One of the best last-minute invitations I received was the invite to attend New Year’s Eve in Dubai. I received the invitation during work and four hours later I was in a car on my way to the Mercure Gold Hotel in Al Mina, Dubai.

NYE Venue

In Dubai, like in any other big city it’s best book a venue with an excellent view for the whole night of New Year’s Eve. The choice of my host was Siddharta Lounge By Buddha Bar in the Grosvenor House in Dubai Marina. We had a table outside by the side, which offered us an excellent view over the Dubai Palm Island. I loved every second of the evening! The people I was with were fun and talkative and the food and drinks that were served by the Siddharta Lounge were amazing. As a highlight, when it was twelve o’clock the fireworks were beautiful; both over the Palm and right next to our venue. It was a great New Year’s Eve and I’m very thankful I was taken along for the ride!

On the way back to the hotel, we drove by the cheerful message of Burj Al Arab.

Dubai Creek

In my previous post about Dubai, I didn’t really elaborate on the Creek because I didn’t know it was there. If I would’ve never visited Dubai again, I would’ve missed out! It’s a great place to have breakfast in the morning or to have dinner in the evening. You can park your car (or ask the taxi driver to drop you off) at the Heritage Village. You can walk through the museum and this will get you to the start (or the end) of the Creek. There are already a few nice restaurants here where you can have an excellent breakfast by the water, while the ships pass by. Another great restaurant worth mentioning is Creekside. Super delicious food and a great setting!

After breakfast, you can keep on walking along the Creek and you’ll find the main Souk I described in my previous post. During this weekend I also visited the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk, which are both at the other side of the Creek. To cross the Creek, you take a dhow boat which will take you there in a few minutes.

I didn’t buy anything in either the Spice Souk or the Gold Souk, but it’s a pleasure to walk around the old markets (especially the gold souk is worth exploring). I don’t have any pictures of this area though, so you’ll have to just believe me.

Conclusion

Dubai is renowned for its extravagant malls, but it’s worth exploring the lesser known areas, such as the souks and the creek area. I loved celebrating New Year’s in Dubai and I’m hoping that one day I’m lucky enough to also celebrate it near the Burj Khalifa, which is famous for its big fireworks show. Even though I’m a believer in more personal NYE settings, because an event like the ball drop in New York can turn out to be quite a disappointment. I don’t have any plans yet for this year, so I’m curious where I’ll end up!

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