Hanging Out At The Dubai Marina

Staying in or around the Jumeirah Lake Towers allows for many fun things to do in the area. The Beach, The Walk, and more is all encompassed into the Dubai Marina. On my first full day in Dubai, I decided we should hang out at the Dubai Marina. The Marina is an artificial canal city that was built along the shoreline of the Persian Gulf. Upon the completion of the Dubai Marina, it will overthrow Marina Del Rey in California as being the world’s largest man-made marina.

The Dubai Marina is accessible by metro on the red line. I took a taxi, which are inexpensive. Taxis start at 3.50 AED and the meter goes up from there. There was a good amount of traffic, but it gave me the opportunity to take in my surroundings. Tall buildings everywhere!

I was excited once we pulled up to the Dubai Marina. We were so hungry, and the taxi driver said this was a great place to get some food. He was not joking. There were many places to get food. Almost anything you can think to eat was there. I even saw a Johnny Rockets. In true Dubai fashion they were still building and planning to add more establishments.

It is hard not to notice the beauty of all the tall buildings in many different shapes and sizes. I found out that these buildings are known as The Tallest Block. That name derived because these buildings are said to be the tallest block of skyscrapers in the world. It is also home to the Princess Towers, which is the tallest residential building in the world.

It was absolutely beautiful to look at. The marina gave a Miami feel, but the skyscrapers gave it a New York vibe. There were so many places to choose from to eat that we weren’t sure what to get. It was our first meal in Dubai, and the first since the airplane food. We decided to sit outside at a place called Debonair’s Pizza. We ordered a Margherita pizza with a side of wedges.

The pizza was pretty good. It was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy the surroundings. I noticed a film crew nearby. I wasn’t sure what they were filming, but I did watch them launch a drone a few times that flew over the water. It was so cool to watch, I bet the footage they got looked amazing! A gentleman from Kashmir was walking around trying to sell a wooden basket that flattened into a disc. He tried to sell us one, although very nice we had to decline.

Once we finished eating we decided to walk around. There are a ton of boat tours, almost to the point we weren’t sure which was the best. We walked over to the Yellow Boats. They had a few options of tours and time length. They take you around The Palm (man-made island in the shape of a palm) and Atlantis Hotel. Unfortunately the boats were completely booked up for the day. Best to book reservations in advance.

After some walking back and forth I found a company called Bristol Charter offering their Catamaran Cruises. The price is 120 AED. They said the roundtrip would be 90 minutes. They also handed out soda, water, and snacks. It sounded like a plan to us. We quickly paid and boarded the boat. It was a very nice size boat. There were also seating areas with bright orange life jackets. The front of the boat had a mesh bottom with colorful beanbags to sit on.

I was apprehensive about sitting on the mesh because I thought water may come up and get me wet, but that didn’t happen. The bean bags were comfortable and I enjoyed sitting there. The crew came around with snacks and beverages and we were allowed to take as much as we wanted. They also had a DJ on board and played some great music. The crew really made the trip enjoyable. They even answered the many questions we all had.

During the boat ride we could see part of The Palm, which allowed me a glimpse of Atlantis in the distance. We also saw the Sheikh Palace Yacht, the third largest yacht in the world, the beach, and the Burj Al Arab. The Burj Al Arab is a sail shaped hotel. The hotel has been called the world’s only 7 star hotel. That title stemmed from a journalist and not the hotel. Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi also has that title.

The boat ride was great, and we enjoyed it. Talking to some of the others on board, I realized that many people thought we were from the UAE. They were very surprised and excited to learn we were from New York. So excited, they even asked to take a picture with us. We had a brief, but very nice conversation with the people on board.

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As we got back to land, we saw the marina completely lit up. There were many more people out walking around. Kids were playing in the water fountain, and kicking around a soccer ball. It is gorgeous all lit up. If you ever get the opportunity, I highly recommend checking out the Dubai Marina. See for yourself, my time at the Dubai Marina.

Have you ever been to the Dubai Marina? What did you do while there?