I had a 30 hour, overnight layover in Dubai in November en route to the Maldives. This was not my first visit to Dubai, so while I wanted to “feel like I was in Dubai”, I did not want to revisit its most popular tourist sites. I also wanted to concentrate my time on the Palm Jumeirah, or the artificial islands made in the shape of a Palm tree, as I felt like I largely missed this area on my last visit to Dubai. This article explains how I passed the time on my layover!
A Google map of The Palm islands.
LANDING IN DUBAI – 8:30 PM.
I flew direct to DXB from New York’s JFK on Emirates. We were supposed to land around 8:00 PM, but our flight out of New York was delayed and we didn’t land until about 10 PM. I had optimistically made a dinner reservation at Little Miss India, a wonderful Indian spot on the Palm Jumeirah, but that had to be cancelled (honestly, I don’t think that I would have made it anyway as the last seating was at 10 PM). After deplaning and clearing Immigration and Customs, which was so quick, we Ubered to our hotel, the St. Regis The Palm Dubai, and arrived around 11 PM.
Made it back to Dubai!
Little Miss India from a prior trip.
OUR HOTEL – ST. REGIS THE PALM DUBAI – 11:00 PM.
We selected the St. Regis The Palm Dubai based on my Marriott status (to take advantage of the perks), because it was on the Palm Jumeirah and its specific location on the Palm Jumeirah. St. Regis The Palm Dubai (not to be confused with the other St. Regis in Dubai) is a beautiful hotel – the lobby area is stunning and felt very “Dubai.” Due to our late arrival, everything in the area was closed for dinner (save fast food delivery and a few “clubs” that may serve food), so we opted for room service and an early bedtime. Room service arrived quick and was pretty decent, especially the Fattoush Salad (one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes!).
St. Regis The Palm Dubai.
Room service Fattoush Salad at St. Regis The Palm.
Truffle fries on room service. Welcome to Dubai.
BREAKFAST AT THE PALM DUBAI – 8:00 AM.
After a restful sleep at the Palm Dubai, we began our morning with breakfast at Cordelia. Cordelia is the Palm Dubai’s breakfast restaurant, offering a large breakfast buffet and made-to-order dishes, as well as International cuisine throughout the remainder of the day. We sat outdoors overlooking the pool and enjoyed breakfast with the warm weather.
Turkey Eggs Benedict at Cordelia (no pork in UAE).
My buffet samplings – I love an Asian breakfast buffet (and tater tots).
A DIP IN THE POOL AND SHISHA – 11:00 AM.
After breakfast, we moved to St. Regis The Palm Dubai’s pool for sun and swimming. The water was quite cool, but it felt perfect after sitting in the sun for a while. The pool was nearly empty when we arrived around 9:30 AM, but it filled up fast with almost all seats being taken by 11:00 AM. The pool also made for great guest watching.
St. Regis The Palm pool.
After swimming for a bit, we visited the pool bar, called the Dip Pool Bar for shisha and snacks. And I will point out, the Dip Pool Bar is really cute and very photographable. The Shisha Master, however, didn’t start work until 1 PM, so we had to move back our snack hour a bit for him to arrive. Dan said the shisha was worth the wait.
Dip Pool Bar.
Shisha at Dip Pool Bar.
THE VIEW AT THE PALM – 4:00 PM.
We took full advantage of our 4:00 PM late checkout (a perk of my Marriott status) and stayed at the pool until about 2:30 PM. We checked out and store our luggage just before 4:00 PM and then walked to the Nakheel Mall, which is literally connected to the St. Regis’ lobby, for entrance to The View at the Palm. The View at the Palm is a viewing platform on the roof of the Nakheel Mall offering views of Dubai and the Palm Islands. We pre-booked skip-the-line tickets in advance, so we walked right in at our designated time slot.
Dan and I on the second level of The View at The Palm.
Before reaching the viewpoint, visitors make their way through multiple interactive exhibits explaining the history and creation of the Palm Islands before eventually reaching the viewing platform. We purchased “Next Level” tickets, which in addition to the normal ticket offerings, includes access to the tallest view point, accessible only via steps. I did think the views from the highest viewpoint (the Next Level ticket) were significantly better than the regular view point, and it provided views of the Palm Islands where you could actually see the Palm, which was the purpose of the ticket.
Dan walking through the interactive exhibits. He was not impressed.
The view from the mail level viewing point of The View at The Palm.
The view from the second level of The View at The Palm.
NAKHEEL MALL – 6:00 PM.
After The View at the Palm, we walked around Nakheel Mall. I shopped for Dubai souvenirs and Marks and Spencer’s Christmas decorations and drank tasty coffee at HAVE Coffee. The Nakheel Mall is a normal mall (although not Dubai’s largest) offering a mix of chain stores, largely European, upscale grocery stores, stores selling Middle Eastern goods (like furniture), electronics stores, pharmacies and souvenir stores. There are also a variety of restaurants in the mall, from to-go fast food to sit down restaurants. Many of these restaurants are chains. The Nakheel Mall is free to enter and is a decent place to spend time if the weather is bad (or really hot) of if you need something you forgot at home (you’ll definitely want to buy this here rather than in the Maldives).
Din Tai Fung chain in the Nakheel Mall.
DINNER AT AL NAFOORAH AL QASR – 8:00 PM.
I selected an upscale Lebanese restaurant for our sole proper dinner in Dubai – Al Nafoorah al Qasr. Al Nafoorah al Qasr is a beautiful restaurant inside the Jumeirah Al Qasr resort (which is a gorgeous property). We sat creek side with views of the Burj Al Arab. The food at Al Nafoorah al Qasr was fantastic, and I will absolutely return (full posting coming soon).
The interior of Jumeirah Al Qasr resort.
Dan ready for dinner.
Our dinner ended with this fantastic Baklava Cheesecake.
DRINKS AT BAR BUCI – 10:30 PM.
We stayed at Jumeirah Al Qasr for cocktails at its well regarded Buci Bar. I made a mistake by not making a reservation to sit on its lovely patio, so we sat at the bar and enjoyed one pricey cocktail. The cocktails were good but expensive for what they were. I would return but only with a group and an advance reservation to sit on the patio.
Cocktails at Bar Buci.
BACK TO THE AIRPORT – 12:00 AM.
After dinner and drinks, it was back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and Uber to the airport for our overnight flight to Male, Maldives!
Dubai -> Maldives.
STEAL OUR TRIP
St. Regis The Palm Dubai: Located in the Nakheel Mall on the Palm Jumeirah.
Nakheel Mall: Center of Palm Jumeirah. Open daily 10:00 – 00:00 (closes at 22:00 on Sunday).
The View at The Palm: Inside the Nakheel Mall (signs everywhere in the mall). Open daily 9:00 – 19:30. The standard ticket is approximately $30 USD. The Next Level ticket is approximately $50 USD.
Al Nafoorah Al Qasr: Located inside the Jumeirah Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah hotel. Open for dinner daily. Reservations highly recommended. Alcohol served.
Bar Buci: Located inside the Jumeirah Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah hotel. Open Sunday – Thursday 17:00 – 02:00, Friday 17:00 – 03:00, Satursday 16:00 – 03:00. Reservations recommended.