Escaping Christmas

This year we decided to escape the Christmas hype and stress and travel somewhere warm. We chose Dubai as the weather is guaranteed to be warm, the flight time (around 7 hours direct flight) is bearable as is the time difference (+2 hours). Our flight took off in the early evening on December 19th and arrived in Dubai at 3 am. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel, Intercontinental Dubai Marina and we got a taste of the lifestyle in Dubai right away as the taxi was a Tesla Model S. After checking in we headed straight for bed.
Super comfy king size bed to sleep in
...and a glass-box bathroom

We woke up around 11 am the next morning, got unpacked and headed out to check out the neighborhood. After grabbing a late breakfast and some coffee at a nearby Starbucks we explored part of the Dubai Marin area. After strolling around for a few hours we decided to spend some time at the hotel pool just relaxing and recovering from the early morning arrival.


Part of the Marina was lined with food trucks
Dubai Marina Mall ceiling decoration

Time to relax at the pool

Then it was time to think about dinner. While walking around the Marina area we had spotted a place called Pier 7 that houses seven restaurants. After checking out these restaurants online we decided to try out Asia Asia. Before heading out we made a pit stop at our hotel’s bar Ginter for some G&Ts. Luckily we were early enough (a little before 7 pm) to get a table without a reservation. The place was almost full by the time we had eaten and left. We started with an 8 piece dim sum basket and chili garlic edamame. My main was steamed sea bass in a soy broth with bok choy and bamboo shoots, hubby ate ribeye teriyaki with roasted kabocha, parsnip miso & glazed ancho chili. The food was delicious, service really good and the restaurant décor was interesting. While walking back to our hotel we stopped at Pinkberry for some frozen yogurt.


View from Ginter's terrace at dusk


Entrance to restrooms at Asia Asia

Some of the dumplings
Ribeye teriyaki
Inside Asia Asia
Terracotta soldiers in the elevator lobby of Asia Asia

We had booked a desert safari for Friday afternoon/night. We kicked off the morning with an excellent brunch at Bistro des Arts. The brunch was delicious and affordable. For AED 99 you got the cold buffet, one main course, one crêpe and a hot beverage. You could also add AED75 to select three cocktails but we skipped this option. First we picked various cold breakfast foods from the buffet and some juice. Then we both had a variety of eggs benedict for the main and shared a crêpe to round it all off. Once we were fortified we jumped on the metro and headed to the Mall of the Emirates. While there we received word that the driver would come and pick us up at the hotel at 2 pm for the safari so it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for our desert adventure. Safari post to follow.



Mall of the Emirates
Mall of the Emirates

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