Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I went to Dubai for the first time in summer of 2009 with the whole family back. I went back in December of 2010 with my brother & sister and celebrated new year's eve there. This time, it was just me and my sister and we just wanted to spend some time there before heading to Karachi since it's only 2 hours away by plane. 

We took Qatar airways (14-hour-flight from Montreal to Doha and about an hour flight to Dubai with connecting time of 2 hours and 30 minutes). We were scheduled to arrive at 11 PM on September 14, but our flight from Doha got delayed by an hour. Luckily, the arrival process (passport control and luggages) didn't take long. We finally took the cab and got to our hotel (Crowne Plaza Deira). We were really hungry so ordered KFC (ahhhh finally some halal KFC).

Click here to read about my brief review of hotels, transportation, malls, etc. 

You can also read more about our trip below but to see more pictures, visit my website. 

Day 1: Nstyle Nail Lounge

September 15th 2013

We decided to relax on our first day. We took the cap to Mall of Emirates for a bit and then headed to Dubai mall, where we went to Nstyle Nail Lounge. I got my haircut there and then my sister and I got our mani/pedi while drinking tea. It was so relaxing! 

You can view their menu of services online.

What I got

• Cut N Style - Medium hair
• Parlez-vous & Snappy Steppers (French mani/pedi)

What my sister got: 

• With a twist & Toes with the Twist (mani/pedi with color)

We were both satisfied with our nails and I liked my haircut too but I personally find it was a bit pricey (usually I pay much less in Montreal for same type of haircut). The employees were really nice and professional. I will definitely go back there whenever I get a chance but just for nails. 

Day 2: Burj Al Arab Afternoon Tea 

September 16th 2013

My sister and I always wanted to go to Burj Al Arab and when we found out they had afternoon tea there, we couldn't resist. We found it a little expensive at first for afternoon tea (425 AED per person without glass of champagne) but after going there, we realized it was totally worth it! I would suggest anyone to go there at least once. 

Click here to read more about the experience and information about reservation, menu, pictures, etc.

Day 3: Atlantis & Jumeirah Beach

September 17th 2013

Although we have visited Atlantis before, we wanted to take the Palm monorail from there to Palm Gateway station and back to Atlantis (25 AED for round trip). We just wanted to get an elevated view of the Palm Island. Then we went to Jumeirah beach, where we got to watch the sunset. After that, we decided to have dinner at an Indian restaurant called Gazebo (Deira City Centre). We got the Murgh Hyderabadi Biryani (see menu here) in a pot covered with pita bread. Luckily my sister and I shared it because it was a big portion. Biryani was okay (nothing special) and it was a little spicy for us but their kulfi falooda was really good. 

Day 4: Dubai Mall

September 18th 2013

We decided to spend our day at Dubai Mall. Before heading out, we got "Royal dinner box" from Only Parathas delivered to our room (view their menu here). We regret not sharing a box because it was too filling and we couldn't finish it.

Our first stop in the mall was Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world. We went on the 124th floor and got the view of the city, desert and ocean. Click here to read more about our experience. 

After that, we headed to Ladurée. We always wanted to try this place and it was worth the wait. Click here for my review. 

Then we stopped by the aquarium and shopped around. We weren't that hungry, so decided to grab something from food court. We decided to get poutine from New York Fries. It wasn't like the poutine with thick gravy sauce like in Montreal but it was still delicious!

Then we went to the Dubai Fountain. Even though we have seen the show during our previous trips, we still enjoy it! It's so spectacular! You also get to see Burj Khalifa all lighten up during night. The view is stunning! 

We made our last stop at Chocolate Bar and had chocolate fondue. We walked around fot a bit more in the mall and finally took a cab back to our hotel. What a great day spent at the mall!

Karachi, Pakistan

You can find more pictures on my website.

We finally went to Karachi after 4 years. It was very hard for all of us going back because for the first time in our lives, we went there without my mom who passed away in January 2012. But at the same time we were so grateful to spend time with my grandma who reminds me a lot of my mom. My sister held her nikkah ceremony there, so we needed to do all the shopping. We also had to furnish our new house and attend my cousin's wedding.

The first month, we spent most of our time with family and shopped. We went to Nandos there and the food was good but the caesar salad was a little dry. We had peshawari ice cream that night as well and I just love peshawari ice cream. It's so good!

We were also there during Eid-Al-Adha but we got food poisoning because of this faluda we ate on Chaand Raat (night before Eid). Sadly, we spent our first Eid day in bed. After Eid, my dad and brother came and time flew... 

October 29th 2013 - Nikkah Day

Nikkah day finally arrived...

My aunt, sister and I went to Sabs Salon for hair, make up and nails. The receptionist wasn't too friendly but the rest of the staff was nice and helpful. We were a little nervous about getting our make up done in Karachi because we heard that they tend to put foundation that's much lighter than your skin and/or put too much make up. However, we told our make up artists to make it look more natural and we were very satisfied with our our make up. As for the hair, we brought in our headpieces, which they incorporated into our hairstyles. We told them what we wanted and they did it accordingly. We were very pleased of the end results. Most of their make up was by Mac and nail polish was by Essie. Overall, it was a nice salon but eventually, it got crowded with brides. That was the only downside. 

After spending almost 4 hours in salon, we were stuck in traffic for over an hour. Then, we went home and took some pictures with the family before heading to the hall. 

Once we reached the hall, my uncle and I were running around ensuring everything was ready before the groom comes in. 

The cake also arrived on time. We ordered it from Sam's Cake Factory. We loved the cake and they were very professional. We will definitely order from them again.

The ceremony went well and everyone had a great time. Everything was well organized. But most importantly, we officially gained a new member in the family! 

October 30th 2013 - Port Grand

Two of my cousins told us about Port Grand and we decided to check it out with them along with my brother-in-law. We had a great time there. It reminded me a lot of Old Port of Montreal. We had dinner at one of the restaurants there called "Pizza Pie." Our table was on the terrace and the weather was simply beautiful that night. We had a great time and the food was delicious (sadly some of us got sick the next day). Also, we tried kashmiri chai from another place there and it wasn't good (we had to throw it away). Port Grand itself is a very nice place but I'm not too sure about the food.. There is a boat there but we couldn't get on it because it was late. Oh well, maybe next year!

November 2nd 2013 - Dolmen Mall Clifton

When we found out they opened a new mall, we had to check it out an I'm glad we did! Dolmen Mall Clifton has a variety of Pakistani and International brands. I was surprised to see Nine West and Mango there. I haven't seen those stores there before. We explored around and then went to Gloria Jean's Coffees, where we got iced coffees and cake. The iced coffee wasn't sweet at all but I liked the cake. Later on, we decided to have dinner at Gun Smoke Steakhouse and I really enjoyed my meal. I got steak (well done) with mashed potatoes. I loved it!!! I can't wait to go back there! After dinner, we did our groceries at Hyperstar, which is a supermarket. I really liked this mall. I got a chance to go there only once unfortunately but I will go back on my next trip to Karachi. 

November 7th 2013 - Kolachi 

Before leaving Karachi, we wanted to spend a night out altogether. We found a perfect place to do so: Kolachi. We had an amazing view of the sea, where we saw few boats passing by. The food tasted great but their kashmiri chai was just amazing! I immediately fell in love with it! They also had shisha. We took one and few of us smoked (including myself). Also, the service was very good. The waiters were nice and helpful. We got our food fast. It had a really nice ambience. Most importantly, we got to enjoy it with the people we love especially. It can't get any more beautiful than this. I truly thank God for it.