We decided to set out one of our first mornings to find something fun to do on our own. Being that I'm new to driving in Dubai as well as unfamiliar with most areas, I was relying on my previous sightseeing with Jeff to show the kids some things I thought they'd like. Dubai Marina came to mind, because this Dubai December weather is GORGEOUS and the marina area offers lots of outdoor fun. Jeff and I had previously walked through the area and really enjoyed the al fresco dining as well as the yacht and boat watching. So I decided to take the kids there, and I lured them with the promise of free WiFi at the Dubai Marina Mall, because we still hadn't gotten our home internet access turned on yet!
Have I mentioned that Dubai offers free WiFi pretty much anywhere in the city? A very nice perk for internet-starved children, ha!
So I drove in the direction of Dubai Marina, using my trusty Google Maps app on my iPhone. We made it to the Marina without an issue, but soon I realized it was going to be difficult to find parking convenient to the mall. After driving around a while with no luck, I ended up veering off my preferred path and driving a little bit further into the Marina area. Soon I realized we were no longer near the Marina Mall, but instead we were closer to the area called Jumeirah Beach Residence, or JBR as it's more commonly known. JBR is a waterfront community located on the Persian Gulf containing dozens of residential skyscrapers as well as a boardwalk and beautiful beach area with tons of retail, restaurants, and cool activities. I had never been there before, but we settled for valet parking so that we could explore.
We quickly fell in love with the area! We spotted several of our favorite restaurants, enjoyed the neat outdoor shopping mall, and the kids even found a candy store called Fuzziwigs Candy Factory that will no doubt become a favorite stop. (They offered us sample of their homemade treats and the caramel was the best I've ever tried!)
Walking through JBR, we noticed an outdoor section with several of these spinning chairs that looked fun. Well, they were even MORE fun than they looked! We ended up playing on these chairs for a long time, just laughing and spinning and taking so many pictures. Too cool! It's hard to tell from the photo but the kids are spinning in front of a mirrored #WowJBR hashtag sign.
We loved these spinning chairs so much that I looked them up online. Turns out the chairs are by Herman Miller, called the Magis Spun Chair, retailing for about $720. Would be a super cool addition to our outdoor living areas!
After playing for a while and enjoying the amazing weather, we decided it was time for lunch. It was a no-brainer where we wanted to eat: El Chico, right on the JBR main strip! The kids were so excited to try the Tex-Mex here in Dubai. We had fajitas and tons of chips, very yummy (but let's be honest, nothing beats Lupe Tortilla or Los Cucos back home)!
After we ate lunch, we walked around some more and played with the spinning chairs again (lol). Then we made a stop at the kids' newest favorite store (Fuzziwigs, for candy, of course). From there, we could see the beach and we just had to walk down there and take it all in.
The coolest sight in JBR in my opinion is the Dubai Eye, still under construction. It will be called Ain Dubai (ain meaning eye in Arabic) and when complete, it will be the world's tallest observation wheel and will even have capsules with bars and restaurants! It doesn't look so big in our photos but trust me, it's HUGE!
On the right side of the above photo, you can see a section of the incredible, inflatable obstacle course called Aqua Park on the JBR beach. The kids were super impressed and wanted to try it out, but I imagine it would be a bit chilly during this time of year. We definitely want to try it out when it's warmer. When I looked up the Aqua Park online, I found the coolest picture and just had to share. I had no idea that this was the aerial view of the park. Wow!
We didn't want to leave JBR; it was such a neat experience and there was so much more that we didn't get a chance to see. It's on the top of our list of things to do again soon. Walking back to the car, I noticed this section with two of my favorite American restaurants in the same area. I couldn't help but snap a photo and share with friends. Some comforts of home!
Even though I didn't plan to visit JBR, it turned out to be such a great place for one of our first outings in Dubai! The kids and I called it a "happy accident" and are already planning to make another trip so that we can show Jeff our fun finds.
No comments:
Post a Comment