I surprised my husband with a trip to Dubai for his 40th birthday. He was shocked! On Christmas I gave him a travel bag and I placed the tickets with the hotel information inside of the pocket of the travel bag and when he opened it, he was completely speechless. I know that Dubai is a place that has been on his bucket list for a while so I wanted to make sure that for his 40th birthday we did it big real big. His reaction to the fact that I had already booked our flights and our hotel was so heartwarming. His birthday is in April which actually the best time to visit Dubai before it gets crazy hot so it worked out really well. We truly had an unforgettable experience. 

I booked us two premium economy, round-trip flights from Houston to Dubai, it was a straight 15 hour flight so I wanted to make sure we were pretty comfortable which. I did not do economy although I’ve heard that economy is comfortable because Emirates has great customer service. I wanted to do a bit extra and make sure that we were good.  We were comfortable, round-trip tickets from Houston to Dubai were about $6400. After we boarded, we were greeted by the flight attendants for complementary drinks, which is always nice. We were also given small self care bags which had socks, as well as a sleep mask for us to use during our flight. We were also provided with a menu. The menu consisted of a few wine options as well as a full brunch menu and a full dinner menu with appetizers, entrées, desserts and light bites. We also received hot towels as well to freshen up. After that, I grabbed my champagne and it was time for takeoff. Shortly, after being in the air, it was time to order our food. I opted for the chicken which came with rice, veggies, bread, a side salad and dessert. In between meal times, they offered chocolates, mixed nuts as well as other light bites. Another great thing about Emirates is that they have so many entertainment options. They have everything from live TV, tv shows, movies, music and even podcasts. When I wasn’t indulging in a meal or catching up on some entertainment, I was sleep during the flight. I was actually able to sleep pretty comfortably. The seats went back far enough to were it felt comfortable to get some rest. I’m typically able to sleep on flights but with this being such a long flight, I was a bit concerned.  I purchased some Olly sleep gummies prior to our trip to help with my sleep on the flight. We landed pretty late so we just ordered room service from our hotel. My husband ordered the chicken shawarma wrap and I got the Caesar salad with chicken and both were surprisingly good. 

Speaking of which we stayed at Five Palm Jumeirah and it was a stunning property. It was filled with gold and beautiful architecture. I splurged for the Luxe sea view which was about $4200 US dollars for 6 nights. I’m so glad that I got the Luxe Sea View because the view was AMAZING. The entire bathroom was wrapped in gold details with a rainfall showers, soaker tube, toilet and bidet. There was no better way to book in my opinion. 

The next morning, we decided to get up and have breakfast at Boulevard on One which is one of the many restaurants at this hotel. It is set up as a buffet so they have pretty much everything you can think of. They have a huge variety. We didn’t know what we wanted to eat or where we wanted to eat our first day there. So, the first morning we just decided to go to Boulevard on One. I had a veggie omelette with some granola and some fresh fruit. All the fruit is really fresh and this restaurant also has a nice view of the pool. It is a lovely view for you to eat breakfast to in the morning. Our first morning we also did about an hour workout at the hotel gym. The gym is small but it’s very clean and has all of the essentials to get a nice sweat on vacation. 

After breakfast we headed out to our Abu Dhabi city tour. I was really excited about this. We had a bunch of different places to stop on the tour, but that’s what I was looking forward to the most. So off to Abu Dhabi we went for our city tour and a world of adventure. We scheduled out tour through Viator. I like to book excursions through tour operators like Viator for safety purposes and the fact that sometimes you can get an exclusive offer. We got to see the beautiful city on the way to Abu Dhabi which was about 1.5 drive from our hotel. The mosque was the first thing that we went to on the tour. Once we finally arrived, it was beautiful. But I will say there were a bunch of lines that you had to stand get to the property. It was so many people. It was very beautiful. I’m so glad I got to see it in person, but if I never went back again, I wouldn’t mind. The architecture is amazing. Also, they are very, very strict rules which is annoying. As a woman you have to be very, very covered up in order to attend this tour of the mosque. I had on a kaftan which covered past my elbow and I still had to get some arm sleeves. They also have a bunch of vendors, stores, shops and restaurants there. If you need to get anything at the shops to ensure that you can enter for the tour you can find it there as well as souvenirs and gifts. So next on the tour was Emirates Palace hotel. This hotel screams luxurious lifestyle. It overlooks a beautiful view of the water and apparently it’s like extremely expensive and cost like $12,000 a night to stay there. The Architecture is no joke it’s filled with gold and marble. It was very, very, very luxurious. The architecture skill level in Dubai is immaculate. It was a really pretty pretty place. We walked around a bit got some pictures and then we headed for a drive of the city to see the homes of the rich families in Dubai which were insane and some other iconic landmarks! After that we passed by the dates market and headed back to the hotel.

That night we went to have dinner at our hotel. The view from the restaurant rooftop of Maiden Shanghai was everything!! Dubai truly knows something about creating unique experiences. The food was very mediocre. I think the spot is best for appetizers and drinks. The best thing that we got on the menu was the Crispy prawn and Chilean sea bass rolls. The view overlooking the persian gulf is what truly makes this restaurant something special. 

The next morning we got up for a workout. After the work out, we grabbed some breakfast at a different breakfast restaurant at the hotel which is set up similar to a café style.They had pretty good menu options for us so we ate there for breakfast. This restaurant is called The Delisserie. After breakfast we headed out. We actually ended up renting a car so that we could move around pretty freely and not have to worry about Uber or taxis. It was so much more convenient because we had a lot of things that we wanted to do. Also valet was free at the hotel during our stay. 

We drove to AURA Skypool. AURA has a huge panoramic view of Dubai. It was really nice. That Dubai skyline is everything..and then some. They offer different seating packages and areas for you to sit. I will say it can get a little expensive. We got a cabana and then we still have to pay for food because food is not included. Also AURA is very popular so if you want to go be sure you book months in advance. They have cocktails and a bunch of different food options for you. They have sushi and they have chicken and seafood and a bunch of different things for you to get. Overall, the food was very mediocre. I think that people mainly come here just for the view because the view is absolutely stunning. AURA is a huge pool that wraps all the way around and you can see the entire Dubai. I’m sure it’s one of the best places with a view. I got some footage because it was just so beautiful and so relaxing. I definitely think that this was a great  place to visit since it was our first time in Dubai. Just be aware things can get expensive, depending on where you want to sit and how much food and drinks you want to order. We were there for about three hours so by the time we left it was night time and it looks great at night as well. They have different time options nighttime or daytime. 

The next day we went on our morning desert safari which we also booked through Viator. The tour included dune bashing, ATV’s and camel rides. We had a great professional guide. It was definitely a dubai adventure and a lifetime experience. We had a great tour guide who got some amazing photos of use. We did the dune bashing first which was a lot for me. I’m not sure if this is considered extreme sports but it should be. You are basically speeding up and down the hills of the arabian desert which sounds fun but it’s very nerve wrecking. It made me nauseous. Now for all my adventure enthusiasts this is for you. It was a thrilling ride and an adrenaline-pumping experience for sure. If you want an adrenaline rush go for it. Honestly, I could’ve done without this part of the tour. When we got to the top of the hill we were able to get some really great pictures which kind of made it worth it. But, just beware it can be a lot. After taking some pictures and getting some videos in the middle of the desert, which was crazy and still kind of surreal in my mind, we went back down the hills. We hopped on the ATVs to ride in the desert. This is also for my adventure seekers. This was definitely a cool experience. I have personally only beeen on a ATV in the jungle of Mexico so being able to do it in the desert of Dubai was so dope. Talk about arabian adventures! This was a cool experience and I highly recommend it. 

Fortunately, for us, it wasn’t too too hot, but we also booked our tour in the early parts of the morning. I think this really helped with the heat. Be sure to wear clothes that was very light. This also helped keep me pretty cool throughout the day and the heat did not feel too overbearing. After we finished with the ATVs, it was time for camel riding. This was absolutely something that I was looking forward to when it came to this trip. I will say that it was not as fun as I thought it would be. The camels are definitely a bit intimidating and the whole experience was a little frightening. Initially, when we got on the camel the camel did not want to walk or move forward at all. The  instructor had to literally pull the camel in order to make it walk for our ride. This automatically rubbed me the wrong way and all I could think is…this has got to be animal cruelty. Right? Honestly, I was so glad that the camel ride was short because I was ready to get off. We snapped a picture, did the short camel ride and then I was ready to go. If it is your first time in Dubai, you will most likely want to go on a camel ride, but just know that it may not be everything that you expected. 

After the tour, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up and get some rest and then we headed to Old Souk/Gold Souk. I will say that this area is definitely not a very flashy area of Dubai. Honestly, it looks really suspect but apparently Dubai has like no crime or very low crime rate. They have some of the highest safety standards. But this area made me do a little bit of a side eye. We really wanted to check it out and it’s definitely part of the Dubai experience. It can be very crowded. There’s no parking. Everything is street parking and we had a hard time finding parking. We finally found a parking garage that was reasonably priced and we parked there. It was giving..OK this is the real Dubai! It’s packed with people and filled with a bunch of shops almost like flea market style. Honestly, it can be very very overwhelming and the people are very demanding when it comes to trying to get you to go into their shop. So just be prepared. 

That night we headed to Dubai mall to go see the Fountain show, we ate at Joe’s Café. The food was very mediocre. I don’t recommend. Although it really does have a great view of the show! The Fountain show was really amazing and that I will recommend. The Fountain show is very popular. Everything is lit up. It’s actually really nice and it made for a really nice moment in Dubai. They do the Fountain show at Dubai mall and just so you know Dubai mall is a great mall, but it is huge. I’m convinced it has to be one of the largest malls in the world. It is extremely overwhelming and you will get lost so very easily if you do not know your way around. We got lost more times than I can count at the mall so after this experience we never went back. The mall is very very overwhelming. It’s very big, it was a lot so be prepared. The parking is in the garage and it very confusing. But overall I’m glad that we got to see the Fountain show on our first trip to Dubai. The show was really stunning and it lasted about 15 minutes.

The next day we went to a restaurant called Brunch and Cake which was recommended to me by a local. It was 10 out of 10!  We had the Cheesecake pancakes, the breakfast nachos, the tacos, the bc scramble and I also got a vanilla almond milk latte which was so good. The egg scramble had a zucchini, pancake with it and it was so good. This has been the best brunch experience of my life. The aesthetic was great and we cleaned our plates because this place is 10 out of 10! Honestly it makes no sense to even go to Dubai and not go to Brunch and Cake. 

We also went to Miracle Garden which was important to me because I really wanted to see it in person. It was great to see and it was so creative and a lot of really good spots to get videos and pictures. It was a nature lovers dream.They also have a a lot vendors inside which I didn’t realize but just FYI. 

That evening we went to Ting Irie Jamaican Grill for dinner. Ting Irie is a fresh modern take on Caribbean cuisine and food. If you like Jamaican food and good R and B and hip-hop music then this is a great option. Ting Irie has a DJ and a full bar. They also have brunch which I heard really great things about. I ordered the Cajun jerk chicken pasta and rum punch. 

For our last day in Dubai we ate at ULA and this place was nice. It had a really nice view, Tulum inspired decor. It was a good set up overall. This restaurant is located inside of Dukes The Palm hotel. They had a good food menu and food options as well as cocktail options and the food was really good. I got the chicken souvlaki, which is essentially a chicken kebab with pita bread and it’s served with French fries. Highly recommend, It was seasoned so well. We also got some mixed veggies. 

On our last day we went to the beach and the pool. We went to beach by five at our hotel and we hung out and had some drinks. We have a little photo shoot on the beach as well. There are photographers all around the hotel and they are available for mini shoots. It was such a pretty day. The weather was so nice. We had a great time. We stayed until sunset and we enjoyed ourselves. It was a vibe. I actually really liked Beach by Five the best because it was in between kind of being on the beach and then also having the pool without feeling too overwhelming with people. The hotel pool was a lot like a club, there were sections and people popping bottles. It was a little overwhelming, so Beach by Five was basically a good in between. After that I ended the night with a glass of champagne, and taking in the view of Dubai from our balcony. Cheers to an amazing Dubai Trip!