36 hours in Dubai: From skyline wonders to Milos’ culinary magic

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I wasn’t wholly sure what to expect from Dubai. Like galore people, I’d heard the stories astir the glitz and glamour, but sometimes world doesn’t rather unrecorded up to the hype. Well, aft my whirlwind time and a fractional there, I tin accidental this metropolis genuinely surprised maine successful a wonderful way.

Dubai’s skyline is thing abbreviated of breathtaking. Everywhere you look, architectural ambition reaches toward the heavens, but thing prepares you for the Burj Khalifa—the tallest gathering successful the world astatine 830 meters. Seeing it successful idiosyncratic is awe-inspiring. Under the Arabian sun, its vast solid and steel signifier evokes a lateen sail, recalling the dhows—Dubai’s traditional wooden vessels that erstwhile traded crossed the gulf. It feels arsenic if the full metropolis is simply a 21st-century high-tech dhow, acceptable to formed disconnected its moorings and sail into the lapis lazuli waters of the gulf. The architecture passim the metropolis tells the story of a spot that refuses to judge limitations, looks to the future, yet respects the past.

A visitor has nary request to step extracurricular the human-made uber-lux environment. The metropolis is designed arsenic a bid of connected air-conditioned spaces, bridges, and walkways. From edifice to taxi to buying mall, 1 moves seamlessly from 1 climate-controlled situation to another. It makes cleanable consciousness fixed the heat.

The Mall of the Emirates ensures that Dubai deserves the moniker of being extraordinary. It glistens—the dazzling interiors make an astir ethereal brightness that makes the full spot consciousness similar a jewel container travel to life. I’m not often drawn to buying centres, but this felt different. Perhaps it was the way airy bounced disconnected each surface, oregon however the full space seemed to hum with activity.

And then there was Ski Dubai—an existent indoor σκι slope implicit with penguins, within a buying promenade successful the bosom of the desert. It’s surely bold, with flawless execution.

Dubai, if thing is simply a cleanable illustration of the vision, and ambitions, of the Al Maktoum family, who person ruled since 1833. Ancient descendents of the Bani Yas tribe the household pb the emirate, and clasp the posts of UAE Prime Minister and Vice President. The late, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, viewed arsenic the designer of modern Dubai, led projects similar Port Rashid, Jebel Ali, and the Dubai World Trade Centre – and acceptable the stage for planetary trade and finance.

His successor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum established Emirates Airline, and fantastical projects such arsenic the artificial land Palm Jumeirah, and the wonder of Burj Khalifa. Dubai, a planetary concern and luxury powerhouses, is similar an emerald connected the borderline of the Arabian Desert and the Persian Gulf—an Arabian Nights imagination brought to beingness successful glass, steel, and tech.

Milos and culinary excellence

Estiatorio Milos, is successful the vast Atlantis edifice connected Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s palm-shaped artificial land that extends into the Persian Gulf. It is axenic excellence. The seafood edifice falls under the tutelage of the globally renowned chef, Costas Spiliadis, whose talent and Dubai’s thrust for excellence look to confluence very naturally.

Spiliadis, who was calved successful Patras, studied astatine NYU and Concordia University, Montreal, earlier opening the archetypal Estiatorio Milos successful Montreal successful 1979, which became 1 of the city’s astir influential eating destinations. Spiliadis launched Milos restaurants successful New York (1997 and 2019), Athens (2004), Las Vegas (2010), Miami (2012), London (2015), Los Cabos (2019), and successful 2023, successful Dubai.

This was the benignant of meal that reminds you why bully nutrient successful a memorable mounting tin marque for a special evening. The edifice balanced well betwixt upscale and comfortable. The prices bespeak the world of having a world-renown cook Spiliadis, present successful Dubai —where everything comes astatine a premium.

What impressed maine was a thoughtful touch: they had noticed the sanction connected our preservation and arranged for us to person a Greek-speaking waitress. In a metropolis filled with bully restaurants, they took the clip to marque that small but meaningful gesture. Details similar this tin truly marque a difference.

The edifice seeks authenticity successful seafood dishes, where each sheet is served successful its purest form—quality ingredients prepared with attraction and precision. No complications, conscionable solid cooking that lets each flavour travel done clearly. You’ll wage for the privilege.

After dinner, we were treated to the resort’s spectacular fountain and airy amusement that captured Dubai’s flair for turning each infinitesimal into bonzer displays of tech sophistication and opulence. The choreographed water and lights dancing against the nighttime sky were a filmic, cleanable finale to an already cleanable evening.

In conscionable thirty-six hours, I went from curiosity to admiration. There’s overmuch much to Dubai and overmuch complexity beyond the manicured experiences, a ταξινόμηση of big Disneyland. I was there lone briefly—I glimpsed the surface, and it is exciting.

Subtlety is not Dubai’s mode. It is opulent, a small crass, but authentic. There’s something admirable astir a spot that wears its ambitions proudly and spectacularly.

And I still haven’t experienced skiing successful the desert—maybe connected my adjacent visit, oregon possibly not.