When I found out we were moving to Bahrain, Dubai quickly rose to the top of my to-go list. Toby and I visited not long after we moved, but it is also the perfect location for a girls’ trip. So when my friend Olga came to visit me, we decided to do a little getaway to the flashiest city in the Middle East. Our trip was partially planned around Olga’s work schedule–she had to work several hours most of the days we were there–but also around our personal preferences, and the fact that I was living in Bahrain at the time.

I’ve explained our itinerary, but because I know other people may have other preferences for such a trip (or may be staying longer, or coming from farther away), I’ve also offered some other suggestions for things to do on your own girls’ getaway to Dubai.

Our itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in the morning, rent car, drive to Abu Dhabi, visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (the Abu Dhabi Louvre wasn’t open yet, but I should suggest visiting that as well!), late lunch at Asia de Cuba, back to Dubai, Uber to the Burj al Arab for cocktails and snacks at Gold on 27.

Day 2: Start the morning at the Dubai spice souk, take a short ride across the creek on a traditional dhow boat to the textile souk for a bit of shopping.
Afternoon tea at Atmosphere Lounge on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa
Pool time and dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Morning desert safari with Platinum Heritage (they don’t offer the exact one we took anymore, but they have several other great options), pool for lunch, Dubai Mall in the late afternoon/early evening, Loca (Mexican restaurant) for dinner.

Day 4: Check out and fly back home first thing in the morning.

Road trip to Abu Dhabi

This is absolutely worth doing, and not nearly as intimidating as you might think. Renting a car and driving from Dubai is quite easy (the drive is basically a straight shot on a very nice, new road, and it takes about an hour and a half), but there are also tours available if you don’t want to drive. If you do drive, be aware that speeding tickets in UAE are extremely pricey, so try to stay close to the speed limit, even though others may be whizzing past you. Our rental car had a really annoying alarm thing that would go off if I went over a certain speed… which would have been helpful if the speed it was programmed to was actually the speed limit, rather than below it!

We drove straight from the airport to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, where they will provide you with an abaya (robe) with a hood for free, but you can choose to bring your own headscarf and/or abaya, or wear something loose-fitting that completely covers your body from neck to ankles. The mosque is absolutely breathtaking and a must-see, and is beautiful during the day or at night—don’t skip it.

After the mosque, we drove to the beach/corniche area and had a late lunch at Asia de Cuba at the St. Regis, which was delicious and in a beautiful setting. However, now that the Abu Dhabi Louvre is open, I would definitely recommend visiting that while you’re in town! Read more about that here.

Staying active

We didn’t do anything in particular for exercise while we were in Dubai, but there are lots of fun options if you’re looking to stay active and don’t want to be stuck in the hotel gym. In addition to TONS of boutique fitness options (including American exports like Barry’s Boot Camp, FlyWheel, and Physique 57), you can also take surfing or stand-up paddle boarding lessons with a view of the Burj al Arab, try a floating HIIT class, or sign up for a Nike Training Club session.

Cocktails in the Middle East

You may be thinking you’ll have to forgo the alcohol while visiting Dubai, but you’d be wrong. There are certainly some restaurants that don’t serve alcohol (or pork), but there are tons of restaurants, bars, and hotels with a variety of cocktails and other adult beverages to try. And if you’re abstaining, there are also plenty of fun mocktails available!

Since this is Dubai and everything is over the top, we decided to go to Gold on 27, a glitzy bar on the 27th floor of the Burj al Arab, and it was lovely. Make sure you check the price of the cocktail before you order, though—some of them are insanely expensive. You also HAVE to make a reservation, even if you just call before heading over. Though the bar wasn’t even close to full, the guards won’t let you onto hotel property without some kind of reservation.

Another fabulous option for cocktails is the Atmosphere Lounge on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, but we went there for afternoon tea instead. And there are tons of other bars and restaurants around the city with phenomenal views — either from a roof or high floor, or on the beach. Regardless, it’s illegal to be drunk in public in Dubai, so don’t act like a dummy after you’ve had your cocktails.

Afternoon tea and Friday brunch

There are lots of places to have afternoon tea in Dubai, probably because there are so many Brits there. We went to the one at the Atmosphere Lounge in the Burj Khalifa, and it had pretty good food/tea and also has amazing views, since it’s on the 122nd floor, even though we did not pay extra for a window table. But there is a (super expensive) afternoon tea at the Burj al Arab that sounds pretty swanky, too, and plenty of other options if you’re looking for something different.

As for brunch… brunch in the Middle East is like nothing you’ve ever seen before, so if you are in Dubai on a Friday or Saturday, I STRONGLY recommend you find one to go to. This is not a roll-out-of-bed-and-eat-eggs-Benedict situation. Most of them are all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink (though they usually have a lower price for those who are not drinking alcohol), and they generally start around noon and last until 3 or 4 p.m.

Brunches usually have some kind of entertainment, and most people dress up at least a little bit (some dress up a LOT, because this is Dubai). You don’t HAVE to stay the whole 3-4 hours, of course, but that is the best way to get your money’s worth. Where you go is totally up to you — most hotels and nice restaurants have brunches, so you can search (or ask a concierge) for the kind of food and vibe you want — but definitely check it out!

Where we stayed

We stayed at Marriott al Jaddaf, which is the same place my family had stayed for New Year’s Eve. It’s a nice hotel with a great view of the Dubai Skyline (particularly from the pool), and they have free parking and a free shuttle to the Dubai Mall (which is not too far), as well as an airport shuttle. The price was also pretty good for our stay, and I got Marriott points. The only issue is that there is nothing right around it, so you’re stuck either eating at their restaurants (which are fine but not great) or driving/taking a cab somewhere. And I wasn’t super impressed with their shuttle schedule.

If you’re looking for more of a beach resort and are willing to splurge a little, Toby and I stayed at the Habtoor Grand in Jumeirah Beach a few years back and really enjoyed it. They have their own private beach, which is nice as long as it’s not so hot outside that the ocean water is the temperature of bath water (pro tip: don’t go in August!), and they also have a chilled pool with a swim-up bar that is nice even when the weather is sweltering. Keep in mind, though, that while the JBR area is close to the Palm, Dubai Marina, and the beach, it is farther from the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall, and the financial district, so depending on where you’re planning to go and how you plan to get around, it may be less convenient than a hotel downtown.

Shopping in Dubai

Dubai seems like a shopper’s paradise, and in a lot of ways, it is. There are several enormous malls (including the biggest in the world), with just about every store you can think of, and there are lots of different souks where you can shop for textiles, spices, gold, carpets, and souvenirs. There’s even a souk inside the Dubai Mall, if you’re looking for something more local but don’t want to venture out of the air conditioning. The issue is that Dubai is a very rich city, which means that almost everything is very expensive. Expect markups on everything at American and European stores, and note that things that could be on sale (or even clearance) in the US/Europe may be full price (plus a markup) in Dubai. They do have good sales occasionally, but otherwise you may end up paying more to get the same thing you could get at home.

The souks can also have overpriced items, but the difference there is that bargaining/haggling is expected. People who are very obviously tourists will still usually end up paying a higher price, but if haggling is one of your strengths (it is definitely NOT one of mine), you could get some pretty good deals. If you also plan to visit another country in the region, though, you may find better prices elsewhere — for example, you can get better prices for rugs in Bahrain. It’s just possible they may not have the same one you loved in Dubai.

What to wear in Dubai

What women should wear in places like Dubai is always kind of a difficult discussion. If you’re like me, you want to respect the culture, but you also don’t want to be excessively hot, or have to buy all new clothing for your trip. And there are some places where you’re going to want something to help you cover up. But my best answer about what to wear in Dubai is: (almost) anything you want.

You definitely do NOT need to buy an abaya or headscarf to walk around in Dubai, and you’ll probably actually stand out more if you are clearly not Middle Eastern and wearing a brightly colored/flashy robe than if you just wore the kind of clothing you normally wear. However, I would recommend that you avoid wearing shorts or super-short skirts (it’s fine to show your knees, but don’t go flashing your upper thighs and booty around), cover your cleavage, and keep your shoulders covered when you’re in more conservative/traditional areas of town. And if you’re going to wear leggings, make sure your top covers your butt and your crotch.

If you do visit a mosque or other place that requires women to cover their heads and/or bodies, they usually have robes and scarves available for you to use, but it is always a good idea to stick a scarf in your bag in case you visit any traditional or religious sites.

For any outdoor activities, I’ve found that it is actually a little cooler to wear a lightweight long-sleeved top when I’m in the sun than a tank top. Plus, covering up in the sun will help keep you from getting burned. We also realized on this trip that the scarf they wrapped around our heads on the desert safari (which felt a little weird/like cultural appropriation) was actually very helpful in keeping the sand and sun out of our faces.

But something that’s very important to note when packing for Dubai is that many restaurants and bars have dress codes (for men and women), so you can’t just walk in wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and flip flops. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I tend to dress up for dinner (and sometimes for daytime activities, too), but my typical dress and sandals combo is not fancy enough for some places in Dubai: There are clubs that won’t even let you in the door if you’re wearing flats. I’d recommend trying to determine which restaurants, bars and clubs you might want to visit while you’re in town before you leave home, so you can make sure to bring the appropriate attire.

Other things to do

There are so many things to do in Dubai that there was no way Olga and I were going to be able to do it all in just a few days. But if you have more time, or some of the things I’ve mentioned don’t interest you, please check out:

The beach: Though JBR beach is the most well-known of Dubai’s beaches (in part because of all the restaurants and shops along it), there are plenty of options for a day at the beach. If you’re going to a public beach, I’d recommend a bathing suit that is more on the conservative side (e.g. no thongs!), and a cover up that actually provides some coverage if you’re going to be walking around a lot, but you don’t have to wear a rashguard or burkini unless you really want to.

Miracle Garden: I have never been to Dubai’s Miracle Garden, but it looks gorgeous — definitely a good place for some beautiful photos, if you’re into that.

Mall of the Emirates: Sadly, I never made it to Mall of the Emirates, but Toby has been (back before Dubai Mall was even open!) and said it was incredible. Besides an amazing list of stores, they also have a ski slope, if the hot desert sun gets to be too much for you.

Sky diving: I am terrified of heights, so I don’t anticipate ever skydiving. But if I did, I think Dubai is the place to do it. While it is very expensive, sky diving over the man-made Palm would definitely be an experience to remember… and you’ll get a video of your jump to show off to your friends.

I hope I’ve covered everything you might want or need to know about a girls’ trip to Dubai, but please leave a comment if you have any questions! And enjoy your trip!