Dubai was the last of the three-legged trip I did in 2014. I started in Seoul, which I will describe later, joined my father for a brief visit to Abu Dhabi and we finished with a few days of sand and pool in Dubai.
I must say I don’t remember well what we did and didn’t do. And the main reason is Dubai didn’t turn out to be my cup of tea.
We stayed at the JA Ocean View Hotel in an area called The Beach, which includes The Walk. A promenade with chain restaurants from all over the world.
The JA Ocean View Hotel was a nice hotel, with a large breakfast buffet with an offering from all over the world. “From all over the world” is a recurring theme, you will find.
The place
Dubai has only very recently been developed as a financial, aviation and tourism. So we visited the old town, the Palm Jumeirah, the Dubai Mall and the Dubai Marina Mall.
We took the metro which feels more like a train. Stations are air conditioned and you will get a cough and a sore throat from the temperature differences.
Like a film set
I just felt on a film set, to be honest. The powers that be invested huge amounts of money to develop Dubai. They attracted brands … all over the world … so you see typically American brands such as Bloomingdale’s next to Topman (UK), The Cheesecake Factory, Middle Eastern brands, European brands, Asian brands…
That’s interesting but good ingredients, great dishes don’t necessarily make a great menu. It all felt forced together.
Am I being harsh? Perhaps. I’m happy to have visited, but I won’t rush back.
LGBTQI and going to Dubai? Check this.
Trip By Trip 
Glad to read this post. I recently (before covid) had to make a choice between taking a route through Dubai and another way, and chose the other after doing some research. It sounds so modern and commercial. I prefer to get the feeling of local culture, indigenous arts, residential life and traditional foods. Thanks.
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I was happy to have seen it. Checking it off the list. But I don’t feel the urge to go back. 😉
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