Dubai, UAE

 I had a pleasure of traveling to Dubai, UAE for work in May 2022.   The flight time alone was 15+ hours so I took the opportunity (much thanks to Roger) to travel there early so that I can explore the city the weekend before my work events.   I flew Emirates for the first time and boy was it luxurious!  The big difference is the luxury chauffeur pickup and drop-off, the spacious business case pods, Bulgari travel bag, lounge with direct access to gate, and the 'bar' on the plane.   I would fly Emirates again in a heartbeat!

So now to the exploration portion.   Dubai is a very cosmopolitan financial hub of UAE.  The city is still under development as there are numerous high-rises and construction cranes on every block.   It's well known for Dubai Mall (the largest mall in the world), Burj Kalifa (the tallest building in the world) and the Palm (self made island worth hundreds of million for the wealthy and fabulous).   I attended two Viator tour - Old/New Dubai (half day) and Abu Dhabi (full day).  As part of work, we also engaged a tour guide for a 2 hour tour through Old Dubai.  

Old/New Dubai tour: a wonderful way to learn and explore Dubai highlights.  I especially liked the small size group (only 3 travelers) with guide and we were able to efficiently go to the Palm, Souk Madinat, Grand Bur mosque, historical center, spice and gold souk.  There were additional add-in options which I was not aware of until the tour - photographer and the Frame.   This tour ended around 2pm which gave me plenty of time to head to Burj Kalifa, see the Dubai Mall fountain (the biggest fountain in the world) and have dinner at Din Tai Fung (also at the mall). 

Abu Dhabi tour: a full day small group tour (around 12 people) with early morning departure.  It takes around 1.5 hours from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.  Sites included the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Observation Deck at 300, and Qasr Al-Watan (presidential palace).  Abu Dhabi reflects a more historical and political center of UAE.   I liked all the sites as they were beautiful, unique and gave me insights into the wealth of UAE.   

Walking Tour of Old Dubai: a tour guide was engaged for conducting a 2 hour guide of Old Dubai which included the Iranian center, textile souk, spice souk and gold souk.   I especially liked the gold souk and spent a lot of time there window shopping.   I eventually went back day before departure to purchase =)

As for meals, since most of our meals were at JW Marriott where the work event was hosted, here's some selective favorites:

- Kitchen6: fabulous international array of breakfast/brunch options.  I had soup noodles, Asian fusion daily for breakfast.   

- Prime68: premier steakhouse with great wine selection.  Provides great view of the city

- Hotel Cartagena: hidden gem within the hotel and not open to general public. Bright vibrant decor partnered with shareable plates.

I did venture out for a few meals and here's the list:

- COYA (located at the Four Seasons): lovely Peruvian restaurant with local artist art gallery for purchase.  Food was reminiscent of our time in Peru.  I wished I had more people to share food with.  Service was superb.  The Four Season is situated at Jumeirah Beach and it gave a good opportunity to walk on the beach after the meal.   

- Mimi Kakushi (located at the Four Seasons): known for being the best cocktail bar in Dubai, the cocktails were better than the food.   

Lastly if you're thinking about visiting Dubai, the timing is quite important.  Prime season is Nov - March with summer temperature starting in May.  It was hot and humid when I went with temperature in the high 90s.