dubai mall - Travel With A Butterfly

There were too many words in my latest Dubai post, which talked about where we stayed and what we did, which you can read about in It’s Been Almost 7 Years Since I Last Went to Dubai. So this post will focus mainly on the places and things we ate during the four days I was there.

I highly recommend you to check out Forget Dubai, Visit Abu Dhabi! (Day Trip) for a brief overview of the Abu Dhabi day tour I went on, which brought me to see many impressive places such as a humungous mosque and a presidential palace. You should also read my Dubai blog from 7 years ago called Dubai Is Not A Walking City, But A Dining City to find out other things I did and ate as well.

And just to set the expectations of this blog, there were neither street food or fancy restaurants that will be featured in this post. There’s like casual dining and typical Middle Eastern to more above average upscale restaurants that we mainly ate at. Continue reading Where to eat in Dubai 2023

Travel

It’s Been Almost 7 Years Since I Last Went to Dubai

ByRyan Lee

Technically, it’s been 6 years and 9 months (as of the time of this writing) since I last went to Dubai in December 2016. Which is significant in the sense that a) I went to Dubai in December so the weather was cooler than it was when I went this time and b) it felt more Christmasy last time I went, so the mood of the place was different.

A lot of the things I did do this time was similar to what I did last time, except less fancy restaurants, and more time in souks and the malls and stuff. If you want to read my previous blog about Dubai, you can read my post, Dubai is not a Walking City, but a Dining City to read about the things I did last time. I also highly recommend doing a day trip tour to visit Abu Dhabi, which is a little over an hour to get there from Dubai. You can read my post, Forget Dubai, Visit Abu Dhabi! (Day Trip) for my recent experience over there, and after seeing the photos I promise you that it will make you want to go there. For places to eat that we went this time, check out Where to eat in Dubai 2023

The reason why we stopped by Dubai again was because we were taking a flight with Emirates to go to Vienna, so we decided to check out Dubai. I think 7 years is a good time to check it out again, since people have been saying a lot of real estate have tripled in price, a lot of crypto influencers and founders are currently based there, and a lot of expats love to go there as well, since there is 0% tax there.

That being said, after my second time in Dubai, I have to admit while I can see myself going there time to time for a visit, it definitely won’t be a place I will come again as a tourist, and I’ll explain why later. Continue reading It’s Been Almost 7 Years Since I Last Went to Dubai

Travel

Dubai Is Not A Walking City, But A Dining City

ByRyan Lee

I once read a blog saying that there were many cities where you’re supposed to walk and take in the experience of the new travel destination, but Dubai was not one of them.

I concur.

Our final destination was supposed to be Athens, Greece. However, there were no direct flights available when we went just before Christmas from Hong Kong; there had to be a stopover. After looking at multiple choices, we settled on Dubai. Why? Well, the feedback we’ve gotten from Dubai was that it was a city where you can spend two to three days there and it was enough. My own opinion on that later.

So, we arrived quite early at 5:35am to the Dubai International Airport. Contrary to all the lauding and praise of the airport, I was not amused. Nothing suggested modern, forward, or unique. Sure it was in light desert colors, giving it of Middle Eastern theme, and sure there were restaurants and shops that were open at 2am when we were on our flights back to Hong Kong, suggesting they were probably opened 24/7, and sure it’s gigantic, but it didn’t stand out. I mean, I would take the HK Airport or Singapore Changi Airport over Dubai Int’l Airport.

The feel of Dubai was a simple, laid back city. The restaurant service, the walking pace, everything felt very leisure, in a non-rushed pace, which was quite an annoyance at first just coming from Hong Kong and trying to get out of the airport asap. Even the metro felt it was driving at a “colloquial” pace. Not saying it’s casual or unprofessional, just saying it’s the way of life here. Continue reading Dubai Is Not A Walking City, But A Dining City