Dubai is the most futuristic city in the world. Without a doubt, it is the most innovative, high-tech, and of course, expensive place I’ve been to. Having come from Turkey and Jordan, Dubai couldn’t have been a better destination to wrap up my spring break. Located within the Arabian Desert and on the Persian Gulf at the same time, there is so much to do in the city. Even the flight in is incredible; you can see the manmade World Islands and The Palm!

You could easily make Dubai a long vacation, doing everything from skydiving to desert safaris, but our trip was just about 36 hours, and we made a great time out of it. This guide will give you information on where we stayed, where were ate, and what we did during our two nights in Dubai.

Two Nights In Dubai

Where To Stay

First off, we stayed at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel which was perfect. It was not an insanely high-end place, which there are a lot of in Dubai, but instead a cool, edgy spot. The Renaissance Hotel had to be one of my favorites ever because of how it was styled and just the overall vibe. It was also in the vicinity of all the main attractions and activities in the city, making it all-around fantastic.

Basta

Having just gotten off the plane, my sister and I were starving, so before we headed out to explore, we made a quick stop at Basta, an Italian restaurant located in our hotel. We aren’t usually the ones to travel abroad only to stay in our hotel for meals, but this particular restaurant was outstanding. Not sure if we were just ravenous or if that cacio e pepe was truly world-class!

Burj Khalifa Fountain Show

To get a small taste of the city, we decided to head to the foot of the Burj Khalifa and attend the daily fountain show. It was very exciting and mainly just incredible to stare up at the world’s tallest building standing at 2,722 feet! Make sure to get a spot standing right by the fountains, because it was jam-packed with tourists.

La Petite Maison

Out of all the incredible restaurants in Dubai, we ended up at La Petite Maison for dinner. It was truly a delicious, nice way to spend our first night in Dubai. The French cuisine was perfection – my grilled lamb cutlets with smoked aubergine were amazing!

Our full day…

La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie

To begin our full day in Dubai, we walked from our hotel to La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie. The pretty little bakery was stuffed with fresh pastries, bread, and had the best food to kick us off on a great day. Make sure to stop by for breakfast here while in Dubai.

Ski Dubai

You may wonder, how on earth is there snow skiing in the middle of the desert? Well, it’s Dubai, so they built a massive face of a mountain inside of a mall. Ski Dubai is located in the Mall of the Emirates and is a total of 22,500 square meters maintained at 30ºF. Inside, you can choose to actually get on the slopes or to stay at the bottom of the mountain at the snow park and enjoy zorbing, bobsledding, and just running around in the snow. We opted for the snow park and had a blast!

Having worked up an appetite, we wandered around the mall and stumbled upon Yo Sushi. It was a fun little conveyor belt restaurant that was perfect for a quick mid-day lunch.

Jumeirah Beach

After lunch, we headed to Jumeirah Beach. With a view of the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel, Jumeirah Beach was the perfect place to sit down, swim, and just relax by beautiful water. The water was so pristine and warm, which made my day. Do make sure to include Jumeirah Beach in your Dubai itinerary.

Burj Khalifa Sunset 

To conclude our last day of sightseeing, we went to the top of the Burj Khalifa at sunset. Unfortunately, clouds covered the sky right as we got to the top. Missing sunset seemed to be a pattern our whole trip for some reason. Regardless, it was of course still incredible to be at the top of the world’s tallest building. I’ve visited the World Trade Center, Tokyo Tower, and countless other tall buildings, but the Burj Khalifa took the cake without a doubt.

Flamingo Room

To top off our Middle Eastern adventure, we ate at the Flamingo Room by tashas. The space itself was uniquely decorated, in the coolest way possible. We all really enjoyed our food and the whole experience did not disappoint. We couldn’t have had a better end to our amazing trip.

That wraps up my guide to two nights in Dubai! I hope this helped you plan your trip so you can enjoy it as much as I did.