What to buy in Dubai

Are luxury goods cheaper since Dubai is a tax free city ? I would say it is only marginally cheaper, say about 10% or so. This coach bag which I was eyeing is selling around SGD$1000 but about SGD$900 + in Dubai. Wristlets are about S$60 cheaper on average.

For souvenirs, I recommend buying from the supermarket at Dubai Mall, Waitrose. We also bought some dates with nuts from Ibn Butta's huge supermarket. Fine European chocolates are also cheaper. Here's what I bought.

Other stuff : Naturalizer boots S$70 !

What to eat II in Dubai

I am recommending a few nice breakfast places and cafes at the Dubai Mall in this post.
Dean and Deluca Cafe
This New Yok chain offer tastes of cheeses, charcuterie, olive oils, exotic fruits, breads and pastries, chocolates and Arabic sweets. Go for the outdoor dining area which overlooks the beautiful fountain.

  Misty morning with lovely view of the fountain area



Here comes the food! Dean and Deluca is also in Singapore, at the Orchard Central.


Madeleine Cafe, Dubai Mall
Lovely cafe with the ambience of a Parisienne sidewalk cafe.


Take the seats at the outdoor terrace to enjoy the gorggeous views of The Dubai Fountain and Burj Khalifa. The cafe plays wonderful French music to give an authentic Parisienne experience.
Breakfast is yummy !
Armani Cafe, Dubai Mall






Nice touch to end the meal with Armani scented towels !

Atlantis

Another interesting place to visit is the Atlantis hotel at the Palm. The Palm Islands are an artificial group of islands in Dubai, comprising the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira. Each island is in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent.

Along the way to the Atlantis we saw many beautiful apartments.

You can get to the Atlantis by taxi or by monorail. I was told that the view from monrail is much better but there will be difficult hailing a taxi back from the monorail taxi. Better that you take a taxi from Atlantis out of the island.

Check out the gold vending machine!

Burj Khalifa & Dubai Mall

Frankly, I find Dubai too much like Singapore and there aren't many places of interest. One of the most prominent tourist spots is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). Yup, it is so tall that it's hard to capture the building in its entirety using my humble camera. Sharing some photos here.

The Dubai Mall with 1200 shops is the largest mall in the world. The mall is beautiful, adorned with fountains and beautiful shops. Window shopping is really fun and there are ample sofa seats everywhere to rest your aching feet. You can also hop on the buggy for a ride. It took me 3 days to cover the entire mall !

Even the ceilings are so elaborate !




When at Dubai Mall, do not forget to take a look at the Dubai Aquarium, one of the largest tanks in the world at 51m x 20m x 11m and featuring the world's largest viewing panel at 32.8m wide and 8.3m high. It has more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined.

Does the stingray look like it is smiling ? :-)

Drop by at The Souk at the Dubai Mall to take a look at largest Gold Souk in the world. There are over 220 gold and jewellery retailers all housed in this section of the Mall.





Check out this cafe serving food and drinks made from camel milk !

Other interesting cafes and shops