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How to spend the best weekend in Dubai

Weekends in Dubai comprise of Friday and Saturday, and not Saturday and Sunday as it is for the rest of the world. Dubai is an Islamic nation, and Friday is the Islamic holy day. So when you’re planning your weekend in Dubai, be sure to include Friday into your weekend plans. Weekends are spectacular in Dubai. Every attraction is super-lit, and the whole city brims with excitement. Become a part of Weekend Dubai in the coming weekend and enjoy some Dubai weekend activities.

Cool It In Ski Dubai!

Visiting Dubai when it’s boiling outside? Don’t worry – of all the things to do in Dubai this weekend, this one is the coolest. Spend the day in the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort – go crazy throwing snow balls at each other, and go snowboarding and tobogganing with pals. It’s real snow, and it’s icy cold, and it never gets warmer in here. You can get warm clothes, activity equipment and shoes inside. Ride up a quad-chairlift and enjoy the fabulous view from the chairlift stop. Enjoy a cup of hot coffee in the coffee shop next to the slopes and watch other skiers.

Ski Dubai

 Go Mall Hopping With A Difference

Dubai’s shopping malls are all about providing a different shopping experience.

• The Khan Murjan Souk: It’s a subterranean market that reflects Egyptian, Moroccan, Syrian and Turkish architecture, selling everything spices to mosaics to woven carpets.
• The Souk Madinat: The shops here are connected to each other via a waterway; so when you want to shop at a different store, you hop into a boat!
• Mall of the Emirates: Apart from being one of the largest and most beautiful malls in Dubai, the Mall of Emirates has an indoor ski slope. So when you get tired of shopping, plunge into the real snow here and have some fun.

 

Live Out Your Fav Movies At Motiongate Dubai

Motiongate Dubai is part of the Dubai Parks and Resorts franchise. Motiongate Dubai has several zones full of interactive games, rides, 4D theatre shows, and roller coasters and much more for kids and adults. It’s all based on top classic hits from the following studios: Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and Studio Central. Smurfs Village is an added attraction – an entire village of fairytale smurf-sized houses occupied by a colony of real blue smurfs.

Motion gate Dubai

 

Have A Blast Surfing In Al Ain

The best way to beat the heat in Dubai in the summer is to get into the water. Surfing at Al Ain? But Al Ain doesn’t have a coast! Of course it doesn’t – we’re talking about the gargantuan surfing pool at Wadi Adventure Park. You can also grab a raft from the equipment guys and go white water rafting in the surf pool. If you’re tired of water fun for a bit, climb the enormous climbing frame and prove you’ve been working out.

 

Dive Deep At Martini Rock and make the most out of your Weekend in Dubai

Martini Rock is located just off the east coast of Dubai. If you’re into sea diving and you love marine life, this is the place for you to check out this weekend. For AED 400, you can grab some diving gear and launch yourself into the blissful blue waters of the Persian Gulf. Stay entertained below with some cool cuttlefish, lionfish, scorpion fish, broomtail wrasse, rays and turtles for silent company.

Diving at Martini Rock

 

Relax At A Fabulous Spa

If relaxation is what you’re after this weekend, how about a day spent at a world-class spa? Give yourself up to a healing body wrap followed by a luxurious massage. Enjoy the traditional hammam treatments at the Ottoman-inspired, extremely opulent Talise Spa in Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. You’ll feel that heaven has come to earth to make you welcome. JW Marriott Marquis’ Saray Spa is another excellent spa for health treatments. Overall, Dubai’s classy spas offer peaceful sanctuary to busy, overworked people.

 

Grab Some Vitamin D In Style

Tired of adventurous activities all day and you want a bit of relaxation and peace? Head to one of Dubai’s famous white-sand beaches. Take your pick - Kite Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence or Jumeirah Open Beach. There are a number of other beaches that you can check out. It all depends on what you want. Dubai’s beaches are clean, beautifully maintained and all set up for tourists. Jumeirah Beach Residence has several excellent eateries, coffee shops, cabanas and lounge facilities – enough to keep you happy for the entire weekend.

Jumeirah Open Beach

 

Hit The City’s Exclusive Nightspots!

You’ve got the days squared away, and you’re wondering what to do at night. Worry not. The weekend kicks off on Friday afternoon at Roberto Cavalli’s Cavalli Club at the Fairmont Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road. Enjoy the fabulous Italian a-la-carte menu, cocktails and drinks, all with Roberto Cavalli’s own stamp on them. Then there’s People by Crystal, another club where people gather for Friday brunch. This club offers unlimited food and drink deals on Fridays, so go with a large group to get the most of your money. For brunch options on Friday, The Westin and Atlantis The Palm are famous for their food and crowd.

Roberto Cavalli’s Cavalli Club

 

Conclusion

Spending a weekend in Dubai is flying on a jet through the clouds. Your weekend is over so soon, that you wonder if you really passed all that time in the city. If you’ve never seen the city fully, we strongly recommend a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. It’s the best way to get to see all the attractions. Weekends are best for this activity.

About the Author

A postgraduate in Mass Communications, Neha loves everything about life. Traveling is extremely close to her heart and writing came to her naturally.
An avid trekker & explorer, who often takes off some time from her busy life for mountaineering, she loves meeting new people & gets attached to their culture very easily. Her ambition is to explore as many places as she can in her life. She strongly believes in Gandhian principle – “simple living high thinking”.

Pudducherry - The Scuba Diving Paradise of India

Scuba Diving is one of those adventure sports which is on the bucket list of a lot of people, but is not the first priority when planning an adventure themed vacation. With a 7500 km coast line, India has some really good dive spots, recommended by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) which should definitely be on the radar for any Scuba Diving enthusiast.

The joy of taking the first breath underwater, coupled with admiring an array of fishes and corals in their bright vibrant colors is enough to get anyone hooked on to Scuba Diving for life.

The only diving destination in India’s eastern coast is Pondicherry. The place is characterized by natural coral reefs, rocky pop-ups, man-made ridges and large plethora of marine organisms like jack fish, sea snake, manta rays and fan corals and the whale shark sightings. It is a perfect scuba destination for both, beginners and professionals.

It doesn’t matter if you are a certified diver or an aspiring one, these dive spots in Pondicherry, India should definitely be checked out. And you know what the best part is, the cost of doing any courses by PADI, Pondicherry by Temple Adventures is similar compared to other popular dive destinations abroad.

The Great Maldives Love Affair

Densely vegetated Islands with picturesque beaches and surrounded by turquoise blue water lagoons – that’s the picture which comes to mind when I think about Maldives. Paradise – the first thought that came to mind on hearing Maldives, and when I further realized that I would be spending my birthday on the largest island resort in the Maldives, I was literally transcended into an ecstatic state of mind. This is how 2017 started for me, with a month long trip to Sun Island Resort and Spa – Maldives, from mid Jan to mid Feb.

Read ‘A memorable birthday at Sun Island Resort and Spa, Maldives’ here.

First glimpse of Paradise

The moment I stepped out of Velana International Airport, I was greeted with soothing views of coconut trees lined up along the road, ferries docked up on the jetty and pristine blue waters everywhere. As my connecting flight to the resort was a couple of hours later, I immediately put my luggage in the cloak room, exchanged some USD for the local currency, Maldivian Rufiyaa and got on the ferry to Male.

Araamu SPA - Pamper your senses

Any luxurious resort is incomplete without a spa and ARAAMU SPA spread over an area of 4500 sq.m perfectly complements the surroundings and environment of Sun Island Resort and SPA – Maldives, making it the perfect place in paradise. Built from thatch, bamboo, timber and stone, replete with frangipani and jasmine trees amidst pools, fountains and cascading water, the SPA is a separate and complete environment, distinct from the rest of the resort.

A weekend in Lonavala

Lonavala, a hill station located 64 KM from Pune and 96 KM from Mumbai, is the perfect weekend getaway for people residing both in Pune and Mumbai. A drive on the Mumbai Pune expressway to reach Lonavala, is a pure rejuvenating one which also offers some great views of the Western Ghats. The same journey becomes ten times more beautiful during the monsoons, when it’s lush green everywhere.

Discover Scuba Diving - The First Breath Underwater!

Sun Island Resort and SPA - Maldives is located in the South Ari Atoll - the most popular region for diving in the Maldives well renown worldwide, and has a lovely thriving house reef.  A 5 star PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Dive center – DiveOceanus arranges the Snorkeling excursions for the guests apart from providing the guests an opportunity to learn to dive and experience the true beauty of nature – The Underwater World of Maldives, through the Discover Scuba Diving program.

Sun Island Resort and Spa - Maldives, A paradise in true sense

Sun Island Resort and Spa is one of the 5 luxury resorts of the Villa Group in the tropical country of Maldives, located in Nalaguraidhoo in the South Ari Atoll, 107 kilometers south of the Malé International Airport. Male is the capital city of Maldives which is a tropical island nation south of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Sun Island Resort and Spa is the biggest resort in Maldives and its scale comes with unmatchable array of facilities along with very high value for costs.

The best way to reach Sun Island Resort and Spa is via flight from Male to Mamigili and then a 5 minute speed boat ride. The flight carrier Fly Me is also owned by the Villa group itself. The 35 minute flight will reward you with mind-blowing mesmerizing views of the atoll formations which is unique to the Maldives. The views are something which can only be enjoyed from up in the air and not by a speedboat.

A memorable birthday at Sun Island Resort and Spa, Maldives

Last year I celebrated my birthday in the mountains in Nainital and I had a wonderful 2016 travelling to as many as 10 places which included my first high altitude trek in the Himalayas among others.

This time I got to spend it in Sun Island Resort and Spa which apart from being a literal paradise also turned out to be the biggest resort in the Maldives. 

24 Treks for 12 months of 2017 - Part 1

2016 was a life changing year for me. I quit my job and changed the stream all together, started this blog, traveled to and explored around 10 new places and moreover I did my first trek in May 2016 and that has changed me completely.

Having started my trekking journey with Deoria Tal - Chandrashila in May followed by Kheerganga in August and now Triund and Jalori Pass - Serlosar Lake in December, I thought of compiling a list of 24 trekking destinations for the 12 months of 2017,  in India which one should definitely think of doing as suggested by travelers and trekkers themselves.

January

Chadar Trek

By Amrita & Agni ( Tale of 2 backpackers )

 A trek in January definitely involves extreme cold temperatures and hiking in the snow. But Chadar Trek is unique in itself as here you are walking over ice. The Zanskar River that flows with such aplomb during the summers calms down and freezes during this time of the year. A blanket of ice or 'chadar' forms over the river, and you have a trek route that can be an experience of your lifetime. Surviving temperatures as low as -10 degrees in the morning and -35 degrees at night is no mean feat. 

Lepakshi - some untold stories

Lepakshi is about 120 KM from Bangalore on the Bangalore Hyderabad highway.

History says , Where the legendary bird Jatayu fell, wounded after a futile battle against Ravana. And Lord Rama said - “Le Pakshi” — ‘rise, bird’ The proud legacy of Vijayanagara Empire at it full Glory. An empire which was the most powerful and richest of its time, not just in India but in the whole world.

24 hours in McLeodganj, India

McLeodganj is a very popular travel destination in Dharamshala. Being just 250 km (5 hours) journey from Chandigarh and around 475 km (9-10 hours) journey from Delhi, McLeodganj has become a hotspot for weekend trips and is frequented by travellers but usually jam-packed with tourists specially on long weekends.

McLeodganj has a lot to offer to all kinds of travellers alike. Triund trek – a 9 km trek from McLeodganj main square; and it is a foodie’s haven with all kinds of foods and cuisines available in the many cafes spread all over the town.

McLeodganj is best explored on foot and to enjoy the city it is recommended to park your vehicle in the parking lot near the bus stop for the duration of the stay .This does two things – Less traffic on the narrow roads and making your effort to keep the town pollution free.

The buses from Delhi usually arrive early in the morning by 6-7 AM which is the perfect time to start a day long food trail in the streets of McLeodganj.

5 places near Delhi to satisfy your Snow – lust

Shimla

Shimla also known as ‘The Summer Capital of British India’ is the capital and largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is a district which is bounded by Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, the state of Uttarakhand in the south-east.It is unarguably one of the most popular hill stations, buzzing with Indian vacationers all year long.

Traffic is banned from the central part of town, so walking is pleasant – even when huffing and puffing uphill. The long, winding main street, the Mall, runs east and west just below the spine of the hill. South of it, the maze-like alleys of the bustling bazaar cascade steeply down to traffic-infested Cart Rd.

From mid-July to mid-September, Shimla is frequently wreathed in cloud, and in the winters it gets engulfed in a white blanket of snow. It is also home to a number of buildings that are styled in the Tudorbethan and neo-Gothic architectures dating from the colonial era which attract a lot of tourists all through the year.

#Snowflakes #Shimla #Snowfall

A photo posted by ⏺A S H I S H K' BHARDWAJ⏺ (@imashishkbhardwaj) on Jan 7, 2017 at 2:56am PST

McLeodganj

Triund, McLeodganj - A Must Do Trek for beginners

Triund a small hill station in the Kangra district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India is definitely a must go to place for everyone who visits McLeodganj. It is at a height of 2,828 m and is a part of Dharamkot. Unlike McLeodganj where one can reach via Bus, one has to trek a minimum of 6 KM to reach Triund.

A walk to Gallu Devi temple through the forests