[trip style = luxury + beach + urban +sightseeing]
A few months ago I went to Dubai for a four-day, jetset journey into the Middle Eastern desert {see deets RE my direct Emirates flight from Seattle here}. Aside from sharing 30 photos in December, I never wrote much about the flashy City-State on TS, struggling to find the words to describe my experience and the mind-boggling town that turns sand into palms-shaped islands and concrete into cloud-skimming skyscrapers. Note: the below photo is taken from the world's tallest building on floor 124, looking up.
Dubai turns impossible into nothing---a mere petite feat that can be easily surmounted, like a small hill. Except that hill is Mt. Everest AND the odds of reaching the top unscathed are fraught with an army of skilled workers {a whole topic in and of itself}, and worldwide recognition. Looking at Dubai projects---an indoor ski hill, the world's largest mall, the world's only seven-star hotel and the world's tallest building---it's like the Emirate empire has conquered Everest 100+ times, on a Wednesday morning. And then went out for lunch.
The oil-rich town is the greatest destination marketing story of our time. The projects are big, blingy and boisterous; international experts are brought in to execute them, and the result is something that's landed on most globetrotters' bucket lists. Fueled by curiosity and a desire for the exotic, travelers are seeking Dubai's decadent desert in droves.
Here's a starter kit to Dubai I wrote for Fodor's.
More Dubai
My Flight
My Hotel
The Spa
30 Photos
[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of emirates]