This post is written by a lovely reader S. Shazia, who shares with us her great honeymoon in Dubai. This will be the start of the Your story section in MuslimTravelGirl with all the amazing stories, experience and travel tips you share with us. So if you want to share a story with us just drop us an email via the contact form.
photo from S. Shazia
Our adventure as a couple started in Dubai where we resided in Dubai’s 5* luxurious hotel – Sofitel. Although the hotel is at the edge of The Palm, the private beach, clear blue sea and city view is worth every penny. We had many suggestions on where to visit and explore but there is so much to do in such little time that we were selective on our activities.
Dubai Mall
Dubai is known for its shopping malls and shopping experience due to its gold market, designer clothing, luxury confectionary and home items. Personally we did not enjoy the shopping as much; it was just too similar to what you would find in the UK with the exception of the extortionate prices on products. However the most enjoyable part was the ‘Dancing Fountains’! Yes! Dubai has its very own 275m dancing fountain near the Burj Khalifa, just outside the mall which is known as the world’s largest fountain. If you are looking for a nice evening ambience, with beautiful water sprays dancing to various music, then visiting the dancing fountain is a must!
photo from S. Shazia
Global Village
photo from Global Village
Although the Dubai Mall was a disappointment, visiting the Global Village was worth every regret. Global village is claimed to be Dubai’s largest multi-cultural tourism attraction for those who love to shop and a family destination. And guess what we loved it! It was an amazing experience, I felt like I was in Disney land at one point with its castle type buildings and striking lights (too much fairy tale – I know lol ). On a serious note we had never visited such a place which showcased various products, scrumptious food and souvenirs from 60 different countries. Not forgetting the Kadak Chai which its taste still remains till today. If you are in Dubai between now and April 2016 then do visit, you will not regret it – I promise.
Dessert Safari
We also booked the Dessert safari excursion which was exciting at first but an unexpected experience once we got into the Sahara Dessert. The sunset is beautiful and great when taking pictures but if you are travel sick like me then I guess this thriller experience isn’t for you. Although the hubstar enjoyed it and we had a great laugh. Oh, the entertainment and food at the end is also great which I am sure you would enjoy.
Marina Cruise
photo from S. Shazia
We were given a lot of recommendations for booking an evening boat cruise around the Marina, which I am glad we had taken on board in the end! Our Friday evening was spent sat upstairs at the boat open roof top, enjoying the view around the Marina and pop up city.
We were served drinks and short snacks once seated, followed with a scrumptious buffet– how romantic! We had the chance to take breath-taking photos and enjoy the entertainment towards the end of the night. I would highly recommend this excursion if you love a quiet evening out with family or friends.
Souk Shopping
photo from S. Shazia
The Souk market at the creek, Dhera was a totally different experience. The high street style shopping with indoor markets no doubt reminded you of shopping in Lahore – Pakistan! But once you crossed the river in an open boat, which only cost us 3p, you end up in a whole new market where you would find the souvenir’s, ceramics from turkey, various hijabs, abayas and clutch bags from Pakistan and India and much more! The prices on these items are way cheaper than the Dubai Mall and you can haggle, what more do you want.
Day Trip Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque
photo from S. Shazia
During the last few days left of our honeymoon we decided to do a morning trip to Abu Dhabi. We were given many options to travel with excursion companies and make it a full day trip but we decided to hire out our own private Lexus’s costing roughly around £100 between the two of us and visit the Grand Mosque for a couple of hours. It was very convenient as we were not time bound or stay with a group. We had our own freedom to explore and make the most of our visit. No doubt the masjid in pictures is beautiful with its white pearl interior and exterior but in person the mosque is absolutely breath-taking!
As soon as you arrive you get dressed into the right clothing, if you have a long dress on its fine, if not then remember to wear your Abaya and headscarf! The masjid itself has a library which you can visit and other rooms where you can see the beautiful interior with large crystal chandeliers and mosaic art. There is a separate area of where you can pray and plenty of space for you to take immaculate photos in the court yard. There is a café on site where you can purchase snacks, drinks and buy souvenirs too. We decided as a couple on our next visit to UAE will be to Abu Dhabi direct where there is plenty of more activities to do, including; Ferrari World, visiting the Emirates palace, Yas waterworld and much more!
Lastly if you are a foodie like me, then you will love the various types of foods in Dubai and best of all its all Halal! From the traditional Arabic, Lebanese food to Chinese, Thai and Indian mouthwatering cuisines you cannot go wrong.
Hope you have enjoyed reading this post, as much as I have writing it!
Thanks to Shazia for the great write up, you can follow her on instagram and check out back for more of her amazing stories.
If you want some more idea for things to do in Dubai then don’t forget to check out 14 places you must visit in Dubai or the free cool options you have next time you are in Abu Dhabi with the Heritage village and the Yas Marina.