Can I visit the Burj Al Arab?

The Burj Al Arab is an iconic building in Dubai. It's a dream honeymoon location and if you can afford it, it is a place to visit when you're in Dubai.

Although if you do want to visit, don't expect just to walk up and have a peep inside. With the number of visitors in Dubai every year, it's just not doable and at between £1,200 and £5,200 per night, if you can afford to stay there, you really don't want to be tripping over hoards of tourists.

But fear not you can visit, you just need to have a reservation in one of the many restaurants, can book for sundowners and of course experience one of their afternoon teas. If you're resident in the UAE you can get a discount of £400 at certain times of the year on the smaller suites.

We visited in 2016 for my 45th birthday and Peter treated me to afternoon tea in the Sky View Bar. It costs £125 per person and an additional £20 for a window seat.

Visiting the Sky Bar means you can see the whole of the hotel (minus the Suites). It is beautifully decorated with giant fish tanks alongside the escalators in the entrance lobby, the food and service was wonderful.

It was a bit strange being in the Sky View Bar with people who had travelled from all around the world, celebrating engagements, wedding anniversaries and big birthdays, while we had a clear view of our house, along the beach only 5km away.

It was difficult to choose just 5 photos, but here you go.....enjoy.

Burj Al Arab at night.

Looking back to the entrance foyer.

 1st foor, lift straight ahead.

Looking up.

Sky View Bar.

I have a million and one other photo's of various rooms, decoration, the food and the views. I took advantage of taking as many photos as I could because at these prices it was probably the first and last time I visited.

Week 158 Bluewater Islands and Dubai Eye. Man made island a 210m high Big Wheel
Week 159 Dubai Marina - Reflections
Week 160 Dubai Frame. A window between the Old and New Dubai and a 150m high glass floor.

Week 161 Dubai Marina 3 years apart.

Week 162 Dubai Water Canal Bridge Construction and reconfiguration of roads

Week 163 New Metro Line for Expo 2020
Week 164 Hoover Dam 2002 - 2010
Week 165 Dubai Opera House What a difference a year makes
Week 166 Unfinished buildings. The Pentominium
Week 167 Mixing the old and the new. Coventry Catherdral
Week 168 New Dubai Metro Station 
Week 169 Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa 
Week 170 After the Address fire 
Week 171 The Opus Building
Week 172 District Cooling. Keeping the desert cool.

Free things to do in Dubai - Wedding Fayre

Flicking through Time Out Dubai as I do daily I discovered BRIDE DUBAI  is on for the next 3 days. Ok it wasn't free but entry was only 25DHs, the same price as a coffee in a fancy coffee shop and as my niece is getting married next month in the UK and my mum and sister are doing the catering and wedding organisation and I've volunteered to make some decorations and the wedding favours, I thought I should pop along and see what goes on in these places.

Despite being married twice, I've never been to a wedding fayre and often wondered what I'd missed out on, but it didn't excite me and even before I could go in they wanted my address, email, salary and phone number and again inside when I enquired about anything.

Very little was priced and despite looking quite intently at items on some stand, the only time the staff approached me was to offer me a cup cake, sweets or give me a demo on 3D technology, which I found fascinating, but I'm still unsure how it relates to a wedding.

I entered a competition with Al Rais tours and travel, wandered round, took photo's, was told off for taking photo's at one stand, yet they gave me their web address when I asked how was I supposed to remember the services they offer and checking out the website, if my intention was to copy their ideas step by step, they had quite detailed photo's that would have enabled me to do so far more effectively than my own photo's would've done.

If you have an unlimited budget and were aiming at the top end of the wedding market than this was just the place to go, but for weddings on a realistic budget, I found it disappointing and if I'd have been the bride, I'm sure I would have found my dream dress there which I probably never could've afforded.

However you could find everything you needed for planning a wedding. There were jewellery stands, but no wedding and engagement ring displays that leapt out at me. Wedding invites, albums, photography, make up demo's, teeth whitening, instant face lift sessions, Chelsea eyebrows?

Outfits for Mother of bride and bridesmaids, but I didn't see any information for the groom which I felt was bad as the bridal party would need to know the prices as part of their wedding budget.

It was however a fun way to spend an afternoon and I had the chance to visit the World Trade Centre and was impressed with their venue and facilities and easy access from the train.

Oh and the cakes, don't forget the cakes.

Bride Dubai is on till March 28th