In this post, I am going to try my best to convince you why Dubai fulfills all the criteria for a perfect international travel destination.
1. VISA ON ARRIVAL & EFFICIENCY
In Pics - Burj Khalifa (Day/Night)
One of the best things about Dubai (UAE in general) is a visa on arrival if you meet certain conditions. This means if you meet those conditions you can plan a trip to Dubai on a whim. Just take your passport to the Marhaba counter at the arrival area in Dubai and you get your Visa, faster than you can cook your Maggi. It is also cheaper than buying a visa online (on the date of our last visit, the Marhaba over-the-counter rate was around 3000 INR per person and the online rate was around 6500 INR per person). Do keep checking official websites for the latest rates and rules on visas.
That being said, if you do not fulfill the visa-on-arrival criteria, still the processing of their visas is so efficient. In the past, I have used the Emirates website to get my visa as I prefer to travel by Emirates airlines whenever I visit Dubai. All I had to do was submit my documents online and within 3-5 working days I got my visa. So simple and efficient!
Speaking about efficiency, in some countries you have to stand in line for hours to clear immigration. We had to wait in line for almost 3 hours when we last visited London Heathrow in May 2022. Whereas in Dubai, despite the long line in front of us, we cleared immigration within 15 minutes.
Personally, all these conveniences put the fun in fun-cation.
2. TRAVEL TIME AND QUALITY OF FLIGHT & AIRPORT
In Pic - Museum of The Future
A flight to Dubai is only three hours from Mumbai. That's shorter than traveling to many destinations within India! Plus as you are traveling by an international flight, you have a great in-flight entertainment system. An unlimited supply of movies, tv shows, games, music, etc. to get your vacation started on the right note. To welcome you on arrival is the stunning Dubai airport, one of the best in the world. The variety of shopping and dining options is vast and one can easily spend hours browsing at the airport - something to look forward to for beating the end-of-vacation blues. We personally leave a little earlier from our hotel room while traveling back just to get a few quality hours of browsing and duty-free shopping at the airport. Once again the lines move very fast at the airport for check-in etc. Overall it is a treat to travel to Dubai and to spend time at the Dubai airport.
3. INTERNATIONAL BRANDS - FOOD & SHOPPING
In Pics - Dubai Mall (Top), Mall of Emirates (Down)
Now coming to one of the most important parts of a Dubai vacation - the dining and shopping. Dubai is a hub for some of the most famous international restaurant chains. You do not need to travel all the way to the US or UK to try some of their famous restaurants. Brands like Magnolia bakery, the Cheesecake Factory, Time Out Market, Nobu, Shake Shack, Black Tap and many many more are there from all around the world. All in all, in Dubai you will never fall short of tasty dining options for every budget and mood. Then of course the local cuisine is also excellent and there are a lot of options to try out. As far as shopping goes, due to the immense wealth of this country, almost all the top international brands have their branches here. Any famous brand you can think of, bang, they have a store here. The variety of eating and shopping you get to do in this one destination is absolutely mind-boggling. The quality maintained in the big malls here is absolutely excellent and to be honest, I have tried Cheesecake Factory in the US, but I personally feel that the quality of their food is much better in Dubai!
4. HOTELS
In Pics - Atlantis The Palm (Top), Sheraton Mall of Emirates Direct Mall Entrance from Hotel (Down)
Dubai has hotels, hotels and more hotels for every budget. The hotels I have stayed at have been wonderful, especially the ones which are directly connected to big malls. For eg. Sheraton at the Mall of Emirates. This is an amazing concept as then you can roam around till late at night or catch a late-night movie at the mall and then walk back to your room in a matter of minutes without having to take a cab or the risks of going outside at night. Many hotels not connected to malls provide complimentary shuttle service to the big malls close by with fixed timings. I have even stayed in apartment hotels and budget hotels while traveling with large groups, the quality has been excellent always. The standards maintained here for everything are exceptional and hence I get even more attracted to going back to Dubai. During the off-peak times, you get really good deals on high-end/five-star hotels as well! And talking about high-end hotels, Atlantis the Palm, Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa are some of the most famous hotels in the world. Burj Al Arab is considered to be (unofficially) one of the only 7-star hotels in the world & Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world currently! You do not need to stay there to visit these hotels, you can go and dine there (Tip! do take a prior reservation) and you will be in awe of the stunning architecture and decor of these hotels! I even recently visited Raffles The Palm on Palm Jumeira (you can read my post about it here) and I was mesmerized by the magnificent gilded interiors of this hotel. So even the hotels in Dubai are a class apart from many other places. The service levels here are much higher than in many other countries I have visited.
5. WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS
In Pics - Ain Boulevard (Top), Global Village (Down)
Dubai is one of the top entertainment and tourism hubs in the world. Dubai Mall is one of the largest malls in Dubai and has the famous Dubai fountain, Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Ice Rink, Infinity des Lumieres and more. It is also situated right next to the famous Burj Khalifa. Mall of Emirates has Ski Dubai - an entire ski resort within the mall, Magic Planet, Dreamscape, Vox Cinemas (with IMAX) and more. There are beautiful beaches made for tourists like La Mer beach, Kite Beach, Marina Beach and more which are full of activities, restaurants and shops. Palm Jumeirah has so many world-class Hotels and dining options. It is also home to the Pointe - a beautiful vantage point on the palm for viewing Atlantis and the marina in all its beauty and a stunning fountain show. Blue waters island has a beautiful boulevard (Ain Dubai Boulevard) and an iconic observational wheel. There are a huge variety of theme parks in Dubai depending on your preferences. There is also the Dubai Expo - a beautifully developed area that was made for the Expo 2020 and is now open again to visitors. Seasonally Dubai also has the Global Village Festival - a melting pot of various countries including their shopping and cuisine. Other than that there are also the world-famous desert safaris and desert biking areas. What I have mentioned above is not an exhaustive list but only maybe 20% of the number of entertainment options and malls in Dubai. No matter your age or interests, Dubai will always find ways to keep you entertained!
So considering all factors combined as per my personal experience and preferences, I truly feel Dubai is a world-class international travel destination that I can keep coming back to. Thank you for reading. ❤️
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