The Real Dubai

Dreams become reality here. Never in my life have I seen things such as these. Dubai is extremely impressive... and probably 30% (maybe more) of the city is still under construction. I can only imagine what the finished product will look like. There is a backlog of things to share and write about, so let's start with a few spectacles thus far.

Dubai boasts some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. Above you'll see the Burj Al Arab which was constructed on a man-made island. It sits just off of Jumeirah Beach - the same beach that is also famed for accomodating us (Kyra and Austin) in our Holiday Inn Express mini-room. Room rates at Burj Al Arab range from around $1,000 US per night to $28,000 US per night. The hotel is closed to visitors, but as soon as we stay there we will show you the inside too. We take donations if you'd like to sponsor our stay there. To get back on track, the sailboat shape of Burj Al Arab blends well with the wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel which sits on the shoreline next to Burj Al Arab. These two hotels are widely known as two of the best hotels on the planet.

A row of palaces and The Palm Island can be found just down the coastline from the Burj Al Arab. The Palm Island is a man-made island that looks like a palm tree when viewed from the air. The island has an incredible entrance row of luxury condominiums and apartments. Each "branch" of the island hosts luxury waterfront estates from end to end. At the very end of the island is the Atlantis - The Palm, Dubai. The Atlantis Hotel and Resort is yet another world-famous location. Not only is the hotel gorgeous, but it also hosts great shopping, water adventures like swimming with dolphins, and a super-sized aquarium. For some perspective, the aquarium is home to thousands of exotic fish and one modestly sized whale shark. Whale sharks can reach up to 40 feet in length and weigh 15 tons. He's not that large, but he's not small either.

Believe me when I say that this is a shortlist of the Dubai hotels worth talking about. We will increase our post frequency to get you updated on as much as possible. We leave Dubai on Tuesday morning and fly straight to Jakarta, Indonesia. It is likely that we will have a whole new set of things to share, so check in with us often!! Also, if you'd like to learn more about the development of some of Dubai's incredible creations, here is the link to Nakheel, the company behind much of the work - www.nakheel.com/en