I was selected to be part of a group from work that was taken to Dubai to learn about how to promote tourism (part of my job) to this incredible city.  It was sponsored by Emirates and Visit Dubai and they treated us to an amazing four days.

The trip started out in Business Class (definitely not how I normally travel)! From the fabulous flight attendants, the  delicious food, the BVLGARI toiletry bag to the starry ceiling…there was nothing I did not like.  Wish I could always travel like this #spoiled.

After a 14 hour flight we landed in Dubai where we boarded a coach for a city tour.  We were all pretty exhausted but it was a good way to get us acclimatized to the time change. One of my favorite pictures of the trip was taken on this whirlwind tour. The sun had just set over the skyline and the road had this beautiful design in lights. I have never seen anything like this before.

The next morning after a having a good night sleep and a cup of coffee, we were off. Since it was a work trip we spent quite a bit of time seeing hotels in the area, the best ones! Beautiful!  My favorite was the Four Seasons…if you have the money…its got to be worth it. #ineedtowinthelottery

One of the most iconic places in Dubai is the Burj Khalifa and we were given the opportunity to visit.  The tower is 160 stories high, it has 900 residences and is considered the most desirable address in Dubai.  The highest restaurant/bar in the world At.Mosphere is located on the 120 floor and has impressive views of the gulf and skyline. On the 124th & 125th floors you will find the observation lounges. Some of my friends on the trip were too scared to go to the windows to look out.  I ended up taking a lot of pictures on their cameras.  Here is the view so you can see why it might have been intimidating.

Some of the most unique things we saw on our visit were a BMW police car, a ski lift and aquarium in the mall, the Isle of Palms, an ice cave, first class dining at a horse race, dates with every meal, an authentic meal in the old part of the city and the most amazing sunsets.

We had one free afternoon and because I love to cook it was easy for me to decide to visit the Spice Souk.  I came home with saffron, curry, garam masala, turmeric, cumin and paprika. I also walked through the Gold Souk, yep they have an entire market of gold.

The most magical part of the trip was our Arabian Safari. We were taken by ATV into the middle of the Arabian desert where we were greeted by a falconer showing us how the Arabs used Falcons to catch food.  We then went through gates to a scene out of a movie.  There were tents, Arabian rugs, shimmering lights, a hashish lounge, camel riding, a full buffet dinner, henna tattoos and a lovely belly dancer. One of the most memorable evenings of my life. I think I can express it better with photos.

The end of a whirlwind trip that I will never forget, the memories will last a lifetime.

Happy Travels