Exploring The Gulf!

The first time I flew through Dubai I was extremely apprehensive. As the plane dropped lower and lower, all I could see on the ground was sand! Well, that was around 35 years ago and things have changed a great deal! I have flown through Dubai several times since then and have marvelled at the amazing expansion that has occurred both outwards, upwards and also into the sea. Dubai has become a city suspended between the future and tradition. I made a mental note that I really should return to explore the area.

Although I have made many ship visits over the years, my preference is to be more of an independent traveller/explorer. I had never spent more than a couple of nights on board a cruise ship. However, all this changed at the beginning of 2016 when I saw the fabulous itineraries now being offered by cruise ships in The Gulf. And so, in the middle of March, I flew to Dubai to experience my first proper cruise and to explore the area.

After an evening departure from London, we arrived the following morning. A short taxi ride and we were at the cruise terminal. Bags were dropped, lunch was taken on board and we were off! I can thoroughly recommend the hop on/hop off open top bus tours, and after negotiation we acquired tickets for not only that day but also to cover our day of return to Dubai, and for some of the other destinations on our itinerary. We managed to explore the old town, the museum, gold and spice souks and take an abra ride across the creek before returning to the ship for dinner as we watched the skyline of Dubai disappear as we set off for Abu Dhabi.

Another open top bus tour cramming in all the major sights! The buildings are amazing along the Corniche, such as the Sky Tower, the landmark Emirates Palace Hotel, the Heritage Village, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island with its grand prix circuit and Ferrari World. And not forgetting the stunning Sheikh Zayed Mosque, one of the largest in the world, accommodating up to 40,000 worshipers. It is Abu Dhabi’s most important landmark and one of the most beautiful mosques in the world.

On reflection of the Mosque’s religious importance to Abu Dhabi, no expense has been spared in its construction. The Mosque features 82 domes all decorated with white marble, with 1000 marble columns, each inlaid with semi-precious stones. The prayer halls are bedecked with Italian white marble inlaid with floral designs, and the Mosque’s interior walls have decorative gold-glass mosaics. It features the world’s largest chandelier; 15 metres high and 10 metres in diameter. The prayer hall also holds the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. The carpet was crafted in Iran by 1200 artisans who were then flown to Abu Dhabi to stitch the carpet pieces together in location. The Mosque’s 17000m2 courtyard is decorated with white marble from Greece and the building is surrounded by tiled pools that reflect and embellish the Mosque’s spectacular image.

The following day was a relaxing day at sea, allowing us to enjoy the facilities of the ship before arriving in Muscat, Oman for another bus tour to see the sights such as the Royal Opera House and the famous Mutrah Souk, an absorbing labyrinth of narrow, perfume laden alleyways packed with colourful shops.

The next day, we were in the Emirate of Sharjah arriving at the beautiful bay and container port of Khor Fakkan. Then it was off to return to Oman, to Khasab, at the tip of the Musandam Peninsula, sometimes dubbed the "Norway of Arabia" because of its extensive fjord-like craggy inlets and desolate mountainscapes where our dhow cruise permitted us to spot dolphins chasing our boat before our return that night to Dubai.

Our last day was spent hopping on and off the open top bus yet again to see as much of Dubai as we could. The huge shopping malls containing the Dubai Aquarium and Ski Dubai, Atlantis the Palm, the Burj al Arab, the Dubai Marina, culminating with our sunset trip up the Burj Khalifa watching the Dubai Fountains dancing below us.

Although we were slightly disappointed that the extremely unusual heavy rain and flash floods that occurred the week previously prevented us getting out on our wadi/desert exploration trip, we enjoyed an amazing week. Where there once was just desert, today we find the tallest buildings in the world, with the boldest of architecture and some of the most luxurious hotels in the world that coexist with the historic palaces and remnants of the long and rich Arabic history.

A cruise is an easy and cost effective way to visit this area and to escape our winter temperatures for some warm, but not too hot, weather. Travelling to each destination overnight and without the need to pack and unpack! We travelled in a balcony cabin on MSC Musica as the dates fitted but there are other cruise lines offering similar itineraries.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if I can help you with this or any other cruise itinerary.