As usual, we started our trip from Munich. Flight time to Dubai is approximately 6 hours if you are lucky to get a nonstop flight, and prices fluctuate between pretty cheap and helplessly overpriced. In general, our tip when booking a flight is to observe the prices for several weeks, and check different search engines – our favourites are swoodoo, momondo, skyscanner and google flights. Mostly the flights are cheaper if you book on a Monday morning :). Furthermore, it is always good to be a little bit flexible with the dates – in many search engines you can choose up to +-3 days. In some cases it is also quite helpful to search for open-jaw flights, meaning that you choose another airport for your departure as for your arrival. This is also what we did in Dubai – as we also wanted to visit Abu Dhabi, the second biggest emirate of the UAE, we arrived in Dubai, but departed from Abu Dhabi, which is only a 2 hour bus ride from Dubai. By following all these rules, we saved quite a lot of money, and hopefully these tips will help you too! We flew with British Airlines, one of the best in our opinion, with a short stopover in lovely London, and we paid roughly around 380€ per person (in total) for the flights. 

With approximately 340 days of sunshine per year, Dubai is a year-round destination, and swimming in the sea is always possible – yeah :D! Weather-wise it can be said that Dubai only experiences two seasons: hot and hotter. That’s why sun-seekers from around the globe flock to Dubai to enjoy some winter sun. However, as Dubai is actually located in the middle of the desert, between June and August temperatures might rise up to more than 40C, which for many people is simply unbearable. We were there in the middle of November, and the temperatures were superb, with around 30C and 9 hours of sunshine per day it was simply amazing. And of course, as it was low season, there were literally no people <3. Our advice would be to visit Dubai between October and December, or between January and April – that’s when the climate is not too hot and it’s low season (except for Christmas holidays of course :P). Another advantage about traveling during low season is that you might get fantastic deals for luxury stays, but more about that in the next paragraph…

When it comes to hotels, we think that there is no fancier city than Dubai. Its architecture is simply crazy and the city probably has the densest accumulation of 5-star hotels in the world. However, with prices up to several thousand euros per night in fancy underwater-villas and likewise, Dubai also requires a certain budget. Prices are high, and if you want to save some money, try to travel at low season. And again: compare prices from different search engines. Our favourite is and will always be booking.com, as they offer the greatest variety and provide the best overview in our opinion. But still, sometimes, if we have found our dream hotel, we type in the name of the hotel on trivago.at, and especially for last-minute deals you’ll find fantastic offers on luxury hotels there. However, especially for Dubai you have to bear in mind that the city is huge, and with the heavy traffic getting from A to B might take you a lot of time. And, as nobody wants to spend his/her holidays stuck in traffic, we would definitely make sure to choose a hotel which is located in the centre or very close to it. In Dubai, a good location really pays off!

The first hotel we stayed at was Atana Hotel, a pretty nice 4**** hotel located at Tecom district, which is in the south of Dubai. It consists of two huge towers with 22 floors each, and offers 828 rooms in total. The interior is quite fancy with a lot of gold and marble. It also has a wonderful outdoor swimming pool and a pretty good gym, which is always one of our main criteria :)! Breakfast was included, and the variety of dishes was crazy – and sooo delicious! Furthermore, the location of the hotel was also pretty good, as it is very close to JBR (one of the best beaches) and to the Mall of Emirates. The next metro station (Internet City) is in walking distance, and furthermore, the hotel offers free shuttle services to nearly all parts of the city, which was really comfortable. We really enjoyed our stay at Atana Hotel, and would definitely come back <3

--> Here you can book your stay at ATANA HOTEL ****

The next hotel we stayed at was the world-famous Jumeirah Emirates Towers, and with its 5***** it was probably one of the best hotels we have ever stayed at. We usually don’t mind staying in a low-budget bed&breakfast, but when we decided to come to Dubai, we also decided to stay in this hotel. And it’s simply unreal. From the enormous drive-up of the building, over the marble lobby with its golden Rolex wall clocks and the glass elevators that ascend faster than a roller coaster – this hotel is crazy, and when we arrived we were left speechless. We had actually booked a “normal” double-room, but as the hotel was running low on guests, the receptionist had a special surprise for us: we got a free upgrade into one of the suites on the upper floors. We couldn’t believe our luck and when we saw the suite we almost fainted. That suite was about three times as big as our old flat! We had a living room, 2 separate bathrooms, our own office, and the very best part: the view from our incredibly cosy bed was directly facing Burj Khalifa, the highest building in the world. I swear, I’m still dreaming of that view <3. On top, the Emirates Towers offer the most modern gym I have ever seen. You can imagine that Tom spent hours there, as it also included the latest crossfit equipment. Another plus-point was that the Jumeirah Hotels are all connected, so we could take a complimentary shuttle service to Jumeirah Emirates Beach Hotel, which offers a private beach immediately in front of the world-famous Burj al Arab. And that still isn’t everything! The Jumeirah Hotels also cooperate with the Wild Wadi Waterpark, and as Tom absolutely wanted to visit one of these huge water parks in Dubai, we could spend all day there – for free (which actually saves you a 120$ entrance fee per person), and guess what? During low season it was almost empty :D! The hotel of course also offered shuttle services to all the famous sights and beaches, and the breakfast buffet was the biggest we have ever seen. Everything you ordered was freshly made in front of your eyes and tasted like heaven – you can imagine that we absolutely wanted to stay for the rest of our lives <3! Long story short: the stay at Emirates Towers was quite expensive, but worth every cent, and we most definitely recommend it to you <3!!!

--> Here you can book your stay at JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS *****

This was one of the questions that we dealt with for quite a while. Again, Dubai is huge, and our first idea was to get a rental car, in order to be more flexible and independent. However, when we booked our hotels, we read that they are both located in walking distance to the next metro station, and that they also offer free shuttle services. So we dismissed our idea and decided to travel by public transport and taxi. When we arrived at Dubai, and we saw the heavy traffic – especially on the main street (Sheikh Zayed Road) people were stuck in traffic for hours – we were quite relieved that we had made up our minds against a rental car. Furthermore, parking spaces at beaches and public places are limited, and we saw many frustrated drivers during our trip.

On the one hand, public transport, especially the metro, is pretty cheap and is for sure the most cleanliest metro in the world. The trains run frequently and always on time. In order to use the metro or busses, you have to get yourself an NOL-card, which you can buy at every metro station. At the ticket machines you can book money on them, and for every ride a certain amount is taken from it. However, on the other hand, many parts of the city are not reachable by metro and you have to switch to taxis instead. AND: Dubai is definitely not made for walking. The city is lacking sidewalks and zebra crossings, and some streets are way too dark at night. Not to forget that you feel ridiculously tiny in between all those skyscrapers :D! Taxi rides are also pretty cheap – the starting price is 12 Dirhams (which is about 2,80€), and 1,6 Dirhams are added per kilometre. 

In summary, we would recommend to book a hotel that offers complimentary shuttle services, and in combination with the cheap metro tickets and taxi fares, it is easily manageable without a rental car.

A question that we are always asked when we talk about Dubai :D as some of you might know, I am a huge fan of hot pants and crop tops, and I must admit I also had my worries about the dress code in Dubai. Dubai is a muslim state, which is strict in its moral and ethical code. Emiratis in general dress conservatively and expect visitors to also dress conservatively when in public. When I read about tourists getting fined or even jailed for inappropriate dressing, I also packed some longer skirts and cardigans into my suitcase :D. Afterwards I can say that it was more relaxed than I expected. On the beach you can wear your normal beach wear, and I even saw some topless women, although I’ve read that this is forbidden. However, as soon as you are leaving the beach, you should have something with you to cover yourself. On our first evening, I went to the Mall of the Emirates in one of my hot pants, and some of the Emiratis in their long white “dishdashas” were obviously shocked about my appearance, and after a while I felt so uncomfortable that I went into the next store and bought a long cardigan. With that on, I was not stared at any longer, luckily :D and in the next days, I always had a light jacket with me, which is in general quite useful, as air conditions are quite cool in Dubai. As a woman you should always make sure to cover your shoulders, at least when you’re going into a fancy restaurant or a mall. If you want to visit a mosque, it is of course necessary to show more respect and also cover your legs and hair, but most bigger mosques offer free shawls or even long-sleeved and hooded dresses for rent. But in general, as most people who are living in Dubai are also foreigners, it becomes more and more relaxed. So don’t worry too much, you don’t have to walk around in your skiing suit :D!

When I saw the first pictures of the Miracle Gardens on good old Instagram, I was pretty excited to go there! It is a 20 minute taxi ride from the city centre, or you can also take the RTA bus no. 105 from the Mall of Emirates. The entrance fee is only 50 AED (=12€) and the gardens are open from 9 am – 9 pm, and on weekends even until 11 pm. Due to the heat, and also to avoid the crowds, we would again recommend to go early in the morning. With more than 50 billions of flowers it is the biggest flower garden in the world, and the flowers appear in the most beautiful shapes and sculptures. One of the highlights is definitely an Emirates A380 plane construction, completely made of flowers. I personally loved the heart-shaped flower arches and the huge swans – and Tom? Well he loved the parts that were in the shadow and the moment we left the park :D haha, he is not that much into flowers… but as the world’s best Instagram husband, he took some really nice shots of the park <3

Here you can find all the info you need for your visit to Miracle Garden <3 Attention: the park is closed every year from the first week of May until the end of October, due to the summer heat and renovation works.

As Dubai is literally built in the middle of the desert, you can easily make a short trip outside of the city to see the beautiful dunes. With a rental car, you are not allowed to drive off-road, so it is better to book such a trip to the desert via a company. Other bloggers had recommended the company “Happy Desert Safari” to us, and everything was really easy to organize. We contacted them via What’s App, chose a date we wanted to go and they told us when they would pick us up. As we absolutely wanted to see the sunset in the desert, we took the “Evening Desert Safari in 4x4”, meaning that they would pick us up around 2pm & drop us off again at our hotel by 4x4 service, meaning an offroad jeep. The first thing you do there is dune-bashing, meaning that the driver is crazily driving through the desert and you try not to bump your head or puke into your driver’s neck :P haha, however, was pretty fun! Then you arrive at the beautifully decorated dune camp, where you can take a camel ride (cruel), get a henna tattoo and so on. We walked straight into the desert and waited for the sunset – which was absolutely gorgeous! We also tried sand boarding, which we actually weren’t too bad at, as former pro snowboarders ;). When the sun goes down, dinner is served at the camp, and while you’re eating you can enjoy fire shows, belly dancers and so on. When we arrived back at our hotel, it was around 10 pm and we really had a great time. We can recommend it to everyone who wants to take a trip to the desert, and the best thing about it – it’s ridiculously cheap! The same tour as we did, with pick-up and drop-off only costs 105 AED per person (=25€), food included(!), and on their website you can book many other trips as well, such as a private desert dinner for two, or also guided tours to other parts of the city. Go check them out :)

With a total height of 828 meters, you can see it from pretty much everywhere in Dubai, and a visit is really a must.. There are two platforms to visit – the first one is on the 125^th floor, and the second one on the 148^th floor. Tickets should be booked in advance, except you want to pay 300 Dirhams at the ticket counter. Tickets for “At the top”, meaning the 125^th floor, cost 140 AED (34€) when you go between 08h30 – 14h30 and 19h00 until closing or 216 AED (52€) when you want to go during the prime hours, which are from 15h00 – 18h30 (because you can see the sunset from up there). Combo tickets, including the platform on the 148^th floor start from 370 AED (89€), but for us the “lower platform” was fine :)! Make sure that you only book your tickets via the official website, which you can find here. 

With 10 meters per second, the elevator of Burj Khalifa is one of the fastest in the world, and it takes only one minute to take you from the ground floor to the 125^th floor – crazy, isn’t it? Luckily the elevator isn’t see-through :P! The platform offers a 360 degree view over Dubai, and the height is really breath-taking. Furthermore, you can take some pretty nice pictures up there ;) Don't dare to visit Dubai without visiting Burj Khalifa :D!!

·      Um Suqeim Beach

·      Jumeirah Beach JBR

·      Kite Beach

·      Al Mamzar Beach

·      La Mer

The beaches in Dubai (and also in Abu Dhabi) are really great. The water is shallow and unbelievably clear, the beaches are endlessly long and the sand is soft and light-coloured. There is really a lot of space, so that even during high season, you will always find a quiet place for yourself. Close to the beaches you will always find some food stalls, to supply you with delicious snacks. So, time to relax <3

·      The Dubai Mall

·      Mall of the Emirates

·      Deira Gold Souk

·      Madinat Jumeirah

When it comes to shopping experience, Dubai is definitely the winner. The malls are so huge that you could spend days in them. Shopping itself is considered as a leisure activity by most Emiratis, and watching them spend their money in all those luxury stores is a highlight itself. Even if you’re not that much into shopping, you shouldn’t miss the Dubai Mall, with its enormous walk-through aquarium, and the Mall of the Emirates, with its crazy indoor ski resort. Can you imagine they even got penguins there?! Oh, and don’t forget to see the Dubai Fountain at the Dubai Mall! The worlds largest choreographed fountain system is really unique – make sure to see at least one of the shows between 7 – 1o pm, starting every 30 minutes. Every mall also offers several restaurants and a huge food court, where you can find everything that you need. We enjoyed one of the water shows from the lovely terrace of TGI Fridays at the Dubai Mall. However, Dubai is also famous for its gold jewellery, and in the Gold Souk you can find thousands of jewellery retailers. There is also a traditional market at Madinat Jumeirah, which is in walking distance to Burj al Arab.

·      Gourmet Burger Kitchen (delicious burgers & fries)

·      New York Fries (the best fries with crazy toppings)

·      Chili’s (for salads and free-refill soft drinks)

·      TGI Fridays (best Mexican dishes & burgers)

·      Wokyo Noodle Bar (pretty cheap japanese food)

·      Juice World (healthy & delicious juices)

·      The Burger Joint (another yummy burger restaurant)

·      Shake Shack (always worth a visit)

·      Cocoa Room (best pancakes in the world)

·      Yogurtland  (best frozen yoghurt & millions of toppings!)

·      Cheesecake Factory (pizza & pasta, don’t forget to try the Cheesecake)

·      Luigia (delicious Italian pizza)

·      Eggspectation Restaurant JBR (eggsellent breakfast :D)

·      Brasserie 2.0 (breakfast location)

·      40 Kong (rooftop bar with Asian kitchen)

·      Huqqa Middle East (extraordinary food with lovely terrace at Dubai Mall)

·      Hurricane's Grill (the best chicken salad I've ever had <3 at Dubai Mall)

·      At.Mosphere (on the 122^nd floor of Burj Khalifa – pricey!!)

As you can see, the food in Dubai is pretty international, and honestly, we haven’t eaten anything in Dubai that didn’t taste good. I think they have a really high standard of restaurants and the service was invariably excellent. Something you should probably know about Dubai: as it is a muslim state, they do not sell alcohol in restaurants or super markets. Only in selected high-class clubs and bars, and some fancy hotel bars, they are allowed to sell you alcohol, to ridiculous prices of course! We are definitely no alcoholics, but a nice glass of wine or two for dinner, or a cold beer while tanning on the beach would have been more than welcome.

·      Burj Khalifa (with city view in the background)

·      NEW! Angel Wings at the top of Burj Khalifa

·      Burj al Arab (best from Um Suqueim Beach)

·      Dubai Miracle Gardens (especially the heart-shaped arches & umbrella alley)

·      Dubai Marina àamazing skyline, also at night!

·      in the desert (especially at sunset)

·      NEW! Wings of Mexico, in front of Burj Khalifa (at Burj Plaza)

·      JBR Beach (with ferris wheel in the background)

·      Madinat Jumeirah (with a touch of Venice, take a ride on a boat)

·      Atlantis Hotel (huge aquarium and lots of gold)

·      NEW! La Mer Dubai (cool graffiti, adorable beach huts & picturesque food)

·      Dandelion Lights Sculpture (between Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa)

·      Umbrella ceiling (inside Dubai Mall, at denim district)

·      Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (pretty from every angle!)

·      Dubai City Walk (lots of lights in the evening)

·      The Frame Dubai (quite difficult to photograph)

Travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi is quite easy. There are 2 huge bus stations in Dubai, from which busses to Abu Dhabi are leaving every 20 minutes:

·      Route E100: from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station to Abu Dhabi Central Station

·      Route E101: from Ibn Battuta Metro Station to Abu Dhabi Central Station

Just check google maps which station is closer to your hotel, and then tell the taxi driver to take you there – they all know it :) tickets cost only 25 AED (=6€) and you don’t need to book them in advance. Simply buy them at the ticket counter, as they are leaving every 20 minutes you will always get one! The ride takes about 2 hours, depending on the traffic, and the busses are quite modern and comfortable.

We got quite a bargain on a 5***** hotel in Abu Dhabi. The Corniche Hotel is in walking distance to a huge mall and the beach, and although it is a 5-star hotel, it was rather old, but quite impressive with its old dark furniture. Breakfast was okay, but not as special as in the other two hotels, and the gym was actually too small. However, for two nights it was more thank okay :)

--> Here you can book your stay at  CORNICHE HOTEL *****

·      Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: this mosque was the main reason why we absolutely wanted to visit Abu Dhabi <3 With a capacity of 40.000 people it is one of the biggest mosques in the world and absolutely worth visiting! It is not far from the centre of Abu Dhabi and you can either take a taxi or a bus to the mosque. It is free to enter and the opening times are from 9 am to 10 pm. Once there, they will check your clothing, and 99% of the people are given a black or purple “Abaya”, which actually looks quite nice on the pictures, but of course is incredibly hot in the sun. The best time to visit is early in the morning, or just before sunset.

·      Corniche Beach: a really beautiful beach, located right at the centre. The water is wonderfully clear, and with the Abu Dhabi skyline in your back, it is simply an amazing experience to relax there. There are many restaurants and ice-cream parlours nearby :)