The winter sun destination Brits love with world’s tallest building, highest infinity pool and desert balloon rides
COWERING on a narrow ledge over a blood-curdling, 700ft drop – let’s not mince words here, I am absolutely bricking it.
As a lifelong vertigo sufferer, taking a stroll around the top of a Dubai skyscaper with no safety barrier is my worst nightmare.
Over my right shoulder the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on the planet, soars into the sky like the world’s longest syringe, which might be what’s making my legs feel numb.
I was conquering my fears at the Edge Walk at Sky Views tower, overlooking the Dubai marina.
The attraction whisks you to the 53rd floor in a glass escalator, where you don a special suit and helmet then get buckled into a harness and secured to a metal bar overhead, before stepping outside on to a semi-circular ledge.
I shuffle along slowly, gripping my rope, managing a nervy smile or two for selfies.
Our phones are in plastic pouches strapped to our suits lest they be accidentally dropped on some poor sod below.
About halfway along, our guide asks if anyone would like to lean over the edge, relying on the safety of our harnesses to keep us from falling.
It’s a polite but firm no from me.
After all, I was attempting all this on a full stomach.
I had raced here after a sublime lunch at the Michelin Guide-recommended Ce La Vi restaurant, which sits a floor above the Edge Walk, so the views from here are just as epic — a good tip for those with a fear of heights.
The Asian-themed dishes hit the heights, too, with favourites including a satay marinated chicken breast, black cod croquettes and shrimp tempura.
I was staying a ten-minute drive away, in the well-located 25 Hours Hotel, which is perfect for keen explorers like myself.
The vast lobby here is an impressive place to visit in its own right, dominated by a fountain-shaped library with three tiers of circular shelves jammed with hundreds of paperbacks and topped by a spinning globe.
For those who have had a long day on their feet, there are swinging pendulum chairs to lounge around in, plus a couple of bars and restaurants, including the rooftop Monkey Bar (a table opposite the DJ booth is the ideal spot to enjoy a Banana Old Fashioned cocktail).
There’s also arcade machines and turntable DJ booths, for an unexpected jolt of nostalgia in this most futuristic of cities.
Balloon burner
Up in my Bedouin suite, a rainfall shower sits slam-bang in the middle of the room, next to a king-size bed that was so comfy it made my early morning start the following day a little tricky.
I was heading to a paradise-like swimming pool on the Insta-perfect Palm Tower’s 50th floor.
Aura Skypool, at 650ft, is the world’s highest 360-degree infinity pool.
Did I mention I hate heights?
Well, I was getting braver, and the vertigo-inducing illusion of blue water merging into an equally blue sky was water off a duck’s back.
Uninterrupted views of the tree-shaped, Palm Jumeirah islands below, plus the Downtown skyline and Arabian Gulf are blockbuster movie-worthy.
And unlike at the Edge Walk, this time I had to be dragged kicking and screaming back to ground level.
More aquatic exploits awaited, however, with Hero Boat Tours.
With my mate Jim at the wheel of a dinky two-man boat, I could just sit back and relax.
We cruised from the harbour to the majestic, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, stopping to share plentiful patters at the fishermen-run Ibn Al Bahr Lebanese restaurant — favourites include the fried calamari and grilled red snapper.
If you’re not much of a water fan, but still want to soak up those glorious views, a sunrise hot-air balloon tour over the desert is certainly one for the bucket list.
My chatty taxi driver dropped our group off in the pitch-black dunes, a 45-minute drive from Dubai, where we sipped Arabic coffee on comfy cushions while waiting to take to the skies.
Only the occasional flaming roar of the balloon burner burst the calm as we rose to 4,000ft and the sun blinked into view as well as Oman’s Al Hajar mountains, 45 miles away.
Balloon Adventure Dubai offers epic tours for special occasions, from around £420 per adult, including a post-balloon breakfast in a Bedouin camp, or GetYourGuide has tours from around £210pp, with optional extras such as camel rides.
But for those that don’t have that kind of cash to splash there’s so much else on offer, including an epic culinary scene (see right).
Aussie-style Byron Bathers Beach Club and Bar has a chilled-out vibe and gorgeous ocean views — stick around for lunch and make sure you try the clam fettucini.
Then there’s the Time Out Market — a food hall rammed with stalls manned by some of the city’s best chefs (pick up a beef shawarma wrap from the Lebanese street food joint Liban by Allo Beirut).
Or tour Old Dubai’s markets with food blogger Arva Ahmed of Frying Pan Adventures — exploring backstreets where you will sample everything from chilli-flavour crisps and cheese samosas to faloodeh, a sorbet-like dessert that’s incredibly moreish.
On the final night, we headed downtown to the Burj Lake, where the world’s tallest performing fountain is in action.
Hundreds of gushes of water swooshed 500ft into the air and the Burj Khalifa glowed bright blue against the dark night sky.
Even at night, the views of this city are incredible.
And you don’t need to tackle your fears to soak them up — unless you really want to.
GO: Dubai
GETTING THERE: Emirates flies to Dubai from Heathrow, from £499 return.
See emirates.com.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at the 25 Hours Hotel Dubai One Central start from £104 per night.
See 25hours-hotels.com.
OUT & ABOUT: Edge Walk admission costs around £74pp.
See skyviewsdubai.com/edge-walk.
For more info, see visitdubai.com.
Chef’s best backstreet Emirati eats
FOOD has become a huge part of why people travel, Michelin-star chef Jason Atherton tells me over the phone, as he strolls along the sun-drenched Italian cliffs of Positano on his family getaway.
Even his daughter, who was holidaying on the Greek Island of Ios earlier this year, has shown a keen interest in sampling the local grub abroad, texting him for tips on the best places to eat.
“If they’re drying their octopus on a washing line, then you know it’s going to be good,” was his sound advice.
With 17 restaurants across the world and four Michelin stars under his belt, it’s safe to assume the British chef knows his stuff.
But the city he really knows well – that has somewhat captured his heart – is Dubai.
After all, it’s where he joined Verre, Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant, as an executive chef in 2001, and where he met and married his now-wife Irha.
Plus it is at the core of his ITV show, Dubai Dishes, the second series of which starts next Saturday.
“Me and my future wife at the time would just sit [in the backstreets of Bur Dubai] and talk until three in the morning – you can have a kebab and just watch the world go by,” he recalls of his early life as a chef.
Now, several years later, he has opened his third restaurant in the United Arab Emirates city, Row On 45, offering a 17-course immersive tasting menu where diners feast for over three hours in three rooms.
His recent venture might come with a hefty price tag of around £240 per head, but it’s not all about splashing the cash in Dubai, Jason says.
“It can be expensive, although I actually think it’s cheaper than London,” he says.
“Go to the backstreets – you’ll find traditional Emirati cuisine which is really, really affordable and you’ll get to experience what Dubai is all about.”
The five-star hotels and luxury beach clubs serve a purpose, but foodies looking to venture away from these pricier areas should make a beeline for Bur Dubai, Deira and Al Quoz, he says.
Look out for restaurants crammed with locals and you’re guaranteed some decent fare.
Just by the Clocktower in Deira is, Jason says, “one of the oldest, most famous streets in Dubai” with restaurants selling everything from Lebanese and Persian food to kebab houses that stay open until 4am.
Gooey cheese
There’s no alcohol in these parts, because of the strict drinking laws in Dubai, but you don’t need it.
Instead, go for an Arabic tea, Arabic coffee or a mint tea – “sometimes they aerate it, this releases all the natural oils.”
Among Jason’s favourite spots for cheap grub is Pitfire Pizza, in various locations around the city (“although the one in Al Quoz is delicious”), which sells sourdough pizzas loaded with garlic, veggies and meats and dripping in gooey cheese.
“If I’m going for coffee, I go to Nightjar in Al Quoz – try to go for brunch there too.”
And for the best sandwich in town? “There’s a place called Rascals Deli – really affordable.”
Of course, if you are visiting Dubai then there is one dish you absolutely must try.
“You can’t go to Dubai and not have a chicken shawarma,” Jason says.
Who would argue with a chef whose restaurant gained two Michelin stars just nine months after opening?
- Dubai Dishes, season two, airs on ITV1 on August 3.