Good, clean, wholesome vibes only
People think they know Dubai. A city often presented as the poster boy for sky-spearing luxury and future-proof urban glamour. But beyond its gold-paved streets lies a treasure infinitely more sublime. The real Dubai is built from bones steeped in culture, is framed by otherworldly vistas and offers adventures that speak directly to your soul.
And because this February we’ll be able to celebrate both the introspective wonder of Ramadan and the ode to interconnectedness that is Valentine’s Day – there really is no better time to dig down to our city’s truest, most authentic self. This is our guide to straying beyond the shallows, to seeking inner peace and just generally feeling good in February.
Off-piste dates we rate
Into the fire
They say that ‘food is the quickest way to the heart’. Fundamental misunderstanding of the human digestive system aside, the start of this path can be found, appropriately enough, in the heart of Old Dubai. Frying Pan Adventures offer palate-led safaris through the flavour highlands of real hidden gems. From Dhs435 per person, you’ll explore some of the city’s best-kept secret dishes and hear spicy tales of Dubai’s formative years.
Various locations. Tel: (0)56 4718 244. fryingpanadventures.com
Cruising for amusing
Nara is probably best known for its chic, boutique desert camps, but their latest venture swaps out sand for surf. Lady Nara is a modern homage to the traditional Arabian Dhow and offers sophisticated sunset spins (with soft drinks and Mediterranean- and Emirati-inspired canapes) past the collected ‘best of’ landmarks on the Business Bay Creek. Like the ship itself, the shoreline scenery blends worlds old and new, leaving you to soak up timeless golden hour views.
Festival City Waterfront, daily 5pm to 8pm, Dhs330 (Valentine’s dinner package Dhs490). Tel: (0)50 336 7909. nara.ae
Just deserts
The Arabian desert has played muse to stories of romance and whimsy for millennia. It’s a beguiling land of shifting sands, granular romance and unyielding horizon. And one of the most cost-effective ways we’ve found of experiencing an ‘enhanced version’ of it, alongside a barbecue dinner, theatrical fire shows, sandboarding and camel rides, is at The Fort Lisaili. All this for just Dhs100.
Lisaili, Al Qudra, 4pm to 8.30pm. arabian-adventures.com
Picture this
Jam jar
You never get a second chance to make a good first impressionist painting. So you might want to brush up on your art skills before heading to this alternative arty date night experience at thejamjar, Alserkal Avenue. They offer weekly group workshop sessions (from around Dhs120) allowing you to truly show off your creative side.
Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, Sat to Thurs 10am to 7pm, Fri 10am to 8pm. Tel: (0)4 341 7303. thejamjardubai.com
Love, laugh, live on stage
Endorphin, dopamine and oxytocin walk into a bar. It’s no joke. These are the three ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitters that are associated with laughter. And if there’s a spiritual home of LOL in the UAE, it’s The Laughter Factory. The Gulf’s oldest comedy night, typically consisting of a trio of wandering comics plying their puns (Feb’s show includes Pierre Hollins, Paul Tonkinson and homegrown hero Liz Bainz) on the stage of various UAE venues.
Multiple locations, Feb 6 to 14, tickets from Dhs160. thelaughterfactory.com
Curtain call
Alserkal’s Cinema Akil is no ordinary picture house. This tribute to the golden age of film is a big screen retro vibe hive with plush sofa seating and carefully curated programmes of art-house cinema, indie classics and politically charged drama. There’s also a seasonal alfresco location at 25Hours Hotel in Once Central. Both truly represent the ultimate date for consummate cinephiles.
Alserakal Avenue, Al Quoz, Tue to Fri 4pm to 11pm, Sat and Sun, 2pm to 11pm, from Dhs50. cinemaakil.com
LOVE DON’T COST A THING
Extravagant gestures are overrated. It’s the thought that counts right? The company you keep that’s important. So here are our top picks for Dubai dates that come without a price tag. Take a Jumeirah Beach walk, run at Kite Beach, or cycle at Meydan, explore the galleries of Alserkal, enjoy a free (daily) water and light show at Festival Bay (from 6pm), camp in the lullaby locale of Al Qudra’s Love Lakes, or start a new chapter of your relationship story with a reading date at Mohammed Bin Rashid Library.
Cultural appreciation
The Holy Month of Ramadan brings with it the opportunity to refocus. To meditate on our priorities and to deepen connection with those closest to us. It’s a time that invites us to count our blessings, to honour the past and to reach out to those in need. If you’d like to join us on this inward journey, we’ve put together some of our favourite ways to tap the cultural roots of the city and celebrate the deeper side of Dubai.
Old and gold
Dubai’s Al Fahidi Historical District offers a glimpse into (a partly reconstructed) Old Dubai. Within its fold, a citadel of charismatic alleyways, galleries and museums awaits. Take tea in the courtyard of the XVA Art Hotel, explore the creative spoils of the Majlis Gallery, then make your way to the water’s edge for an abra ride over the Creek (Dhs2) to explore the souk district. Arriving into the Old Souq Marine Station you’re confronted with stalls and stores offering fragrant spices, glinting gold and assorted flashing, beeping, shrieking trinkets.
Glad Hatta
Not everyone is ready for Hatta. We’re talking about those committed to the idea that Dubai is just an extended skyscraper farm and manicured beach club. At a push, they may concede, there’s also desert. For these people Hatta’s verdant hills would be a red pill too bitter to swallow. It’s the adventure capital of the emirate, an enclave offering a dizzying spectrum of outdoor pursuits and fable-tier treks. It also houses Hatta Heritage Village, a free-to-enter 3,000-year-old settlement with dwellings and evocative artefacts belonging to a bygone neolithic age.
Reaching an understanding
For a truly immersive dive into the threads of Emirati heritage, there are few places that operate on the level of The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding (or SMCCU for those keen on brevity). Here you can speak directly with charismatic locals, learn traditional crafts, taste regional specialities and embark on special tours. For Ramadan, they offer a unique iftar experience (Dhs180) which includes a guided mosque visit, cultural talks and hands-on activities as well.
Musallah Road, Bastakiya, iftar daily throughout Ramadan from 6.30pm. Tel: (04) 353 6666. cultures.ae
Back to the future
‘Museum of the Future’ sounds like a physical impossibility. Which is fair enough because this structure, located by the World Trade Centre and previously described as ‘the most beautiful building in the world’, looks impossible. The 70 metre-tall occular edifice features a stunning facade of Arabic calligraphy, lines of poetry written by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum about the future of the city. Inside, it houses all things innovation – a flux capacitor tour through the Dubai of tomorrow where realistic video vignettes are spliced with assorted objets d’awe. Don’t miss the balcony viewing deck in the middle of the structure for an upclose view of the exterior.
Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, 10am to 7.30pm, starts at Dhs169, Tel: (800) 2071. museumofthefuture.ae
You’ve been Framed
You can’t have missed it, this 150 metre tall gold structure cosplaying as a giant picture frame is clearly visible as you land at DXB airport. But what you might not realise is that inside the Dubai Frame hides a three-zoned museum – with galleries illuminating the worlds of old Dubai, modern Dubai and a glimpse into future Dubai. There’s also a glass-floor walk (final boss for the acrophobic), a mesmerizing 360-degree tower-top view of the city’s stirring skyline and the botanical majesty of the Frame Garden.
Zabeel Park, Gate 4, daily 9am to 9pm, Dhs52.50. dubaiframe.ae
Jumeirah gem
The breathtaking Jumeirah Mosque first opened its doors in 1979 and was a gift to the emirate from the Late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, father of the current Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Located in Jumeirah 1, the mosque is open to the public between 10am and 2pm every day except Fridays. You can take a story-spinning 75-minute tour through the architectural marvel for just Dhs35 per person, which includes light Emirati refreshments at the majlis before the program starts.
Jumeirah 1. Sat to Thu 10am and 2pm, Dhs35. jumeirahmosque.ae
GIVING BACK
If acts of kindness are on your 2026 bingo card, there are some brilliant causes you can lend support to in Dubai. Al Noor (head office in Al Barsha) and Mawaheb are charities devoted to the care of children of determination; Emirates Red Crescent has volunteer placements for community outreach projects; K9 Friends needs helpers to look after their pack of abandoned doggos; and Dubai Cares is always on the lookout for good humans to staff their varied, often life-saving initiatives.
Into the wild
Sometimes you just need to touch grass. Taking a bold walk into nature, can recharge frazzled batteries and ground the frantic soul. Thankfully, we have plenty of soothing Yin space in Dubai to calm the fiery Yang of electric city pace. These are some of our favourite nature-frilled encounters you can enjoy right here ‑ no bars, no cages, just open air and zero cares.
Blue Moon
This one is only for qualified members of the PADI party, aka experienced divers only. Moon Island sits off the coast of Dubai, around 70km away from the core of the city and serves up an experiential menu of rare diving delights. Join Sky and Sea Adventures Dubai (trips from Dhs550) for a sojourn under the sea, itinerary highlights may include but are not limited to barracudas, hammour and snappers. You can even arrange overnight camping trips (from Dhs1000) which tag on beach barbecues and desert island forever memories.
Pick up from Hilton – The Walk. watersportsdubai.com
Platinum membership
If you like your desert trips both intrepid and delivered with a touch of class, Platinum Heritage has a well-deserved reputation for providing sophisticated safaris. Leap into the back of a vintage 1950s Land Rover for a voyage into the sands of time. There you’ll meet the animal inhabitants of the desert, catch heritage displays of falconry and snap selfies with camels. If you want to set the bar even higher, Platinum Heritage’s sister company Hero Experiences offers hot-air balloon rides through the wild blue yonder. A quick round of spot the oryx is a lot more challenging whilst floating 4000 feet above the amber dunes, but it’s all the more rewarding.
Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, safaris from Dhs695, via uae.platinum-heritage.com Balloon rides from Dhs1,995 via uae.heroballoonflights.com
Give a Dam a go
Image: What’s On Archive
We’ve already pushed our Hatta appreciation narrative earlier in this feature, but the Hatta Dam and Wadi Hub deserve their own stage. The pair of attractions sit flush against a rugged crop of Hajar Mountain peaks, with a chocolate box, duck-frequented lake that calmly demands you put down your karak and jump in a kayak (rental from Dhs60). Hatta Wadi Hub (individual activities from Dhs25, combo passes from Dhs169) offers such active outdoor attractions as archery, zip-lining and water zorbing, there’s an aerial rope course and a water slide (Dhs90) with a big air, Tony Hawk level, jump-off. We’re not done yet. Just a short drive away, you’ll find insight into the secret life of the insect world’s most industrious incidental sugar peddlers. Hatta Honey Bee Discovery Centre (Dhs50) will kit you out in full protective gear for a tour around some of the region’s most prolific hives. Finally, if you’re looking for a picturesque picnic spot, Hatta Hill Park delivers big on chequered cloth drop spotting.
Khor, what a stunner
Ras Al Khor is a literal desert oasis, located just a few minutes’ drive from Dubai Mall and contains 67 different species of bird within its green embrace. Its most famous resident is of course, perennial Barbiecore ambassadors, the flamingos. The reserve holds three viewing hides dotted around the perimeter of the sanctuary. Best of all, the sanctuary is completely free to enter.
Ras Al Khor, daily 7.30am to 5.30pm. dm.gov.ae
So mush room for activities
Long time top pick for picnics, Dubai’s Mushrif Park is all about wide open spaces and ghaf tree-shaded places. The Park offers a 20km cycling loop and a 10km hike that winds through leafy canopy tunnels, striking sculptures and a finish line reward of Al Khawaneej Walk, a leisure space with Last Exit food trucks and shiny shopping detours. Aventura offers opportunities to scramble like a spider monkey, dangle from zip lines and work your way around challenging rope courses (from Dhs165). Far enough removed from city lights, Mushrif is well known for its winter star-gazing credentials and population of indigenous wildlife that make the perfect eye candy for I-spying ramblers.
Images: Supplied and Instagram
