It was my daughter’s fortieth birthday and the family congregated in Dubai, As this trip was planned as a family reunion I did not do my usual research and detailed itinerary planing as I normally do on my numerous trips with Malati, We decided to enjoy each other’s company and take each day as it came. Notwithstanding we did cover a lot of ground but also missed out on a lot. We however got a wonderful perspective of the world class infrastructure and the many iconic construction marvels – all of which have come up from the nothingness of a desert in the last fifty to sixty years. And this was the recurring theme in all the spots we visited .

The lure of a cheap business class tickets made us take a red-eye flight into Abu Dhabi and drive to Dubai. Never let airfares dictate your itinerary. However it was fortuitous that we landed in Abu Dhabi a few days after the Great Dubai deluge when the Dubai airport was closed.Else we would have been forced to cancel our trip Read about it in Family Reunion in Dubai.

The Dubai Marina is a great location for your hotel stay but your choice of a hotel location must not be guided by just good hotel rates or reviews.The choice of a location for your hotel must be guided primarily by your itinerary. I did not follow process and though I stayed in a very classy and super hotel with a Marina View it was far away from my tourist spots of interest – Learn about the three step process in (Not) Choosing The right Hotel location in Dubai

The Dubai Mall boasts of very impressive statistics such as visitors, size, no of shops, attractions etc. Do pay a visit to the Mall and apart from shopping or browsing in world class branded shops do sample some of the delights like the fun fair or the Aquarium. Don’t miss out on the dancing fountains, Souk Al Bahar and the Burj Khalifa – Book your tickets in advance – they maybe sold out or priced higher. Share our experience in Dubai Marina & More—Contd

Drive along the Sheikh Zayed Road, the main artery and a fine example of Dubai’s Infrastructure to visit the Dubai Frame and the Museum of the future; both the iconic masterpieces of design and construction. Book your tickets in advance – They were sold out for the next three days of our visit . Follow us at Dubai Frame and Museum of the Future .

The Spice Souk was very different from what I imagined a Souk would be. The Gold Souk captured my interest. If you are looking for Gold and Jewellery or even spices this is the place.Take an Abra ride across the Dubai Creek and combine it with a visit to Al Fahidi fort – We were content to see it from the outside. Check this out Souks In Dubai .

All in all we covered a lot of ground but we missed out on a lot of attractions – The Atlantis water Park was one – We were content with looking at the Palm Jumeirah from the aircraft. We missed the Penguin show at the Mall off Emirates as we chose the wrong time, So also the Sound and light show at the Fountains – My grandson was disappointed that we did not visit Legoland and Malati and I wanted to drive all the way to Ras El Khaimah and return by ferry thus traveling through all the seven Emirates. Maybe a next time.