Curator’s statement
A 5 day guide to make the most out of the UAE’s endless adventures.
Dubai is a city in which everything is possible, even the city itself was built from the desert up in only 50 years. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the first Middle Eastern cities to make the Unesco list of creative cities of design. Dubai is a bustling microcosm peacefully shared by cultures from all corners of the world.
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Day 1: Arrive in Dubai
Arrival at DXB Airport is seamless. There are taxis, uber and blacklane transfers available upon arrival. You are likely to arrive in the evening and see the beauty of the city by night.
Once in the car you, everything is about a 30 minute-drive maximum from the airport unless there is heavy traffic. There is no better place to check-in than the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach where you can choose to have dinner in any of the restaurants they have on site along their in house restaurants such as Sea Fu (their Japanese restaurant) or Mercury Lounge, their Italian sky lounge with view of the skyline with a tasty cocktail to unwind.
Day 2: Explore DIFC
Waking up the next day, you should be well rested and ready to start exploring! I would recommend starting by visiting DIFC and stopping by Cafe Bateel. A local cafe and day restaurant with local dishes. From there you can walk around DIFC, art galleries, shops and see numerous start-up incubators. After lunch you can visit the Museum of the future (I recommend to book your tickets in advance as it is likely to be fully booked)
From DIFC, head over to Al Seef in Deira to see the sunset from the 'Old Dubai' where the fisherman village remains a cultural experience. Walk in Al Seef Creek market (ALWAYS negotiate the price of wished to purchase items). You can also visit the Dubai Museum and the Heritage Village.
For dinner, take an abra boat cruise (it only costs one dirham in coin) to the restaurant Al Bait Alqadeem for a local experience.
Day 3: Desert Safari Tour
On the third day you should definitely have lunch at the Bulgari Hotel Yacht Club. They have a great view on the yacht harbor and overall a great value for food.
In the afternoon, you can go on a desert safari tour departing at 3 p.m., I suggest to go on the Platinum Heritage one or the Sonara Desert Experience. Whichever you decide, they are both wonderful to enjoy an afternoon full of nature, entertainment and great local food.
Day 4: Relax by the Water
On this day you might want to relax by the pool in the morning and then go for lunch in an authentic restaurant by the beach in the Jumeirah Hotels area such as Summersalt or Shimmers by the beach.
For the afternoon, after being sun tanned and full of energy, you can go have a walk by the Dubai Mall and enjoy the sunset watching the fountain show either from the Novikov Cafe or Opso which is a dessert cafe with direct terrace view on the fountain show.
You can have dinner in the sky at Atmosphere located on the Burj Khalifa's 148th floor or a lavish dining experience in Il Ristorante by Armani Hotel with a terrace facing the fountain show as well. If you want another trendy experience, try Urla, a mediterranean restaurant in Address hotel downtown. For an exotic touch, try Thiptara a Thai fine dining or Asado, an Argentinian steak house with a direct view over the fountain shows as well.
Day 5: Play a Round of Gold
For your last day, I would spend the morning playing a tee time on the Emirates Al Majilis golf course.
I recommend having breakfast close by in the Roseleaf café.
I would then purchase the day pool and beach pass at the One&Only the Palm and spend the day there. They have a wonderful restaurant for lunch called the 101 Dining Lounge and Marina. You can take a yacht tour if you please along with a wake boarding session. Unwind at their royal spa.
For sunset you can walk around the Palm and Bluewaters to see the Al Ain wheel (although it is out of service due to architectural dysfunction making the island sink per spin, crazy!).
End the day before your flight with our late check-out secured for you to enjoy a last dinner at Nobu at the Atlantis or Milos in the Atlantis the Royal. If your flight is late at night. If not, you can also dine at Mott 32 in the Address Beach hotel or Zeta 77 for some sushi platters in the sky lounge.
Need to know
If you are staying longer, I definitely recommend a day trip to Abu Dhabi visiting the Louvre museum, the Abrahamic Family Home as well the Grand Sheikh Zayed Mosque after a delicious local buffet in the Emirates Palace. You can stay for dinner at the Buddha Bar beach club.
As a French expat here in Dubai for two years and having worked at the Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach, this is the ideal itinerary worth the five-star review that we would provide our guests. I hope you enjoy!
Travel Advisor
Zoé Gotti
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This guide is part of our ongoing series on travel to Dubai.