Hey guys!

I’m so excited to finally be putting my Dubai post up!

When your best friend says “I’m going to Dubai for my birthday” you correct her and say “no WE are going to Dubai for your birthday!” Then BOOM, you’re in Dubai for her birthday! 😀

Let me just say this, I have no idea what the “need to know” details are when traveling to a new place. I just know my journey and a lot of that includes my friends and I figuring it out.

So, this is in no way a “I know everything about travel” post. This is a “I’m a regular woman from Richmond, VA just figuring it out. So, if I can go, you can go too” post.

First Things First, My Flight
This Fenty highlighter is just love!

Since I’ve returned from my trip, my flight has been the most asked about detail. This was probably the easiest thing to figure out. I used an app called Hopper to monitor flight prices for about 2 months before I purchased my ticket. I found that Emirates, an airline based in Dubai, UAE was the best option for my travel needs.

A few fun flight details:

  • I found it cheaper to leave from Dulles in Washington, D.C. Even with the drive to the airport from Richmond, the price leaving from DC was still much cheaper.
  • I flew from Dulles to Dubai with no layover. My flight time was about 14 hours.
  • Emirates did charge a fee for seat selection. The seat prices varied between $35 USD-$135 USD.
  • My flight total was $796 USD. This included my round-trip ticket and my seat selection price.
One of my meals on the flight.

Before and during travel, Emirates offered a variety of accommodations that were very helpful. I was able to enter my dietary restrictions prior to boarding and at the beginning of each flight they gave each passenger a blanket, pillow, headphones and travel pack that included a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, earplugs and a pair of socks!

Hotel Accommodations

During my stay in Dubai, I stayed at the Marriott Executive Apartments Al Jaddaf, Dubai. Each apartment had 1 king bedroom, 1 double bedroom, 2 and a half bathrooms, a full kitchen and living room. With my group needs, that space comfortably slept 3 people (I’m sure that number can be turned to 6 depending on your needs, but as for me, I needs my own bed! Yes, I meant needs lol).

The hotel staff was amazing. I asked endless questions at all times of the day and night. They were helpful and pleasant no matter what time it was. The fact that they had a late night hookah bar just made me love this hotel even more.

Fun Activities
Jumeirah Beach

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing day at the beach, a site seeing day in the city or a turn up session at the club, Dubai is the place to go. Google and Instagram are the two tools that I’ve always used to find an activity of choice before traveling. I always find the best places with ease. Usually following one or two Instagram accounts that are associated with your destination is enough. After that the pages will find you, I promise.

Before travel, my group found a company by the name of Viator. They offered so many options to explore not only Dubai, but Abu Dhabi as well. We booked a desert safari and a day trip to Abu Dhabi through the company. They provided hotel pick up and drop off, which made everything very convienent. They went above and beyond to make sure your day with them, was a day well spent.

A Day In The Desert
You can’t take the Richmond out of me!

 

A Few Highlights From My Day In Abu Dhabi

One of the places I could not wait to visit while in Abu Dhabi was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This Mosque was absolutely beautiful. Learning about the culture and wearing the traditional clothing during my visit was one of the highlights of my trip.

 



A Day On A Yacht

Best fran ish