Family Trip To Dubai

Hii,my name is Mayank Lakhera and I love to travel and visit different places around the globe.Most of the places which I have visited were either being a solo traveller or with my wife . A family holiday was always on my bucket list. So as soon  as this vacation to dubai with complete family(parents and grandpaa) was planned I was very very excited.To begin with I hail from Dehradun,Uttrakhand and this is my first story.We booked our cab and  started from Dun(Dehradun in it's short form) around 3.00 am  as our flight for dubai was in the afternoon around 1:15 pm.  The Weather was cold particularly during early morning and also there  was fog at many places while going to delhi.We reached delhi airport around 10:3o am and after checking in,immigration finally we reached our departure gate.Everyone of us was excited for this holiday and to me it was very special to go on a holiday with complete family. Our flight to Dubai was AirIndia Express and considering that it is a budget airlines still our experience of flying with them was good. We reached dubai around 17:00hrs and after doing immigration formalities we came out of the airport where our driver was waiting for us to take us to the hotel. Our hotel(Hyatt place) was around 15min drive from the airport in WASL district in deira dubai.Once we reached our hotel the receptionist  warmly welcomed us and was quick to provide us our booked apartment.As we were all tired from the full day travel so we didn't plan any activity for the night and instead opted to  rest. For dinner we went to the food court of Al ghurair mall which was at a walking distance from our hotel.

(Tip:- Hotel check in and checkout timings in Dubai are 14:00 and 12:00 respectively so it's better to plan flights accordingly)
There are numerous restaurants in dubai and type of food is never a problem there.Best time to visit Dubai is between November and April during winters as weather is not hot during these  months.

After having heartly breakfast we started our tour which was scheduled for dubai aquarium & underwater zoo in the afternoon and the iconic burj Khalifa in the evening.Aquarium is located inside The Dubai mall.The ticket office to the Burj Khalifa is within Dubai Mall, near the Subway sandwich restaurant on the Lower Ground floor.
So we went to the union metro station which was again walking distance from our hotel and from there we hopped on to a metro going to the dubai mall metro station. On reaching the dubai mall metro station we walked to the mall via an air conditioned overpass.This walk takes about 15 minutes, and there are moving walkways (like the type found in airports).
Dubai mall is the largest mall in the world and I am very sure that you need more then a day to completely see this lovely mall!! Tickets for aquarium and burj Khalifa both as combo were available at  'At the top burj Khalifa' counter on the lower ground floor.
Aquarium and underwater zoo is a wonderful place to visit with family and kids.You will see different species of fishes including sharks.Most attractive part of the aquarium is the tunnel which while passing by gives a feeling of being inside the sea. Underwater zoo is located 2 levels above the aquarium.There one can see crocodiles,turtles and other aquatic animals.We all enjoyed the glass bottom boat ride as well as fish feeding.All of us had a great time there.After that we went to the food court area to grab some food.Our burjkhalifa tour was scheduled at 6:30 in the evening and by the time we came out of underwater zoo it was already 4pm.

After food we went to the 'At the top burj Khalifa'  counter.Queue time while going up is around 30 min and then through the lift we went straight to 125th floor of the tallest building in the world.Views are breathtaking from here.This building is an engineering marvel.Whole of dubai down below looks magnificent especially at night with lights all around. The dubai fountain down below looks magical from the top.One can also enjoy a VR game at the top.124th floor is a open deck and one can feel the gush of the wind at the top.While coming down queue time is even more around an hour!! We came back to our hotel through the metro again and by the time we reached hotel it was already 10:00 pm. We were completely exhausted till then and after dinner we straight away went to sleep.

Tip:- While collecting the tickets for the combo of  aquarium and burjkhalifa expect a queue time of  around 30min even if you have booked them beforehand.Similarly expect a queue time of around 30min to 1hour while ascending and descending burj khalifa.Inspite of this these places are a must go while your holiday in dubai

We were scheduled for desert safari today. As safari was in the evening so we got more time to relax in our hotel till afternoon. We got picked up around 3.00pm from our hotel and then about 75km from hotel taken to the dessert where we first stopped for quad biking.Quad biking was a completely new experience for us and we throughly enjoyed it.Laterwe headed further into the desert for dune bashing which was like being on a roller coaster for about half an hour.It was a thrilling experience.Drivers are professionals and cars used are land cruisers so always felt safe throughout tbe tour.We got to stop for photos of the sunset before heading to the camp for dinner,heena painting,fire show  and belly dancing.We did not like the food at all and hence returned back to our hotel after watching the fire show.

Tip:- Don't expect much from the food served here as it is not fresh and healthy .Sitting arrangement also not gud while watching the fire show and belly dancing.Also don't go for dune bashing with stomach full and little kids to be kept under strict guidance while doing this.Overall desert safari is a must while in dubai however dinner part can be skipped.

Today we had to start our day little early as we were scheduled for Abu Dhabi tour.So after having breakfast we were picked around 7.3o am.Our driver was very professional and showed us all the important things while on our way.On the way 'Last exit' is a nice stopover.Here old recycled things are used which takes you down the memory lane.Even washrooms here are designed so creatively. It is definately worth visiting. We reached Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque around 10:00am but could only enter inside the mosque at around 11:15 hours as the mosque was full with the tourists at that time and also entry part into the mosque was mismanaged which allowed long queues to form.This mosque is the largest mosque in the country  and is famous for its sublime beauty,massive architectural work. Later in the afternoon we went to the ferrari world.l was particularly super excited about this theme park and it didn't disappoint me.It is the best theme park I have ever been to.The rides are exhilirating and are not to be missed especially formula rossa,turbotrack and flying aces.Infact formula rossa is the fastest roller coaster in the world.This place has got something for everyone kids enjoy many cartoon characters,one can also stroll through  the venice styled spot or enjoy landscape ride of italy. There are good cafes for food and beverages too.Ferrari world is a great place for families.We spent nearly 6 hours there and were completely exhausted on our way out fr on there.We reached our hotel in Dubai around 9:00pm and after dinner went to sleep straight away.

Tip:- Mosque is very beautiful but spend less time there so that one can enjoy more in Ferrari world.Ferrari world is the best!

As previous day was very exhausting so we did not plan anything in the morning.In the afternoon we went for the Seawings seaplane tour and this was the best tour of dubai. While it may be little expensive but is definitely worth it.The view of the Dubai's  major landmarks from the sky was just amazing(Burj khalifa,Dubai frame,Port Saeed,Palm islands,Burj al arab,world islands etc).Seaplane landing and taking off from the sea was breathtaking.We throughly enjoyed our flight.

Later in the evening we went to Jumeirah beach.It is a public beach and is nice and  Clean.My little daughter enjoyed the most in the sand there.One can click pics with Burj al Arab real close from here.For the night we had booked a private yatch tour around Dubai marina and plam islands.This was also a lovely tour as during night dubai is a city bathed in light which is worth watching.We started from Dubai marina and went through dubai eye ,Atlantis-The palm,Burj-al-Arab and then again  back to Dubai marina area in this 2hr ride. After yatch tour we  came back to our hotel.

Tip:- Seaplane tour is expensive but totally worth doing.One can select between 20 min and 40 min flight.

Today being the last day of our dubai trip we started early as we had planned shopping in the morning and miracle garden and global village in the evening.For shopping we went to the Deira market as it was nearby our hotel.This market contains spice souk as well as gold souk.Also one can find dates,chocolates and other many souvenirs here.We brought some dates and chocolates from here.
Later in the afternoon we went to the miracle garden which is an unbelievable place.It is full of flowers which look so good .It was hard to believe  that we are  in the desert!!. Another place in dubai worth going but this place is open only in the winters.After miracle garden we went to global village which is also a nice place as we get to know about different countries there culture,food,markets and traditions.It's like a trade fair where entire world has come up at one place.Again this place is also open only in the winters.

Tip:-While purchasing any souvenirs or dates,chocolates be sure to check prices in different shops as there is lot of scope for bargaining.For gold there was not much difference in the price between India and dubai until you want to purchase large amount of gold.
Miracle garden and global villages are both worth visiting and can be finished in a day inspite of the fact that lot of walking needs to be done in both the places.

On 17th Dec 2019 after finishing breakfast we directly went to the airport to take flight back home.Our flight was at around 12:50pm and we reached Delhi around 5:00pm. It was a beautiful and memorable holiday with family in dubai.We took back lots and lots of happy memories. There is something for everyone in Dubai regardless of age all can enjoy here.