We chose a short stop in Dubai for three days, as it was almost half way between KL and Albania and had direct flights for both legs. However, what happens when you’re making hurried decisions for a RTW trip? A sub-optimal choice of location and timing is the answer. So, who chooses to go to Dubai in June? It’s low season, but there’s a damn good reason why and it’s this…
The seven-hour flight and three-hour time difference leave us a bit knackered. The heat and the “similar to opening the oven door” wind whisks away all ambition and we spend the whole of the next day in the cool, cool air con of our hotel.
The following day we venture out. There were potential plans to see the old town, art galleries, and other such culture. What we actually did was visit two of the more ridiculous sights in the whole of the UAE.
First up was ‘The Frame’. It’s 150m (48 storeys) high, it’s huge, and it’s gold. And in the blazing sun, it’s shining brighter than our sweaty faces in the midday sun. It sells itself as showing past, current and future Dubai, which is quite a statement. Future Dubai seems to consist entirely of a CGI Mars base entirely covered in UAE flags, whilst Past and Current Dubai were “take look to your right and then left” when we reached the top.
However, having left our cynicism on ground level, it was actually extremely good fun. We loved it and thought it well worth a visit. At around £10 for entry, it was definitely one of the more affordable sights to see. Allan also managed to walk on the glass floor at the top without too much vertigo and we saw the Dubai skyline from within lovely, cool, air conditioned surrounds.
Next up, via an air con cab to avoid temperatures now approaching the surface of the sun, is the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa. The size of this building is difficult to fathom, especially at ground level, but it is just flipping huge. For those who love the stats, it is 829m high (around three times the height of the Eiffel Tower and twice that of the Empire State Building) and 154 floors.
We don’t go to the observation deck, instead limiting ourselves to a brief look from the edge of the very confusing Dubai Mall next door. Maybe next time we’ll see this marvel of engineering at night, as there’s meant to be a superb fountain display and big buildings are often a lot more spectacular at night. But, we were a tad underwhelmed, especially compared to the magnificently pretty Petronas Twin Towers in KL. It could be that the Burj Khalifa is just too big at ground level to comprehend its sheer scale, as it does look a bit special when seen from a distance with the rest of the Dubai skyline.
And finally, a special mention to where we stayed in Dubai – the airport Premier Inn. The brand delivered its expected comfortable and (especially for Dubai) exceedingly good value accommodation at less than £35 per night including breakfast. There is also always the slight expectation of seeing Lenny Henry, but no luck this time.
We’ve been watching ‘Benidorm’ whilst on this break – an all too real parody of the Brits abroad in the sun, who are loving their full English breakfast, stupid cocktails in the bar, and eating British food at night whilst hardly ever venturing out of their hotel.
At the Dubai Premier Inn, we had full English breakfast, many Pina Coladas, sausage and mash – not forgetting the HP sauce – indulged in Curry Club Tuesday, Costa Coffee (roasted very near our flat in Vauxhall y’know) and barely left the hotel. Of course, given where we are, it’s unlikely that Lesley will be able to make an appearance.
That said, we feel like we’ve discovered our Benidorm-by-the-Burj. And, after four months in SE Asia, we damn well loved it.
