We have always wanted to treat our mothers to a trip of a lifetime. Although we are seasoned travelers that can roll with punches, make last minute travel changes, jam pack our limited time, traveling with our moms to a foreign country was a whole different ballgame.
It was our first trip to the Middle East and we knew we wanted to explore not only the metropolitan side of UAE, but also immerse ourselves in the culture, food and the natural beauty of the desert.
When choosing our hotel, there was one definite criteria... we must have a view of the Burj Khalifa at all times! Our stay at the Taj Dubai was amazing. The service was exceptional and the location could not be beat!
An interesting fact about UAE is that that only 11% of the population are Emiratis. The rest of the population is very diverse and consist of people from all different nations.
The first day of our trip was very rainy (yes even in the desert!). We chose to spend an entire afternoon in the Dubai Mall. The mall is as grand as you can imagine and even houses an aquarium and an underwater zoo!
People watching in Dubai Mall is people watching at its finest. You see anywhere from normal Western wear (shorts, tank tops, skirts) to full on burka. I also saw women in beautiful abayas (long traditional cloaks) that were worn open at times or closed with beautiful embroidery. I invested a lot of time trying to figure out what is appropriate wear for a Westerner in UAE. Although you saw women in short skirts and sleeveless tops, my family and I opted to be more respectful and wore clothes that always covered our knees and shoulders.
We spent the next morning exploring Deira and the Women's Museum. It is the first and only one of its kind in the Middle East. Founded by a psychiatrist who is still practicing in Dubai, the museum houses a beautiful art collection and well curated artifacts that describes UAE's history through the eyes of the women who helped built the country.
No visit to Dubai is a visit without visiting the Gold and Spice souks. Although quite touristy, we did buy amazing spices. We also saw the world's biggest gold ring, weighing almost 141 lbs, it is worth $3 million USD! We also made quick Pit(ts) stop at the Bastakiya, a beautiful and quiet historic neighborhood.
Not to be missed in Dubai is to go to the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. This building has 163 stories and stands 828 m tall. To compare, the next tallest building is Tapei 101, which only has 101 stories and stands 509 m tall.
Exploring the Dubai desert can be done in many ways. Some tours will offer dune buggy or off roading in 4WD. Some will ride a camel to the desert camp. We opted for a more ecologically responsible tour with Platinum Heritage. Not only did we get to explore the private Dubai Desert Conservation and was able to see wildlife, but we did so in a vintage Land Rover! How cool is that??
Most Dubai desert visit concludes in a desert camp where they serve you delicious Emirati cuisine. I had the best lentil soup!
One of the things we wanted to do for our moms was treat them to a nice night out. We had an amazing dinner (food wise) at PierChic in the massive Jumeirah Madinat. It took a taxi, a golf cart and an optional boat to get to this restaurant. Let's just say, we were late for our reservations.
The one place my mother-in-law wanted to see was the Dubai Miracle Gardens. It definitely did not disappoint! It was beautiful and grand in only a Dubai-kind-of way. We spent only a couple of hours here as it was starting to get hot, I can only imagine this place in the middle of summer!
As avid snowboarders, we had to try the biggest indoor ski park in the world. It is located in the Mall of Emirates (you ski down towards Cheesecake Factory!). Was it worth it? Eh, we probably could have skipped it. The single lift was painfully slow!
We said goodbye to Dubai and made our way to the wealthiest and the capital city of UAE, Abu Dhabi. Much like Dubai, the city was very diverse. We stayed at the amazing Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. It was accross the street from the Presidential Palace and was absolutely gorgeous, we did not want to leave!
Our first stop was to explore the Sheik Zayed Mosque. It is the largest mosque in UAE and houses the largest single carpet in the world. It was one of the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen.
I was somehow coerced to go to Farrari world for the sole purpose of riding in the fastest roller coaster in the world, Formula Rossa. You go from 0 to 149 mph in 4 sec. I was peer pressured to not only ride it once, but twice (in the very front the second time).