6 Reasons To Visit Dubai This Year

I know Dubai can be a bit of a ‘love it’ or ‘hate it’ destination, but having been there four times now, I can safely say that I am firmly a fan. Firstly, it’s such a different place to visit: around every corner you’ll find skyscrapers, paired with crystal clear waters and white sand beaches. It really is a surreal place for all the right reasons.

I’m lucky that I have a close friend who lives out there (find out what we got up to on one of our visits here) but I’m also lucky enough to have visited with a friend just before the pandemic hit in 2020, so I feel as though I’ve had experiences of both sides of the coin, so to speak.

Although they still have restrictions when it comes to Covid (we had to do a PCR test before we went, they encourage masks to be worn inside and outside, and you can only dance around your tables in bars) it still felt as though there was a real party atmosphere, and it was still full of tourists.

Today’s post is all about the reasons you should put Dubai on your to visit list ASAP!

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Food

Although you may not have food as a priority when you go away, for me it really is! I love researching restaurants and bars before I go abroad and making a list of places to visit before I go. This time around we ate at some amazing places such as brunch at Common Grounds and Eggspectation (get the pancakes with crispy potatoes – a dream!) and a lovely meal at L’Antica Pizzeria. All these places were around the JBR area, where you’ll also find some more common chains as well as slightly different eateries – something for everyone!

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Beaches

It goes without saying that Dubai has some of the best beaches in the world. If you’re lucky enough to be staying in a resort that has it’s own beach, take full advantage of the crystal clear water, which seem to be warm all year round!

That said, if you’re staying more in the city, or by the Marina, there are still public beaches to be found everywhere. My favourites are Barasti and the beach at JBR.

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People

I don’t know if it’s because we’ve been in a pandemic for almost two years, but I do find that the people of Dubai are super happy to have tourists back and it is one of the most friendly places I’ve visited in the past few years. Whether it’s a local taxi driver or hotel staff, everyone will always greet you with a big smile on their face, which can be just what you need when the rest of the place can be quite overwhelming sometimes!

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Winter Sun / weather

If all the other reasons aren’t tickling your fancy, perhaps the weather will do just that! With temperatures that are 25+ in the UK’s winter months, it’s easy to see why you would pick it for some winter sun. When we visited last month, the temperature didn’t get below 30, which was a real shock to the system landing back in Manchester!

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Always Something To Do

Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie and want to ride a quad bike over the dunes, or you’d rather chill out at a brunch with a cocktail in hand, Dubai always has something for you to be doing. I love anything that gets my heartrate up, so I’m all for dune-bashing and a skydive (yet to be done!) but I also love the chilled vibe of a brunch, and getting tipsy whilst watching the sunset on this beautiful place.

On this past trip, we did the newly opened Ain Dubai, which is the world’s tallest ferris wheel which I would highly recommend, if you’re ok with heights that is!

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The contrast

One of the things we did on this trip was visit the Dubai Frame, which is positioned to look back into the old town, and forward to what’s to come. It cost around £8, and is easily accessible by the metro and the views are incredible across the city. We were there just before sunset and it was one of my favourite memories.

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I hope this has given you some reasons to visit this year or next. It really is a place like no other, and I can’t wait to get back there!