5 Things To Do In Dubai

Dubai is one of those cities that holds so many beautiful things; whether you're stepping foot in the desert or you're visiting The Dubai Mall for the first time, there's so much to see and do which go beyond your wildest dreams. Whilst we spent the majority of our days lounging by the pool, some days we just needed an escape into some air con filled rooms and luckily, there's plenty to see in Dubai!


1) Go to the top of Burj Khalifa

 Despite this not being my first time in Dubai, it was my first time going up to the 48th floor of the Burj Khalifa. We waited as long as possible for a clear day - the heat in Dubai is so extreme that the visibility can be quite low - we wanted to get the best view from the top possible but when it was approaching our final days we decided we needed to bite the bullet and just head to the top and hope for the best.

Although we couldn't see as far as we would have liked, on a clear day you can see places like the the Burj Al Arab and other iconic Dubai locations, it was still pretty amazing to see Dubai from a different perspective. The view isn't exactly what you would see in other parts of the world as Dubai is a man-made city there is a lack of colour which becomes really apparent from above. Having said that, it's incredible to be able to say I've been in the tallest building in the world.

SHOP MY OUTFIT:

And, if you wait around long enough, the sunsetting behind the Burj Khalifa creates some pretty spectacular scenes too.



2) Visit The Dubai Mall

The Dubai mall is such a good spot, there are so many shops (more than you could ever imagine!) - enough for you to spend hours upon hours getting lost inside.

From 6:00 PM local time, the Dubai fountain is illuminated every half an hour where you're treated to a spectacular water show. The water shoots up into the air in time with the music, it's so beautiful and definitely worth taking the time out to see. Each time a different song is played and there is a different arrangement. We had dinner at the mall, and managed to get a table in a restaurant facing the fountains so we saw approximately 4 shows - each one completely different to the one before.



3) Desert Adventure

I've briefly spoken about my experience on Instagram so I'll briefly touch on the Desert Adventure again today - I'm going to write up a full blog post about it coming later this week so keep your eyes peeled for more details! Going to the desert was on top of most of our lists so we booked an evening in the desert. I assume these could vary depending on which company you go with but our adventure started with a falcon show, followed by dune driving (which I didn't enjoy!), a camel ride, and ended with a traditional Arabic dinner in the desert.

4) Atlantis The Palm

We've stayed at The Atlantis The Palm during both of our trips to Dubai, in 2014 and again this year. It's a huge hotel with so much to do and see, and the hotel itself attracts many visitors too! Whilst most of the hotel is closed off for guests only, there are also areas that everyone can explore.


I've already spoken about the aquarium in the hotel, it's huge and home to so many different species of fish - you never get tired of walking past and feeling completely mesmerised by the underwater world. There's also the Lost Chambers of Atlantis which house even more sea life but I won't dwell on this as I've already spoken about it in a blog post, here.

The pool is reserved for hotel guests, but the view is for all to see. The hotel houses The Atlantis Waterpark too, which attracts so many visitors from both inside the hotel and out! I didn't actually go this year as I'm not hugely into water rides but I went on my first trip to Dubai and it's really good fun! There are huge waterslides, rapids and even a zip line! The Atlantis also offers experiences with Dolphins as well as Sea Lions - again, neither of which I did this year but in 2014 I did the dolphin experience with a dolphin called Lexi (who was still there this year!) and it was a truly unforgettable experience.

Finally, there's Nassimi beach which is strictly for over 21's. Nassimi has its own DJ and  so many activities throughout the day and by night, it's just as magical (but much less busy!)

5) Green Planet

I came across the Green Planet on Instagram and put it on my list of places to visit, it's not a typical attraction. Heck, it's probably not a tourist attraction at all - our taxi driver had absolutely no idea about where we wanted to go when we gave him the name of this place! It's sort of like a museum where you can learn about animals as well as see them living in these artificial surroundings, emulating their natural habitats from around the world.

There were so many birds roaming free within the confines of the Green Planet, my favourite was the Toucan - and there were other areas which kept snakes, frogs, spiders and other insects. Whilst, it's probably not for everyone - I really enjoyed seeing something new!