If your friends have only got 12 hours, you want to spend it wisely.
Live in Dubai long enough, and you’ll start to feel like an amateur tour guide. Our city is home to the world’s busiest international airport, but 70 per cent of the people who pass through it are in transit further points.
In hopes of getting them out of the airport and into Dubai itself, the UAE cabinet has announced new day visas which would let travellers see the sights between legs of their journey.
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As What’s On reports, it’s aimed at boosting tourism in the emirate, so we thought we’d put together a little guide for new players.
Here’s what to do with your visitors when they’ve only got one day in Dubai.
Good morning
Pick your loved ones up, because when you’re operating on a restricted time frame, you don’t want to lose time with taxi confusion.
The goal here is to show them the best of Dubai in a short time frame, and we want to include a bit of variety, so why not head to JBR for breakfast?
You can point out some major sights along Sheikh Zayed Road on your way, and the beachfront promenade is perfect for a stretch of the legs. They’ll be wanting that after spending eight-plus hours in a seated position.
This is the opportunity to point out Ain Dubai and the forthcoming Caesars Palace, plus if they’re first-timers, you know they’ll love seeing camels on the beach.
Cafe-wise, we’d point you towards either Eggspectation or Pots, Pans & Boards.
Quick dip
Did you put towels in the car? We’d recommend it, because as long as it’s cool enough, a swim in the sea at Sunset Beach in Umm Suqeim is the ideal mid-morning stop-off.
Enjoy some Burj Al Arab views from this public beach, and let your visitors wash the plane off in the Arabian Gulf. Much better.
Go large
It doesn’t really count as visiting Dubai if you didn’t hit at least one super-sized mall, so it’s time to take your mates to The Dubai Mall.
Time this right, and you can watch the 1pm or 1.30pm showings of the Dubai Fountain, which is another big tick off the list. Pop outside and point out the Burj Khalifa. It’s kind of hard to miss.
It’s almost certainly lunchtime by now, so get that sorted (we recommend either Al Hallab by the waterfall on level two or Super Natural Kitchen in the Galleries Lafayette) and then find your way to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo.
Whether you go in or not will depend on how you’re going for time, but there’s plenty to look at from the mall itself.
The novelty value of seeing a slightly huge shark in the middle of a shopping mall is worth the visit in itself.
Hit up a shop or two (we love you, & Other Stories), and head down to The Nail Spa. There, a mani pedi will set you back Dhs190, and you can add on a 30-minute back massage for Dhs110. Just the thing for between flights, we think.
Dine and dash
Time has a tendency to run away while you’re in The Dubai Mall – it’s just that huge, and getting from A to B always takes longer than expected.
So you might be nearing departure time, but you can’t send your guests away without dinner.
Head to Baker & Spice in the Souk Al Bahar for some locally grown organic goodies and the added advantage of not needing to move the car. Efficiencies, people.
Plus, the look and feel of the Souk Al Bahar is a bonus for visitors.
From there you’re only about 15 minutes from the airport (once you get out of the car park).
Hey, after all that you know they’ll sleep on their next flight.
Images: Getty, Instagram
