Day 1. Sunday 11th October.
Our 4pm flight from Athens to Dubai was a smooth 4 hour flight with Emirates. Disembarking from our flight at 9.35pm in Dubai was a nightmare as the shuttle driver did not know where to go and took us back to the Emirates aircraft where another transfer bus was being loaded with passengers and left whilst we remained by the plane for a further 20 minutes.
Due to the delay of the shuttle bus also dropping us at the incorrect gate earlier, we had to cancel our dinner reservation at Ossiano restaurant in the Atlantis hotel and postpone it for the following night. As you can imagine I was furious by this point not only for the bad service but also missing a dinner reservation we had booked months in advance which then changed following events over the next 2 days.
The drive from the airport to Atlantis is 30 minutes and the Atlantis hotel has the biggest entrance I have ever seen. As we had no United Arab Emirates Dirham currency and the taxi driver said he did not accept credit cards the hotel was kind enough to pay for the taxi and charge the amount to our room. Now that is great hotel service.
The Atlantis hotel is so grand and not like anything either one of us have seen before. Our ocean balcony view room was on the 13th floor, what an amazing view we had of the Burj Al Arab and the city.
https://www.atlantisthepalm.com/
Unfortunately, we were too late to dine at any of the restaurants but thankfully Plato bar were serving burgers. Before resuming to our room we explored the hotel and saw young tourist dancing away and having fun at the Nasimi beach club.
https://www.atlantisthepalm.com/nightlife/nasimi-beach-parties
Day 2. Monday 12th October.
Our day started with an early morning wake up for a 4WD tour with The Desert Safari company who picked us up just before 8.30am. We drove out to the desert in a Toyota 4WD and drove up and down and around the desert humps. For someone like me who does not do roller coaster rides I was not sure what I was thinking booking a 4WD tour however I wanted to do an activity James would love. At the time I was literally dying inside but overall it was fun and the desert was completely deserted besides a few camels going by. The tour continued to the desert tour home base where all the buggies and camel rides take place. James and I rode a camel each for 10-15 minutes, it was a bit of a bumpy ride not at all comfortable however I am glad I had the experience. James continued the tour with an hour buggy ride in the desert and he loved it. On our way back to hotel the driver stopped by a tourist shop and we bought souvenirs and James was persuaded to dress in a traditional outfit.
Mid morning we went to the Mall of Emirates, shopping here can be expensive especially if shopping at Victoria Secret. After a couple of hours shopping we taxied back to Atlantis hotel for some well deserved beach time and a dip in the swimming pool.
http://www.malloftheemirates.com/
Later in the evening we dined at Ossiano restaurant in the hotel and sat across a massive fish tank full of many different sea life happily swimming together. The fine dining here is very expensive however you are paying for what you eat.
Before retreating to our room we admired the fish tank from outside the restaurant where it is also appreciated by the public.
https://www.atlantisthepalm.com/restaurants/ossiano
Day 3. Tuesday 12th October.
Our flight was not departing til 8pm that evening so we had a full day to enjoy Dubai.
We purchased online tickets to the Top of the Burj and accessed the Burj via Dubai Mall. Our online tickets for 2 adults with access to the VIP lounge cost $1010 AED / $360.56 Aud.
https://thedubaimall.com/en/entertain-detail/at-the-top-burj-khalifa-1
I highly recommend a visit to the Top of the Burj as it gives you 360 degree views of Dubai city. The At The Top Sky ticket gives you exclusive access to the At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY lounge and to the highest outdoor observatory in the world where you have access to both levels 125 and 148. Give yourself approximately 1-2 hours maximum time to spend here.
https://tickets.atthetop.ae/atthetop/
Our last moments in Dubai were spent swimming and relaxing by the Atlantis pool before checking out at sunset.
We departed Dubai at 8pm with a 2 hour stop over in Singapore, Singapore is my favourite stopover city for last minute Duty Free shopping.
After a 5 week amazing European adventure with James, we arrived home safe and sound on Wednesday 14th October. I was sad our adventure was over but also happy to be home. What an incredible journey we had together exploring so many different cities and their cultures and also reuniting with friends. Europe is my favourite continent in the world and is a place I could visit every year and always feel like I am seeing it for the first time as there is always something amazing to be fascinated by.
Hope you enjoyed reading about our 5 weeks European adventure and find some useful information for a future trip.
christinetravels 