A Whirlwind Tour of Abu Dhabi and Dubai March 25-26, 2025
On our last morning in Abu Dhabi, we checked out of our hotel but left our luggage behind so we could visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. To enter, we had to walk through a mall-like complex, and although entrance was free, Holly and Olivia had to buy scarves to cover their hair in accordance with dress code.
Completed in 2007, the mosque is massive—with 82 domes, over 1,000 columns, chandeliers gilded in 24-carat gold, and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. Made primarily from white marble, the entire complex was almost blinding in the bright sun. The courtyard in particular reflected so much light that it was literally hard to look at. Inside was just as dazzling, with more pristine white marble, but we were a bit disappointed that visitors weren’t allowed into the main prayer room where the massive carpet is housed.
Since there wasn’t much to do beyond admiring the architecture, we wrapped up in a couple of hours, grabbed a quick lunch, and hopped on a bus to Dubai. The ride took just two hours, and we arrived in the early evening. Our first impression? Dubai is a long, glittering stretch of luxury hotels and high-rise buildings.
With just one full day in Dubai, we wanted to make the most of it. We started by taking a taxi to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. It shares a location with the Dubai Mall, and to our surprise and delight, the mall’s Chinatown was located right inside. Sure, it was a polished, Disneyfied version of a Chinatown, but it had several authentic Chinese restaurants, which is what really mattered to us.
We wandered through the mall, passed an impressive indoor waterfall, and stepped out onto a lakeside promenade to catch a spectacular fountain show. Hands down, it was the best fountain show we’ve seen—bigger and better than the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The lake was big enough for boat tours, and with the Burj Khalifa glowing in the background, the whole scene felt almost surreal.
The Burj Khalifa itself is jaw-droppingly tall—half a mile high—and lit up like a futuristic torch against the night sky. We’ve seen a lot of tall buildings in our travels, but this one stands out immediately. Fun fact: despite being the tallest building in the world, it’s not connected to Dubai’s sewage system, so all its waste is literally trucked out—making it basically the world’s tallest porta potty.
Given our limited time, we booked a private full-day tour for $270. Holly was still under the weather but determined to make the most of her one day in Dubai. At 9:00 AM, an SUV pulled up, and to our surprise, the driver was also our tour guide—and we were the only ones on the tour.
Our whirlwind day began with a quick photo stop at the Burj Khalifa, followed by a 10-minute stop at Dubai Marina, and then a drive out to the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah Islands. After snapping some photos, we made a short stop in front of the iconic Burj Al Arab, Dubai’s famous sail-shaped “seven-star” hotel. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed inside any of the hotels—just pictures from the outside.
We also stopped briefly at a carpet store (a classic tour move), and then had a 15-minute break at Jumeirah Beach, which offered great views of the Burj Al Arab. We ended the tour in the Old Town, where we grabbed some traditional sweets at a local candy shop, and had the guide drop us off at Dubai Mall for lunch—once again at Chinatown.
Though everything felt rushed, being on a private tour helped us move efficiently and skip the usual group-tour delays. After lunch, we took a taxi back to the hotel and managed to squeeze in a quick 30-minute rest before part two of the day began.
That afternoon, we were picked up for a desert safari tour. Once again, it was just us in a 4WD SUV. Our driver took us an hour outside of Dubai into the desert and then launched into some serious dune bashing—speeding up and down steep dunes, fishtailing, and sending sand spraying over the car. It was like riding a roller coaster in a giant sand playground.
At the end of our adrenaline ride, we were dropped off at a desert camp. There, we did a quick five-minute camel ride (included), gave sandboarding a try (also included), and Holly went for a thrilling 30-minute ATV ride ($30). After that, we watched a surprisingly engaging whirling dervish performance. The performer spun nonstop for what felt like half an hour with light-up skirts and juggling tricks.
Then came a genuinely impressive fire show—the performer juggled flaming batons, swung fire ropes, and even blew massive flames into the night sky. There was no belly dancing due to Ramadan, but the included buffet dinner was decent, if a bit rushed.
By the end of the night, we were driven back to our hotel, thoroughly exhausted but satisfied. We packed up our things and got ready to fly out the next day—our fast-paced UAE adventure in the books.