Akshay’s Unparalleled Trip to Dubai with Friends: A Thrillophilia Review
I was 15 years old when the Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol was released. The great Tom Cruise movie. It was from then that I wished to visit Dubai and try out a wide range of adventures, especially skydiving!
And then again, in 2021, Dune was released which intensified my urge to go for a desert safari there. I was sure that the experience was going to be very different from that of Rajasthan.
So finally, last year, I and some of my college friends saved up a good amount to pay a visit to the land of luxury and gold! The gold here actually refers to the millions of opportunities in Dubai to have fun, relax, and just enjoy in your way, whether you wish for a paced-out experience or a thrilling one, Dubai is the one-stop destination for it all.
It was so exciting to be travelling to Dubai with friends! I knew that we were going to have so much fun and try out so many things there. It had to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For all.
From the moment we set foot in Dubai, we all had a grin on our faces.
To friends, fun, and fiesta
I will start from the Dhow cruise and touch upon every point that I felt to be the peak point of the trip…well, now that I think of it I guess each day and each moment spent there was fabulous. And, travelling with friends made the entire journey go from wild to wilder!
Oh, there was one small issue that we faced on our trip which was a blessing in disguise. So, we opted for a private Dhow Cruise. But due to some kind of miscommunication or mismanagement, our seats got mixed up with other groups of travellers. Our first response was reaching out to our POC of Thrillophilia (we had booked this tour from them). After having a long conversation with Ms. Rakhi where I explained the situation to her, she asked for some time to get us the private seats.
Her response was so fast, that within just 5 minutes she called back and sent us the new seat numbers. After getting access to the private Dhow cruise seats, I received a call from her again.
“Sir, as a form of apology from our side, we would like to upgrade all your transfers from coach to private cars.”
I agreed immediately, and when I told my friends this, their happiness knew no boundaries.
And do you know what that resulted in?
A long morning with an immense hangover. Yeah, the dhow cruise was fun indeed!
Travelling around in a private car in Dubai was no less than a dream come true! We dressed up nicely and it was not like we had to wait for others to come. We got down together at our convenience and came back to the hotel when we wanted. This liberty was something to cherish on this trip.
Delicacies…and delicate us
One thing I absolutely loved about Dubai was its sense of punctuality. Everybody was busy making every moment count, and even our driver and guides were right on time!
In fact, we got late sometimes and they would wait patiently for us when we did.
Our stay in the City Max Hotel was superb. There were mostly Indian tourists staying there, so their Indian food menu was brilliant. We felt very comfortable and homely at that place.
Two female friends were travelling with us, and I was worried specifically about the bathroom and car hygiene, as well as the availability of public washrooms. But to my surprise, not only was the hygiene on point, but there were several public washrooms at practically every turn, mall, hotel, or other places.
The desert safari with BBQ dinner was perhaps the best part of the journey. After a half-day city tour, we were taken to the desert camps where we first took a camel ride, and then we got served with authentic Arabian BBQ dinner with juicy Kebabs and amazing breads.
We all got to see the traditional performance of Tanoura, a folk dance form of the region. We all were stunned to see the beautiful moves and the vibrant colours of the dresses. The live music uplifted the experience to the point that we almost shouted “Once more”!
Time for ADVENTURE!
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the word adventure, is our visit to Ski Dubai. Who would have expected to ski in a desert region? The place had controlled temperature and protected interiors, to provide the visitors with the opportunity to ski!
From the moment we entered, we spent no time wasting. We changed into the skiing suits quickly and set out for this adventure! Although not natural, it was definitely very impressive.
Then came the day when we went for the Ferrari world tour in Abu Dhabi.
Mamamia, I still get goosebumps when I think about it. It has been a childhood fantasy to visit here. With all the rides and the displays, a part of ourselves lost it. We had really lost it when we saw the huge horse logo for the first time. And then the rest was history.
It was in Yas Island, so after touring the place we went for an Abu Dhabi tour as well. And remember, we were in private transfer, which took our trip to a whole new level. And to be honest, Thrillophilia had done a commendable job curating such a spectacular itinerary.
They had accommodated all that we wished to do in a very smart manner and the way they handled the complexity of the trip, Kudos man!
And finally, on the Burj Khalifa day, we went all the way up to the 125th floor to witness a marvellous sunset. We saw the entire skyline of Dubai reflect the fiery hues of the sky, and when the blue started to mellow down the fire with its cool shades, the city lit up like magic!
And at that point, all I could wonder about was, how did Tom Cruise feel while shooting the Burj Khalifa scene? It must have been scary…
Anyway, keeping the daydreaming aside, we had an unforgettable time in Dubai. Our laughter and smiles still echo in my head, we all were very very happy and pleased with the trip. We made a tonne of memories and I am sure we all will cherish it to our last day.
Read More: Thrillophilia Dubai Reviews