ReView May 2012

Name Leoni Jones, Assistant Spa Manager, InterContinental Dubai Festival City Experience Pearl Museum

before the invention of the cultured pearl. The pearls are beautiful and many have been collected by hand from the sea bed. Travel tip For a culturally rewarding day out, stroll around Bastakiya and admire the traditional Arabian architecture, cross the Creek to Deira in a traditional abra (old-style water taxi) and head to the Pearl Museum. Contact Visit pearlmuseum.ae

Location Emirates NBD Building, Deira Why The Pearl Museum is a breath of fresh air from Dubai’s modern malls and skyscrapers. It gives the visitor great insight into the emirate’s pearl diving industry, which used to be the main source of income

Name Helen Michael, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, InterContinental Dubai Festival City Experience Emirati cuisine Location Al Fanar, Dubai Festival City Why Al Fanar is Dubai’s first and only Emirati

fine-dining restaurant. It features dioramas such as a Bedouin tending to his camel and a donkey pulling fuel to light old lamps, as well as old-style architecture and traditional ornaments. The restaurant has a cosy ambiance and photographs of the emirate when it was still a small town located on the banks of Dubai Creek. Travel tip Be sure to try the rice, which is of excellent quality Contact Call 04 2329966 or visit alfanarrestaurant.com

Al Fanar restaurant

Name Francois Simon, Assistant Chef, Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire

best of the rest Hard Rock Café hardrock.com Dine at the Dubai version of the world-renowned Hard Rock Café and catch live performances from the resident band before collecting your Hard Rock Café pin and famous T-shirt. The Dubai Fountain Catch this spectacular attraction as it shoots jets of water 150 metres into the air in time to Arabic and international music. Free to watch, the fountain, which is the tallest of its kind in the world, operates every 30 minutes from 6pm and is located in Downtown Dubai next to the Burj Khalifa. At The Top 800 AT THE TOP, burjkhalifa.ae See the most impressive views of Dubai from At The Top, the 124th-floor observation deck in the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa. See sights including Dubai Creek and The Palm Jumeirah and learn about the construction of the 828-metre-high tower.

Recommends Quad biking in the desert

Location Hatta-Oman Road Why Quad biking is so different from the typical activities people usually do in Dubai. You’re in charge of creating the experience, which makes it all the more thrilling. I absolutely love the beautiful views of the dunes, especially during sunset, and the interaction with camels! Travel tip Avoid going in the hot summer months. Contact Call 04 357 2200 or visit desertrangers.net

Cultural breakfast

Name Christopher Delrosario, Concierge, Crowne Plaza Dubai – Festival City Experience Cultural breakfast at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for

Cultural Understanding Location Bastakiya, Bur Dubai

Why The breakfast experience is just like being welcomed into a real Emirati home: you share food while chatting with at least one national, which is so unique. It’s an eye-opener for visitors who often know very little about the history, religion and culture of Emiratis. Travel tip The breakfast is hosted every Monday and Wednesday at 10am and is a great place to visit with friends or family. Contact Call 04 353 6666 or visit cultures.ae

Quad biking

may 2012

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