Summer vacations
begin and with that the excitement to plan a vacation with your child. We have
a 5 year old son who shares our love for travel. This year we chose to visit
Dubai. It’s known to be a child friendly destination and we also have some
family there making it worthwhile to visit.
We planned a trip
for 10 days so it is not too hectic or rushed. The way we planned our itinerary
was to have a mix of activities for our son and us. Dubai seems to have
everything and if it does not have it, they seem to be building it.
So there were many things to do. Here are the activities that we did in Dubai
with our 5 year old son -
1. Malls
Dubai
is known for its malls and they have set it up such that there are many
activities to engage even the kids within the mall itself. So we were able to
shop, eat in the food courts (which are way better than India) or other
speciality restaurants and engage our son in a play zone - all under the same
roof. This was a good option during the day time to escape the intense
heat.
We started our exploration by
visiting Underwater Aquarium in Dubai mall. It was particularly
fascinating to see the vivid splash of colours and the size and shapes of
various under-sea animals. Our son was happy to get clicked with many of them. We
also visited the Magic planet in Mall of emirates and Fun city in Ibn Battuta
mall for fun games and play zones for our son.
2. Global
Village
We visited Global
Village which was an open area with sections dedicated to
different countries where you could taste dishes local to that country and buy
items famous there. This place had a lot of street food and we enjoyed sampling
it. It was a unique experience though slightly hot with the massive crowd and
open air arrangement.
3. Lego
Land
Dubai is also known for its
adventure and theme parks. But the point to keep in mind is that there is a
height criterion for most rides. We explored all the parks and scrutinized the
criterion for majority of the rides. This narrowed down our options
considerably and we finally picked Lego Land theme park where he was allowed on
all barring a couple of rides. His passion for Lego made our choice that much
easier. Lego Land was great fun – not just for him but us as well. We were
allowed to accompany him on the rides and enjoyed the experience. We became a
child again seeing our son enjoy.
In particular we loved flying the
plane, saving a burning building in our fire truck, dodging water on wave
racers and pedalling our way up and down the flying machines. Our son was
fascinated to see how the Lego bricks are made and thrilled to get a brick with
his name embossed on it. However, he spent maximum time doing what he loves the
most – lost in the world of Lego blocks – building his own creations!
4. Desert
safari
Desert safari was a unique
experience for us and our son says it was the most enjoyable part of the trip.
He was giggling away as the land cruiser engaged in dune bashing. He enjoyed
rolling on the desert sand and chasing the shadows therein. We also got to
watch some interesting shows including a belly dancer, a fire eater and a
juggler along with authentic middle-eastern dinner. Camel ride was fun for our
son.
5. Others
We went to the Abu Dhabi
Mosque which is a short drive from Dubai. It was an architectural
marvel with cool marble flooring and marvellous chandeliers. Like most
religious places, one felt at peace in such surrounding.
We visited the landmark buildings
of Dubai – Burj khalifa, Burj Al Arab and Atlantis. The
musical fountains were a delight to watch and our son watched with awe the
water dance. The souks offered a variety of souvenirs, spices,
dates to take back home. We soaked in the experience of Dubai city strolling
down the souk one evening.
We enjoyed a hearty
dinner at Al Qasr hotel where we had to take a boat
to reach the restaurant. An evening walk on the Marina was
refreshing and nice. We tried many authentic restaurants offering
middle-eastern food and flavours. Pappa roti which offers a coffee flavoured
bun with your choice of sweet or savoury toppings along with coffee is highly
recommended. JBR place gave the feel of hanging around
boardwalk in USA.
A few tips that I would give to parents traveling
to Dubai are-
o Acknowledge
that it is extremely hot and save yourself from the sun exposure in every way.
Ensure you stay hydrated and carry plenty of water with you every time you step
out. Also, try to avoid going out in peak sun time (11am to 3pm).
o There is
considerable amount of walking involved everywhere – huge malls, adventure
parks etc so wear comfortable shoes and carry a stroller if your child is not
used to walking.
o Carry summer
clothes for the trip but also pack a light jacket especially for your child as
night time can get fairly cool. Sunglasses and cap are a must in the strong sun
rays. Also, clothing is conservative in that part of the world so respect and
abide by that.
Overall, Dubai is a fantastic
place with lots of fun activities to engage in. We created many wonderful
memories there with our son, to cherish forever.
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