So many shops, but so much more to do!
There are over 1200 stores, not counting the food outlets , the cinemas, the Gold Souk, the Ice rink! and the Aquarium!! For all you ladies out there picturing dragging the kids around whilst you shop, don't worry, naturally Dubai has thought it through & for a small fee the kids can stay in KidZania , an 80,000 square foot mini city, just for children where they can act out over 70 real life professions including pilot, doctor , racing car driver , chef, DJ , TV cameraman and many more.
For older kids they have SEGA Republic, 76,000 square feet of instant adrenaline & adventure, and yes, adults can join in on this one!This is basically a indoor theme park, spread over 5 zones & 2 floors with 9 action packed rides & over 200 games to play. So , as you can see, the little one's & the dad's will be kept busy whilst you enjoy the shopping.After a delicious meal (and there are so many places to choose from) you could all go ice skating, as there is a Olympic size rink.
If after all the walking around the 1200 shops makes you want to do something a little calmer, then why not visit the Aquarium. This has the largest acrylic viewing panel in the world, wher you can see over 33,000 aquatic animals in a 48 metre long tunnel, 11meters below surface.For the adventerous , you can go cage snorkelling & have Shark dives, for others, you may prefer the glass bottom boat ride.In the evening the Dubai Fountains dance to music, at the side of the Mall & the Burj Khalifa -the tallest tower in the world.Think Vegas but much higher!!
We stayed at the Pullman hotel attached to the Mall of Emirates, a smaller mall, but just as enjoyable.This is a brand new hotel, and is very designer led. The rooms are of a good size with lots of space and all the amenities that you would need.The buffet breakfast is lovely and plentiful and we ate outside so that we had a view of the Burj & Jumeirah Beach hotels.The staff cannot do enough to make your stay a pleasant one and we enjoyed a lovely dinner in the Soda Box restaurant.
There are so many wonderful hotels and excursions that I caould mention , but I think most have been documented in brochures before, so this is why I have written about the Pullman Hotel & the Dubai Mall, just to give you a differnt flavour of Dubai.As we flew with Etihad, we landed at Abu Dhabi Airport, and the transfer was only around 50 minutes, so very easy to do as Abu Dhabi can at times be much better value than Dubai.If you are lucky enough to travel Business Class with Etihad , you get a free chauffer limo up to 100 miles radius from the airport to your home & to the hotel you are staying in, so it covers a wide area.The lounge facilities in Abu Dhabi are very good, and I can recommend the back massage!
We only had 4 days in Dubai, but as a shopping trip it was just enough. There is so much more than just a beach , so try something different next time you go!