5 days/4 nights - Dubai to Abu Dhabi

By the time we reached the airport, I’m fairly certain that my partner was slightly dreading the seven hours trapped next to me in a plane that stretched before him: I could hardly contain my excitement at this novel adventure to the United Arab Emirates, and I was loudly blurting facts from my guidebook at regular intervals.

After the usual customs formalities and baggage reclaim, we were met by our driver and transferred to the Media Rotana, our luxurious digs for the week, in a sleek, air-conditioned car. Did you know, I turned to my partner, even the police force use supercars on a daily basis, including a Lamborghini Aventador. Madness. Safe to say, his excitement was briefly piqued. We were welcomed warmly by the concierge before being escorted to our vast room. With pristine white linens, and immaculate marble bathroom, our bedroom was remarkably low-key and calming for such an ostentatious city.

The hotel boasts extensive facilities, including a well-equipped gym with personal training sessions, but our first destination was, unsurprisingly, the temperature-controlled pool. Temperatures can reach forty degrees easily, I reminded my partner, and the humidity here can get to 100%. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? That means the air has the highest quantity of water it can absorb while still being considered air! Groaning, he gathered our towels and headed down to the terrace.

After recovering from the flight and trying the hotel’s Italian restaurant, we enjoyed an excellent, restful night’s sleep in our room in advance of a full day of exploring the spectacular metropolis by chauffeur-driven private car. Our first stop was the photo opportunity at the shimmering, pearl-white Jumeirah Mosque, then the iconic Burj al-Arab, before heading to Palm Island and the opulent Hotel Atlantis. We returned by monorail, which gave us panoramic views of the stunning Gulf. Dubai Metro was built in just eighteen months. Can you believe that?! I was met with a non-committal grunt as he snapped photo after photo of the city’s awe-inspiring skyline.

We then wandered the little streets of Al Bastakiya. The picturesque neighbourhood was originally established in the nineteenth century by textile merchants and pearl traders, and it still features part of the original city wall, made of gypsum and coral. I pointed out to my partner the wind towers perched on every corner; these are actually a primitive form of air conditioning, originally designed in Ancient Egypt. Fascinating! He diligently nodded: I could tell I was making progress.

Having spent a short while in the Dubai Museum in the Al Fahidi Fort, we crossed Dubai Creek in a water taxi to arrive in Deira, where we haggled and bartered in the souks before lunching in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we continued on to the modern ‘downtown’ area, where we visited the Burj Khalifa – a vertiginous 828m high. In 1991 there was just one skyscraper; now, there are 911 high-rises. Isn’t that insane?! Much to his chagrin, we also spent some time in the enormous Dubai Mall, where, aside from shopping, we admired the aquarium and the spectacular fountain show. After this we headed to dinner on board a dhow, for a relaxed sail around the luxurious Dubai Marina, to marvel at the stunning architecture illuminated at night.

 The next morning, we chose to take an extra trip to Sharjah, the UAE’s cultural capital, for a tour of its principal attractions: the Quran monument in Cultural Square, a photo opportunity at the Central Souk, and a trip to the King Faisal Mosque, the city’s largest. Fun fact #6: the hotel rooms in Dubai have arrows pointing in the direction of Mecca. After a leisurely couple of hours in the Museum of Islamic Art and lunch at the hotel back in Dubai, we piled into a waiting 4x4 and headed into the desert. We spent the afternoon dune-bashing, and after watching the sunset tint the vast dunes a golden pink, we enjoyed a barbecue in a Bedouin encampment, with tea, shisha and traditional dancing.

We slept most of the journey to Abu Dhabi, having returned to the hotel late, the moon high in the sky. Our first destination was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. Striking white, with a 17,000m2 marble mosaic courtyard, the extremely spiritual place is so breathtakingly beautiful that for a while, I put the guidebook to one side and just absorbed its tranquillity. After a day of wandering throughout the cosmopolitan city, we made one final stop: the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit, to satisfy my petrol-head partner. As I took a sip from my bottle of water, he turned to me, grinning. Did you know, he began, that there are approximately 80,000 components in a Formula 1 car?
We spent only a few magical days in the diverse, dynamic, and exciting cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but this truly VeryChic experience is an unforgettable one.