Traveling to Dubai for Our Honeymoon

To preface this blog post, I would like to say, if you ever get the chance to visit Dubai….

…Go for it!

I have absolutely nothing but positive things to say about our trip to the UAE.

The closest to a negative, that I can get, is that the don’t have Dr. Pepper [Probably actually a good thing].

Where are you going on your honeymoon?

We got this question, like most newlyweds, more times than I can count.

Almost every response to our answer [Dubai], was some look of shock.

This was probably because Dubai is not an overly common honeymoon location or even vacation spot; At least not among people we know. Because of this reason, planning this trip took a lot of patience and effort on our part.

Let me tell you though; It was worth every minute!

Hopefully, if Dubai is a destination on your bucket list [Or maybe it wasn’t until you saw this blog post], this will make your planning go a little bit smoother.

There are so many beautiful experiences to be had in Dubai. However, at the top of the list would have to be a…

Meet Monae, the camel! Meeting her requires a bit of a ride outside of the city and out to the surrounding desert [Roughly an hour away from our resort]. Nonetheless, it is a must do!

The guide literally provides transportation; Both to and from the safari location. They actually picked us up right in front of our resort!

On the ride there, we stopped at a small marketplace and bought our headwrap [Pictured above]….

Which was totally a must have; Am I write?

We got to spend time riding, observing, and petting Monae, and multiple other camels. We even got to meet some baby camels!

Most of their time is spent in open desert, roaming and sun bathing. They were all very friendly and seemed to truly love human interaction; Honestly, much like that of a dog [I know, I was shocked too]!

Getting to ride a camel was not comfortable! It was a great experience but don’t expect a smooth ride. Also, be sure to get over any fear of heights; These babies are HUGE!

The desert safari tours can be booked through your hotel or searched for online prior to arrival. There are tons of different options…

Camel Rides
Sand Boarding [This was an absolute blast!]
ATV Tours|Off-roading [If you get motion sick easily, plan ahead]
Dinner with Belly Dancing Show

We booked through a company that I found online. They offer a ton of great excursion options. We chose the Morning Safari and Sand boarding option.

Link:

Desert Gate Company

Another great place to find tourist attractions is, Groupon.

Yes, Groupon; You will have to change your search criteria to the correct location; Dubai, United Arab Emirates. “Things to do” is the category I looked at; It was very helpful and easy to navigate.

Next on the “to do” list, is a visit to the Burj Khalifa [The tallest building in the world].

2,722 Feet Tall

163 Floors

This picture is taken from, almost, the top floor; Here, there is a wrap around balcony that overlooks the entire city.

The view was breath taking, with only a sheet of glass separating you from scaling the monstrous sky scrapper; Just like Tom Cruise in the movie, Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol, which features the Burj Khalifa.

Located in downtown Dubai and next to the Burj Khalifa is the Dubai Mall. Dubai holds another record here for the largest mall in the world. Naturally, this was our next stop!

This mall has over 1,300 retail stores, offers an an ice skating rink, is home to the Dubai Aquarium, has over 200 food and beverage outlets, has a movie theater, and more [Totaling in at 5,400,000 sq ft].

Outside of the the Dubai Mall is the famous Dubai Fountain. Preforming a choreographed, dancing fountain show every 30 minutes, from 6pm-11pm; Lasting 5-10 minutes per show. This manmade piece of art shoots 22,000 gallons of water up to heights equivalent to a 50-storey building; Putting the Bellagio Fountain show, in Las Vegas to shame [Yes, I have seen both in person].

After we finished shopping around at this mall, we took the metro to the Mall of Emirates. We ran out of time to get to do any, fair amount of, shopping here. However, it was for a very good reason.

This was a dream winter wonderland experience [I only had to travel to the desert to get there]!

There are a multitude of play packages offered; That all vary in time allotment. You even get your gear right on sight.

Offering…

Snow Boarding|Skiing
A Ski Lift
Sledding
Snow Tubbing
Penguin Encounters
Food|Drinks
Ice Castle|Cave

…and more

We spent the better half of our afternoon, getting to act like kids, and finished the day off with some hot chocolate [Overflowing with marshmallows of course].

Atlantis…

…The Palm

Where did you stay and why?

We stayed at the Atlantis Resort, on the palm, and absolutely loved it!

There was so much to do; Without even having to leave the resort.

19 Restaurants
Aquaventure
- Sea Lion Point
- Dolphin Bay
- Waterpark
- Lost Chambers Aquarium
- Diving|Snorkeling
Pools|Beaches| Watersports
ShuiQui Spa
Sky-High Dubai

I have to start with…

Every free minute, not spent roaming around town, was spent around some body of water. Naturally, even if you have never heard of the Atlantis Resort before today, you can probably guess that it has an aquatic designed vibe.

Well, I would say that even this assumption would be an understatement. Stepping onto “The Palm” [A man made island shaped like a palm tree] is like stepping into another world.

Staying at Atlantis, is like becoming a part of King Triton’s luxurious inner circle; You are truly submerging yourself in the waters of, what seems to be, part of the lost city of Atlantis.

The Aquaventure Waterpark is included in your resort package and therefore, is a freebie must do!

Dolphin Bay, was one of the best experiences of my life! There are multiple packages that you can choose from; All varying in price and interaction specifics with these beautiful mammals.

We did the “Dolphin Adventure” package and I assure you it did not disappoint!

I never thought I would get to ride in a helicopter!

Well, here is the proof!

Sky-High Dubai is located right next to the Atlantis Resort.

We did one of the shorter tours [I apologize for not remembering the specific name right now]. I was worried, at first, that this may not be enough time or worth the money; Well I was wrong.

It was AMAZING! The tour took us on a loop over downtown Dubai and I have to say, it was an experience like no other.

What would you do now, looking back, that you didn’t get to do the first time?

Experience the Old Town Dubai Souks and Markets
Visit the Grand Bur Dubai Masjid [A Grand Mosque in Dubai]

Dubai Metro [Most cost effective]
Uber [Most convenient]
Taxi Service [More cost effective than Uber services]

When planning your trip, remember, Dubai currency [Dirham] is very different than the USD.

1.00 Dirham = 0.27 USD

This currency conversion can change regularly so be sure and check what the most current and up to date conversion is.

Pricing within the resorts can be extensively more expensive than when you are outside of the resort and exploring around town. To help curve this cost; Our resort offered a meal package that included extensive 3 course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were able to eat at any of the 19 restaurants on site.

These restaurants varied between…