taxis) price honestly and you don’t have to worry about taxi scams or other dangers.
- Train
- Traffic – Dubai has a lot of street traffic, which can get especially bad during certain times of day or when there are special events in town and you’re near the venue. One day I had to go to the airport, and it took 5mins instead of the usual 15mins. In that case, taking metro would have definitely been faster.
- Tap water – is drinkable from what I read online. But seems everybody uses bottled water.
Nearby towns:
- Abu Dhabi (1.5 hr drive) – depends on who you talk to. Some would say it’s more boring and less fun than Dubai. Others say it’s not only cheaper but also had a wider range than Dubai, can be both chill vs fancy/flashy/party.
Unfiltered notes: