Dubai

Dubai is known for its ultra-modern buildings, skyscrapers, the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world, and its entertainment, restaurants, and attractions. Beaches, indoor ski slopes, amusement parks, the indoor air-conditioned Dubai Dolphinarium, and observation decks on the Burj Khalifa are attractions for family visitors. Opulent hotels and resorts include the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, built on an artificial island with a helipad, private beach, restaurants, and spa.

Dubai Has Strict Rules Against Drinking Alcohol — but Its Cocktail Scene Is Thriving

According to Global Data, in 2021, the UAE spirits market was valued at $7.4 billion and forecasted to grow at least 13 percent in five years. These numbers include the 85 percent expat population, but does not account for the approximately 14.36 million tourists that visit Dubai each year. 

But if drinking alcohol is illegal, how is this happening? Why did cocktail giant, Diageo, hold their 2023 bartending competition here, and how did three Dubai hot spots make the World’s 50 Best Bars list?

There are loopholes that allow non-Muslim tourists and expats living in Dubai to drink in specific licensed locations. It is these licensed restaurants, hotels, and hotel bars that are contributing to the epic rise of Dubai’s cocktail scene. 

There are almost 13,000 restaurants in Dubai (11 with Michelin stars), and with top-quality food comes discerning customers in search of high-standard cocktails. Some bars are nestled in hotels helmed by world-class brands, like Nikki Beach and the SLS, while others are only-in-Dubai haunts. For many mixologists, Dubai to the perfect place to hone their craft, dazzle drinkers with something new, and most importantly, be recognized. 

Kelvin Cheung is an award-winning Canadian chef and launched his restaurant, Jun’s, in downtown Dubai in 2019. After opening two successful cocktail bars in India, he knew that Dubai was the best next step. 

“All the big players [in food and cocktails] are here now,” he tells me as he presents a new and colorful drink. “There is a dense multicultural diaspora in Dubai and things that get started here go international. If you want things to happen, they will happen here.” 

Cheung’s unique cocktail menu reflects his multicultural past, the child of Asian immigrants growing up in Toronto, living in India, and traveling the world. Both the food and cocktail menus are very personal and flavor forward. He even has a drink called PB&J, an homage to his time as a latch-key kid in the ’90s.

He gestures to downtown Dubai, sparkling lights in palm trees line the spotless streets and luxury cars are parked along the curb. Everything here is glitz and glamour, distinctiveness, and exceptionality. Cheung attributes the rise in distinctive and delectable cocktails to the ease and accessibility of fresh and exclusive ingredients. “We can get anything imported,” he says. “Literally anything we want. And it’s not crazy expensive. The rate of consumption is so high that we can have premium products at a good price.” 

Later that week, I’m sitting in Ginger Moon, the boho-inspired, poolside bar and kitchen at the W Hotel Mina Seyahi, an adults-only hotel that opened just over a year ago. I am overlooking the giant yachts resting in the handsome human-made harbor while the breeze floats by as though it, too, were manufactured. 

Ginger Moon understands the importance of providing guests with a superior cocktail experience and approaches mixing drinks like an art. The cocktail menu is written like a poem, lyrical and flowery with descriptions that start with “fly on the wild side,” and “get lost in the jungle.”  

I am sampling their ‘no waste’ dinner menu, part of Dubai Food Week that highlights this year’s theme: sustainability. The beverage manager, Emanuel Ferraz, has designed a cocktail for each course, crafted from kitchen leftovers. With the kitchen leading the way, this project has allowed Ginger Moon’s mixologists to get creative, combining new flavors, playing with the sweet and the savory.

“There is a big connection between the W brand and cocktail culture, it’s in our DNA,” says Ferraz as I sample his gin, tomato, and basil concoction. “When [guests] arrive in the hotel they already expect to find something unique. [They want] something different than the classic, something quite extravagant and [for us] we can say that cocktails are a big part [of that].”

As with everything in Dubai — the new buildings, the meals at Michelin-starred restaurants — the cocktails are executed with precision. From the moment I stepped onto my luxurious Emirates flight, greeted by a perfect old fashioned, I was dazzled by the city’s ability to capture its five-star brilliance in a glass. Drinks in Dubai are not merely drinks: they are artistic masterpieces that represent the glamour and bounding success of the UAE.

This Is the Safest City in the World for Women Traveling Solo—and It’s Not in Europe or the U.S.

• Travel insurance site InsureMyTrip recently conducted a study to figure out the safest destinations for women traveling solo.
• After evaluating 62 destinations across metrics like, “feeling safe walking alone at night,” it named Dubai the safest place for women traveling alone.
• Other places that made the list include Kraków, Poland; Madrid, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Everyone deserves to feel safe when traveling around the world.

However, women traveling solo often have to take additional precautions to ensure they can enjoy a trip without worry—and that can sometimes include considering some destinations over others. If you’re a woman who plans to go on a trip alone this year, InsureMyTrip has a few suggestions. 

In March, the travel insurance comparison site updated its list of the best cities for solo female travelers. To find its top destinations, the company says it conducted a study of 62 cities and evaluated them across factors such as safety for women and other tourism stats in order to create a list of the best cities for solo female travelers. It also sourced statistics from the online database Numbeo, and dug into metrics like, “feeling safe despite gender” and “feeling safe walking alone at night.” Additionally, it referenced info sourced from the World Economic Forum and the Georgetown Institute’s Women, Peace, and Security Index.

After looking at the numbers, the team named Dubai the safest city for solo female travelers.

“Despite being one of the most expensive cities—with an average cost of $289 per day, it has the largest social media presence with more than 35 million mentions on TikTok, while also having high ratings for hotels and things to do,” the report stated. “In terms of female safety, Dubai has a rating of 86.23 out of 100 for feeling safe and 83.11 out of 100 for feeling safe walking alone at night, which are both highest scores across all the cities.”

The rankings also note that Dubai moved up an impressive four spots from InsureMyTrip’s 2024 list, showing a strong upward trend. However, it was the ninth-place city that showed the most improvement.

“The largest change is Singapore, which increased by 52 places to reach ninth place,” the findings said.

Other top cities on the list include Kraków, Poland, which ranked in second place this year, up from 12th in 2024. It was followed by Madrid, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Chiang Mai, Thailand, rounding out the top five.

I’m an Experienced Scuba Diver With Over 130 Dives Logged — and Diving Indoors in the World’s Deepest Pool Was Surprisingly Fun

Deep Dive Dubai is 197 feet deep and filled with 3.7 million gallons of sanitized fresh water.

As I descended from the surface with my guide, I felt as if I had entered another world — almost as if I was in a dream. I was scuba diving in a man-made pool and with each passing moment, my preconceptions about what this experience would be like were swiftly debunked.

As a seasoned scuba diver with an Advanced Open Water Diver certification and over 130 dives logged — all of which have been out in open water — I was skeptical about diving in an indoor pool. After all, there are opportunities to see sea turtles, seahorses, sharks, eels, manta rays, and tropical fish in the wild. What could a pool offer?

But one visit to Deep Dive Dubai — the world’s deepest pool, according to the Guinness Book of World Records — taught this doubtful diver that scuba diving in a pool can actually be fun.

The exterior of Deep Dive Dubai resembles a giant oyster — a nod to the United Arab Emirates’ pearl diving heritage. With a depth of 197 feet (roughly the height of a 20-story building), this pool is filled with 3.7 million gallons of sanitized freshwater.

Deep Dive is a tourist attraction and, occasionally, a unique special event space — but it’s also a state-of-the-art training and recreational facility for free diving and scuba diving. (In fact, if I were to return, I’d want to learn how to free dive here.) The venue offers divers of all skill levels, from seasoned veterans to entry-level beginners, a climate-controlled space to hone their skills in a relatively tranquil environment — it’s an experience that isn’t always possible in the nearby Persian Gulf.

“Visibility in the Gulf is frequently compromised due to currents and sediment, resulting in unpredictable conditions influenced by tides, boat traffic, and fluctuating water temperatures,” Jesper Kjøller, Deep Dive Dubai’s senior marketing supervisor, told Travel + Leisure. “In contrast, Deep Dive Dubai offers a fully controlled and predictable diving experience.”

If I had to describe the experience in one word, it would definitely be “controlled.” The pool’s crystal-clear water is filtered through NASA-developed volcanic rock filters, sanitized via UV radiation, and then fully recirculated every six hours. The temperature is always a comfortable 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and 27 underwater speakers and 164 dimmable lights help set a calm, soothing ambiance.

And within those gin-clear waters, visitors will find a “sunken city” — a submerged playground of props, sets, and fully furnished rooms that make for perfect underwater photo and video opportunities. The experience reminded me of those often-viral “Instagram museums” found in many cities, which feature interactive exhibits designed purely for selfies and social media posts.

The first prop I came across was hard to miss: the trunks and roots of an imitation banyan tree that draped over several levels of the pool. But that was just the start — I had a full-scale photoshoot in scuba regalia with all the props and sets. I read a magazine on a park bench; slept in a bed; rode a motorcycle; played pinball, chess, pool, and foosball; and performed “Chopsticks” on a submerged baby grand piano. I even got to indulge in my basketball fantasies and soared up to a hoop in slow motion à la Michael Jordan for a dunk … only to miss, grab the rebound, and quickly slam it down the basket.

Gimmicky? Yes. But could I experience something like this anywhere else outside of Dubai? No.

There’s a voyeuristic element to the experience, too. The subterranean cafe and main conference room have large observation windows — think of an aquarium with humans swimming around instead of sea life. The pool also has underwater cameras that showcase the action to spectators who aren’t diving. (The cameras also function as a safety precaution. I was less nervous diving here since I knew the cameras were everywhere, the environment was controlled, and I had a guide.)

Despite all the cameras, window displays, and highly regulated environment, the diving experience still manages to feel adventurous, as most of the props are only accessible if you physically enter the rooms of each underwater level. And though there were no sightings of underwater life — aside from the free-diving homo sapiens holding their breath — I eventually fully embraced the Deep Dive Dubai. (My favorite thing I got to do was play foosball because while it was in an artificial setting, it wasn’t fake: my guide and I were legitimately playing to win.)

As my scuba diving experiences continue to expand and evolve, I am certain none of them will deliver a “slam dunk” quite like Deep Dive Dubai did.