I mentioned that I went on holiday with my boyfriend in this take, but I didn't write a take on it yet, so here you go :) We went to Dubai for two weeks.
Why go on holiday at all during the pandemic?
To put it simply, my mental health wasn't great and we had the opportunity to go with friends of my boyfriend, so it seemed like a good idea.
Germany advises against travel but doesn't ban it entirely, and we obviously stuck to all the rules in both our country and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
We only went to Dubai in the first place because it was the only city somewhat near to us that didn't require a 10-14 day quarantine at the time (though I'm pretty sure it does now).
Quick Disclaimer: I'm aware of the many issues (human rights violations in particular) the UAE is battling with, but it's changing at a much faster rate than you'd think - it's being westernized in a very, very interesting way, Dubai in particular.
Our first flight together
We got a PCR test before flying, and I have to say that we were in a really good mood for the whole thing - from doing the test to when we arrived.
When we took off, we grabbed each other's hands tightly and both said "I can't believe we're actually doing this" at the same time. Everything was so easy and smooth for us too - my boyfriend slept a little and then we were already on another continent :)
Rules to follow in the UAE
While Dubai is much, much more lax than some of the other Emirates and holds some special permits, it's important to note that Dubai is still based in a muslim country. I strongly believe that you should try to immerse as much as possible in local culture, so we stuck to almost all of the rules almost all of the time (I had a public meltdown 2-4x, where it was necessary for my boyfriend to hug me (easier to calm down that way)).
Because there's so many different cultures living in the UAE and almost 66% of the population are between 25 and 54, we felt very comfortable there and not like outcasts at all (although there weren't nearly as many tourists there when we visited for obvious reasons). We also heard German more often than expected.
The rules in Dubai are as follows;
- Modest clothing at all times
- For men: no sandals, no shorts (knees/shoulders should be covered)
- For women: no cleavage, shoulders should be covered. A hijab is NOT required.
- No kissing
- No holding hands (unless you're married, but locals don't hold hands)
- Hugs (for couples) are frowned upon
- Be careful with photography (in case you're not sure whether it's okay, just ask) -> don't walk around with cameras (frowned upon, almost nobody does it (including tourists))
Our first impressions
We loved visiting Dubai.
We tried to do as much sightseeing as possible while also keeping in mind that we'd both have to work at least a little to stay on top of things.
We LOVED how we were treated as a young couple (below 21) in Dubai. At first, it was difficult to stick to the rules of a muslim country (we're used to a lot of PDA), but eventually, we settled in.
Booking a hotel and flight wasn't a problem at all (unlike some online forums will try to make you believe LOL, we we're crazy scared as the age of adultshood is 21 in the UAE (but 18 in Germany), but everything was fine)
The places we visited
We went to many places, not limited to but including (heading matches below picture):
- Etihad Museum (really quiet, cheap (we only paid ~3$) airconditioned very well)
- Dubai Mall (also where the Dubai Fountains are located, great, HUGE mall)
I can't stress this enough: use the correct entrance! Otherwise, you'll end up wandering around the place for more than an hour. Despite there being a lot of great signs around the mall, it's difficult to know where to go.
- Dubai Fountains (the picture below accurately depicts what this looks like at night - we spent almost every night there on double dates). This is by far THE place to get great pictures of the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa!
- Jumeirah Beach (great for clubbing (not possible during covid), rather windy at night, but not too bad). The first picture was taken at Jumeirah Beach too (there's 3-4 different Jumeirah's, it's a huge area).
- Global Village (an adventure/theme park, lots of fun, seems to be frequented to a large extent by locals). There aren't that many pictures online - the park was very different to what we had anticipated, but we were pleasantly surprised!
- Dubai Marina (great to walk there! Absolutely stunning both at day and at night)
Running into fellow Germans
The only couple I saw that were publicly wearing immodest clothing (girl: very short dress with exposed shoulders), hugging, making out, holding hands and grabbing ass at the same time weren't locals.
We saw them twice - first at Jumeirah, then at Dubai Mall. I was so confused by their behaviour, especially because they weren't wearing a face mask (mandatory at all times) that I mumbled something along the lines of "get a grip or get a room, really inappropriate, ugh" (in German though) as I walked past them and the guy responded "gönn doch" (can't really be translated, means something similar to "don't be jealous", but it's more petty).
I wasn't too surprised, Europeans love PDA and it was really beautiful there, essentially a perfect, romantic moment - but at that point, we hadn't held hands in public for a week, so it felt natural not to enjoy each other's warmth at that time.
What is Dubai REALLY like?
Very different to what you'd think. Dubai is much more culturally diverse than either of us had expected. It's not nearly as glamourous or luxurious as one would think - it's quite down to earth, we blended in perfectly and never felt like the city was too much to handle. We didn't experience racism at all, which lifted a major weight off our shoulders because in Germany, there tend to be... Uncomfortable moments from time to time.
Dubai, according to my boyfriend, can be summarised in just 3 words;
- Discount: ALWAYS bargain! They'll go down more than 50% within a few minutes, even at the mall
- Perfume: they love offering to spray fragrance on you, politely declining gets annoying after having to decline 10x every 5mins but it's good fun)
- Jewellery: some of the world's finest Gold and Diamonds are sold in Dubai, while being incredibly cheap in comparison at the same time! Of course, you have to get there first, but I can only highly recommend to at least visit some of the local jewellers, it's a very unique experience.
My conclusion
We loved our vacation so much that we didn't want to go home at all anymore... We just loved everything about Dubai and immersing so smoothly and fully into local life was a first for both of us.
Towards the end, something changed and we were glad to be home when we arrived - but still, this couldn't have been more of a success and I couldn't be happier about it!
What will your next holiday be? Where will you go?
Most Helpful Opinions