One or two might know that I lived in Dubai for a while. To be honest I cannot complain about the lifestyle in Dubai. The only thing to complain about is the weather during summertime. The thermometer sometimes reaches over 50ºC. And the heat goes on…That’s really insane… You feel like you are standing in your bath room, the shower full power and full heat and you hold your hairdryer directly in your face on the highest temperature. I lived in Dubai Marina in the now renowned the Torch Tower which first was under fire in February 2015 and the second time yesterday night…
I love the Marina area with the Marina Walk and the boats and my sea view from my old apartment. And the Exhale Fitness Club in JBR was not far away.

Even I’m back in Germany I love to go back to Dubai to see my friends and my flatmate. It was a blind date with my flatmate but we became very good friends and are still in contact and we always meet when I’m in Dubai.
I get a lot of questions from people travelling to Dubai where to go, where to stay, where to eat etc…. and I love to take people to Dubai to show them not only the tourist places….

People always forget that there are two different Dubai – the new Dubai and the old Dubai (Deira). Whenever you go to Deira it feels like you are transformed into a different world. It’s not about glitz and glam and parties etc…. It’s about Abras and the Creek! Spices, gold, the old lifestyle, traders coming in and out with their boats.

I thought I’m gonna share with you some of my favourite places in my Dubai… besides the favourite shopping places: Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and the new City Walk Area.

A place I never get tired of to watch in Dubai are the Fountains next to Dubai Mall. I could sit there for hours watching the fountains play with the music in the background. If you book a table at Armani Ristorante, enjoy your desert outside on the terrace and watch the fountains 🙂

Favourite places to eat:
Iran Zamin – Dubai Marina, or Downtown Sheikh Mohammed Boulevard
(my absolute favourite place, it’s not posh or anything but heavenly Persian food)
Leila – Arabic Food, Downtown Sheikh Mohammed Boulevard
La Petite Maison –  bit posh, best Restaurant in Dubai in 2015 – DIFC Area
Cipriani – very good Italien high class food DIFC Area
Armani Ristorante – they have the best desert: Sphera, Downtown Burj Khalifa
Zuma – nice Sushi with a party later on – DIFC Area
Pier Chic – well it’s a bit too romantic for me, Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah
Rüya – my friend Suad took me there the last time. It’s in Marina and they offer an amazing Turkish cuisine

Best Bars:
360º at Jumeirah Beach Hotel – the walk down to 360 is stunning as Burj al Arab is right next to it. Small bar on a little island
101 – The One and Only the Palm – amazing view over the skyline of Dubai
Eauzone – The One and Only Royal Mirage
Barasti – well some like it some not – I’m not a big fan of Barasti. Beach Bar
Blue Marlin – nice Beach Club
Skyview Bar – Burj Al Arab – amazing view over Dubai
Nasimi Beach – that’s the place where we spent our Friday afternoons – Atlantis the Palm

 

Of course, the building you cannot overlook is Burj Khalifa. I love the Burj Khalifa. I had the honour to go in and out everyday as my flatmate worked there.

Can you spot Burj Khalifa in the back? This will give you an impression on which floor we were. I think it was somewhere around 80th floor.

 

The hotels where I stay when I visit Dubai are usually the same. When I go for a business trip or just to visit friends I stay at Vida Downtown. Love the style, the rooms, the staff and the small pool with the day beds. Breakfast is heaven 🙂

If I go there for beach holidays, I stay either at the Westin like in June or the Only and Only the Palm.

There is of course the famous Burj Al Arab – but to be honest with you this hotel is too colourful for me.

Another nice area with some good hotels is Jumeirah Beach Residences! They have a nice walk with different amazing restaurants, shopping malls and cinemas. I think that’s the area that changed the most since I went back home to Germany.
If you are looking for a budget hotel with a good location I can recommend Media One Hotel in Media City. It’s 5 minutes to the Marina Walk and 15-20 minutes walk to JBR Beach and about 15 minutes by metro to Dubai Mall. They have no beach access but they have a quite nice pool area.

And then there is the old Dubai: Deira – with the Gold Souk, the Spice Souk and different lifestyle. Those are original Souks.
There is also Souk Madinat and Souk Al Bahar – but these are just recreated Souks.

Not to forget: the desert. Go on a desert safari and enjoy a fascinating place and a magical evening. Nothing can describe the way I felt when I went out there. Book your trip through Arabian Adventures they are part of the Emirates Group!

Hope you enjoyed a little bit of my Dubai! The place I call my second home.

XOXO
Sonja