I’ll be trustworthy with you; Dubai all the time appeared like a playground for the uber wealthy to me – a vacation spot for many who want stretch limos and yacht events to tradition and nice meals. However don’t let Netflix’s Dubai Bling idiot you. Sure, there may be that aspect to Dubai, however the metropolis is a lot extra.

The place to dine and drink

Whereas celebrity-chef laden, Insta-famous eating places are aplenty, Dubai’s eating scene is much extra eclectic. So, earlier than heading in direction of the brilliant lights and gold-leaf encrusted menus of Dubai’s skyscrapers, I implore you to discover the wealthy meals heritage of Outdated Dubai. You are able to do this solo or decide to go on a strolling meals tour run by a sister duo aptly named Frying Pan Adventures.

On my first evening, I met Farida in Deira, one of many oldest components of town. Farida was exceptionally captivated with her hometown, and looking forward to me to discover the plethora of local-loved eating places and retailers within the space. From sumac-stuffed falafel at Sultan Falafel Dubai to tender and juicy rooster shawarma from the Syrian restaurant Farooj Al Shami, and buttery Lebanese baklava from Al Samadi Sweets, I tasted my manner by the immigrant-rich meals scene.

If time doesn’t enable for a full tour (however I urge you to make time), be sure you go to Qwaider Al Nabulsi, a Palestinian-Jordanian restaurant that serves up essentially the most scrumptious kunafa – a candy cheese dish made with salty Nabulsi cheese and topped with crunchy kataifi noodles. You additionally received’t be dissatisfied by the Iraqi restaurant Miran Erbil, which serves up the juiciest kebabs I’ve ever had, alongside entire fish cooked over an open hearth.

For one thing just a little extra upscale, however nonetheless on the extra reasonably priced aspect of Dubai’s eating scene, take your self to Hawkerboi, a preferred supper membership turned thriving restaurant in The Park. Tom Yum margaritas and kaffir-lime Aperol spritzes are served alongside a menu of South-East Asian dishes together with spicy Thai pad kee mao (drunken noodles), Cantonese rooster and truffle shamai dumplings, and wok fried mushy shell crab. Go away room for the mango sticky rice.

Mott 32 is one other must-visit; a Hong-Kong impressed eatery paying homage to 32 Mott Avenue in New York, the place town’s first Chinese language comfort retailer opened in 1891. The dim sum is mouthwateringly good, as is the stir-fried Japanese A5 Wagyu. Should you’re organised sufficient, pre-order the signature Apple Wooden Roasted 42 Days Peking Duck.

If Michelin-starred eating is your factor, the Michelin information launched in Dubai in 2022 for the primary time, and since then town has been awarded 11 one-Michelin starred eating places, and three two-star eateries.

If any must be in your radar, it’s 11 Woodfire, an industrial-style restaurant housed inside a villa within the residential suburb of Jumeriah. Led by Akmal Anuar, the idea is fire-based (therefore the identify), specializing in cooking meats, seafood and greens over oak, pine, hickory and hay. Highlights embody the salmon carpaccio with caviar cream and pine oil, barbequed leeks with grapefruit and yam, and curry-leaf bone marrow, deconstructed desk aspect and served sandwiched between slices of fried bread. What it lacks in an alcohol license, it makes up for in its award-winning, inventive beverage menu together with kombuchas, infusions and signature mocktails.

For a deal with sustainability, head to Teible, nestled on the bottom ground of Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai’s Jaddaf Waterfront. This bakery-turned-restaurant is so centered on showcasing seasonal and native components that it gained itself a Michelin inexperienced star in 2023, because of dishes together with savoury churros with wagyu coppa and scorching honey; courgettes with pickled pears, black lemon and shio koji emulsion; and brown butter ice cream with parsnip crisps and pickled pineapple.

For a very blowout expertise, head to Dinner by Heston, housed inside certainly one of Dubai’s latest inns, Atlantis The Royal (sure, the Beyoncé lodge). Arriving to the restaurant by way of a elevate inside a tube of water, you head by a sequence of magically opening doorways, earlier than you end up within the cleverly hidden eating room with a mechanical pineapple as its central function, paying homage to the restaurant’s signature dessert.

The Dubai outpost of Heston Blumenthal’s world-famous restaurant is headed up by the charming govt chef Tom Allen, who has labored with Heston for over 16 years, touchdown the restaurant a Michelin star simply 66 days after opening. Like the unique Dinner by Heston in London’s Mandarin Oriental, the menu focuses on bringing to life historic British recipes with a Heston twist, together with Meat Fruit – an unctuous rooster liver parfait encased in mandarin “peel”, and Beef Royale garnished with ox tongue and smoked anchovy. Go away room for Tipsy Cake, an completely decadent dessert comprising of brandy-cream drenched brioche balls and spit-roasted pineapple.

The place to remain

Dubai isn’t any stranger to luxurious inns, and whether or not you’re after a sky-high city-centre suite, or a low-key beachside resort, there’s one thing for everybody.

For these desirous to discover the adults-only get together scene that Dubai is thought for, Deal with Seaside Resort, 5 Palm Jumeriah and W Dubai Mina Seyahi tick all of the bins (bonus factors to W for its Attiko bar, which is right for sundowners and unparalleled views of Dubai’s cityscape).

Seaside followers will wish to head to Jumeriah Al Naseem, a resort inside the Madinat Jumeriah advanced that has a mile of white sand shoreline, 5 swimming pools, and greater than 30 eating places, bars and retailers – together with an onsite souk. Darkish wooden and pure supplies set the tone all through the lodge, whereas the luxurious rooms function plush furnishings, a pleasingly spacious walk-in wardrobe and a mosaic-tiled moist room with sunken bathtub. The Ocean Deluxe rooms are a selected delight, with views of the ocean and the towering Burj Al Arab. Whereas the lodge’s quiet personal seaside is a big draw, the principle pool grew to become our favorite spot, with attentive workers making the rounds with contemporary fruit skewers, ice-cold towels, and ice lollies.

For breakfast, The Palmery presents the world’s most luxe buffet, with every part from an avocado and toast station to protein pancakes. For lunch, head to the Mediterranean-inspired Rockfish for grilled octopus on artichoke puree, scallops with shaved truffle and bowls of lemony vongole. Within the night, get cosy in a darkish nook of Blind Tiger, the lodge’s speakeasy-style bar with a group of scrumptious alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. Should you love espresso martinis, ask the bar to make their brandy-based model.

For a very unique hideaway, head to One&Solely Royal Mirage, a secluded, beachfront oasis nestled in 65 acres of landscaped gardens – a formidable escape from the neighbouring Dubai marina skyline. Probably the most intimate lodging right here is The Residence, with solely 48 visitor rooms and suites, all designed to evoke the magnificence of an Arabian palace.

The pièce de resistance is the lodge’s spa, which presents every part from full-body aromatherapy massages to Espa superior specialised facials. E book forward for the genuine Arabian Royal Hammam remedy, which features a full-body exfoliation, head-to-toe cleaning ceremony and a soothing therapeutic massage atop heat marble slabs.

Benefit from the boat taxi service that takes you to sister property One&Solely The Palm. By day, chill out poolside in one of many air-conditioned cabanas, which features a waterside terrace, indoor-outdoor bathe and totally stocked fridge.

For dinner, head to its on-site restaurant 101 Eating Lounge by Yannick Alléno, a trendy, overwater haven serving seafood. Dishes embody poached Omani lobster, steamed turbot, and entire salt-crusted sea bass to share. In excessive season, when the climate is just a little cooler, the outside decking is the place to be for stay music and an unparalleled view of sundown over the Palm.

What to do

You’d be forgiven for considering that Dubai is all yacht events, bottomless brunches and designer retailers, however there may be rather more to find and expertise.

A great place to begin is by immersing your self within the historical past of Dubai and Emirati tradition on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU). Based in 1998 and located inside a restored wind tower home, SMCCU presents a variety of programmes from cultural meals to heritage excursions and native mosque visits; studying concerning the nuances of Arabic espresso tradition was a selected spotlight.

You can also’t go to Dubai with out heading to the desert, and I like to recommend an eco-luxury desert safari to do that. We booked ours by way of Platinum Heritage Dubai.

This expertise, contained in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, permits visitors to discover the huge expanse of desert in a accountable method with out dune bashing, whereas permitting you to find the plethora of flora, fauna and wildlife. We sipped cinnamon tea because the solar set earlier than taking a brief camel trip for a luxurious private-dining expertise and a spot of star-gazing.