{"id":399,"date":"2015-01-14T03:50:41","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T03:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/dubai-for-families\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:20:19","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:20:19","slug":"dubai-for-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/dubai-for-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubai for Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love answering questions about Dubai<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow was it?\u201d Remarkable.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you like Dubai?\u201d Yes, I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was your favourite experience?\u201d Sunset Safari.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is Dubai like for families?\u201d I\u2019ll tell you.<\/p>\n

Perhaps better known for luxury hotels and sensational shopping, I was surprised at the wide range of family friendly activities<\/a> available in Dubai, the capital of United Arab Emirates. In one day, you can easily travel from the desert to the beach to the snow. There\u2019s a ski field in a mall, a children\u2019s mini world, palm trees covered in lights and slides surrounded by sharks! It\u2019s the sort of place to squeeze in many amazing experiences in a few days.<\/p>\n

Let me pick out some of the best of Dubai for families.<\/p>\n

1. The Malls<\/h2>\n

The Dubai Mall<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Dubai Mall is big. No, it\u2019s huge. By some measures, it is the world\u2019s largest shopping and entertainment destination, welcoming more than 100 million visitors a year. Apart from the excellent shopping, there\u2019s plenty to keep the children entertained, and one of my top picks to visit in the mall with the kids is KidZania.<\/p>\n

KidZania:<\/strong>\u00a0KidZania is like a mini city, especially for kids. That\u2019s the best way to describe it. The award winning educational entertainment facility is a place where children can choose from 80 different jobs \u2013 from surgeons to chefs; firefighters to photographers. From these jobs, children earn a \u2018wage\u2019 and spend their hard earned \u201cmoney\u201d on various activities in their own miniature shop or racing cars round KidZania\u2019s own track.<\/p>\n

Idea: Provide paper and pens for the kids to draw their own mini city scene after their KidZania experience.<\/p>\n

Ice Skating Rink:\u00a0<\/strong>The Dubai Ice Skating Rink is located inside the Dubai Mall and hosts many different events and activities all year round.<\/p>\n

Idea: The Dubai Mall sits next to Burj Khalifa Lake and in the evenings you can watch The Dubai Fountain. The choreographed, free fountain show is set to music and lights; shows are at 20-minute intervals from 6pm. Absolutely beautiful!<\/p>\n

Aquarium and Underwater Zoo:\u00a0<\/strong>One of the centerpieces of the Dubai Mall is the Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. The Aquarium holds the world\u2019s largest tanks (51m x 20m x 11m) with a viewing panel more than 30m wide, 85 species and over 33,000 animals in total as well as a brilliant walk-through tunnel.\u00a0The Underwater Zoo section\u2019s different marine environments include rain forests, rocky shores and a Penguin colony.<\/p>\n

Idea: Try a counting game and see how many sharks you can see.
\n
\nThe Emirates Mall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ski Dubai:\u00a0<\/strong>Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East, and it truly feels like you have been transported to a different world. How they keep the centre at -4 degrees is incredible! Activities include skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, penguin encounters, just to name a few. There are seasonal activities to watch out for, including meeting with Santa during the Christmas season, and themed environments from the movie FROZEN.<\/p>\n

Idea: Don\u2019t forget build a snowman.<\/p>\n

2. Water Parks<\/h2>\n

Aquaventure is like an Aussie water park, but bigger! Sprawled over 42 acres, Aquaventure is a feast of slides, flying foxes and a specially designed area for smaller children nestled amongst tropical surrounds; it even has a private beach. I braved The Leap of Faith Slide that starts over 27 metres off the ground and plunges through a shark-filled lagoon.<\/p>\n

Atlantis The Palm<\/a> is the top spot to stay for easy entry to Aquaventure<\/a> and The Lost Chambers of Atlantis & Palm Aquarium. A family could be entertained for days on end without the need to leave the grounds. The hotel is luxurious, but very family friendly too.<\/p>\n

Tip: The entry wristband into Aquaventure allocates photographs of your slide adventures and is worth a laugh before you leave the facility.<\/p>\n

Wild Wadi Waterpark<\/a> is another popular attraction, with over 30 rides for all ages. Situated in front of the iconic Burj Al Arab tower, it\u2019s a great place to escape the heat of a Dubai day.
\n<\/p>\n

3. Outdoors<\/h2>\n

Desert Safari<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Desert Safari<\/a> was the highlight of my trip. There\u2019s something humbling and beautiful about being surrounded by a vast ocean of sand. It gives you a fresh appreciation of the incredible feat that is the city, while highlighting the rich heritage of the region. Experiencing a desert sunset must go on the bucket list \u2013 exhilarating!<\/p>\n

There are plenty of different desert safari adventures to choose from \u2013 taking a few hours to most of the day. Possible activities include a falconry demonstration, sand boarding, camel riding, four-wheel driving through dunes or a traditional Arabian dinner under the stars.<\/p>\n

Idea: When you pack for Dubai, include a few plastic figurine camels and falcons for kids to play with on your travels.<\/p>\n

Creekside Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Creekside Park is a beautiful green space in the desert, a perfect place for a family BBQ. It can be a fun space for kids to run around, or you can explore the Children\u2019s City, which is a hands-on science centre experience aimed at 2-15yr olds.<\/p>\n

Idea: Pack a few pieces of paper and make paper planes to race.<\/p>\n

Umm Suqeim Beach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Umm Suqeim (sometimes called Sunset Beach) is a free public beach, next to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The water is bright blue, the sand white and the backdrop of the famous Burj Al Arab makes it a novel experience. It\u2019s a lovely spot to paddle, play in the sand and photograph one of Dubai\u2019s most iconic buildings.<\/p>\n

There are no facilities on the beach, so a short visit is ideal. Jumeirah Beach and Park is not far away, and more suitable for a longer stay (however, there is a small entrance fee).<\/p>\n

Idea: Do a sandcastle challenge and see who can get a castle the closet shape to the Burj Al Arab.
\n<\/p>\n

4. Significant Sights<\/h2>\n

The Palm Jumeirah<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Palm Jumeirah is one of a number of artificial islands that have been planned for Dubai, but it\u2019s the only one that is complete so far. I found the sheer size of it amazing as it just felt like a normal part of the coastline.<\/p>\n

Idea: Try and work out what part of the palm you\u2019re on.<\/p>\n

Graffiti Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n

The world\u2019s longest graffiti wall is close to Jumeirah Beach so it\u2019s easy for a quick stop and look around. The wavy wall shares the history of the United Arab Emirates in pictures.<\/p>\n

Idea: It\u2019s a great backdrop for a family snap!<\/p>\n

Dubai Museum<\/strong><\/p>\n

Located in The Old Town part of Dubai, The Dubai Museum presents the traditional way of life in UAE. The history is displayed in a highly visual and interactive way.<\/p>\n

Idea: Walk through The Souks nearby.<\/p>\n

At The Top – Burj Khalifa<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A visit to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in world, is a must. The lift travel alone is a fun adventure, travelling at over 10 meters a second! Step out on the observation deck (on the 124th floor) to the most incredible view over Dubai.<\/p>\n

Idea: Bring a stuffed mascot toy and photograph it in different places you visit.<\/p>\n

Popular months for Aussie families to visit Dubai are October through to December; it\u2019s cooler during that time of year. I visited in December, and the weather was perfect! Warm, but not hot during the day and cooler in the evenings.<\/p>\n

Dubai is the sort of place where you can pack many fun experiences in a short space of time so it\u2019s well worth a 2-3 night stop over on route to another destination.<\/p>\n

Expedia compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site, such compensation may include travel and other costs<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kelly Burstow from Be a Fun Mum has all the tips and tricks for a family trip to Dubai.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16,6,2,3,5,14,4],"tags":[210,11,58],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-africa","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-family","category-interests","category-type-of-holidays","tag-dubai","tag-family","tag-tips","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDubai for Families - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kelly Burstow from Be a Fun Mum has all the tips and tricks for a family trip to Dubai.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/dubai-for-families\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dubai for Families - 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