We had been promising the kids Dubai for two years. When the school holidays finally lined up with my husband's leave, I sent the team a long WhatsApp message that started with "We have three children and one of them is four" and ended with about fifteen questions. By the next morning we had a plan, a timeline and a price, and the four-year-old had already packed her swimsuit.
Day 1: Landing and the Marina
Our flight landed in the early afternoon. A driver was waiting with a sign that had all three kids' names on it, which they thought was the most important thing that had ever happened to them. We kept the first day deliberately empty: check in, swim, and a slow walk along the Marina once the heat dropped.
The promenade is pushchair-friendly the whole way, and there is an ice cream stop roughly every two hundred metres. We stopped at most of them.
Day 2: Old Dubai and the creek
This was the day I was most excited about, and the one I worried the kids would find boring. I was wrong. We crossed the creek on an abra, a wooden water taxi that costs almost nothing, and the boys spent the whole crossing counting boats.
On the other side we wandered the spice souk and the gold souk. The shopkeepers were endlessly patient with three small people asking "what's that?" about everything. Lunch was in Al Fahidi, in a courtyard café with fans and fresh lemon mint.
Day 3: The desert
The team had suggested the evening safari rather than the morning one: cooler, and the little one could nap in the car on the way back. They also arranged a child seat without us having to ask twice.
Pickup was at 3:15 pm on the dot. At the camp there were camel rides, sandboarding and henna, then dinner under more stars than our kids had ever seen. Our youngest fell asleep on the cushions during the fire show, and the driver carried her back to the car.
"Can we live in the desert?" was the first thing our son said the next morning.
Day 4: Jumeirah beach
After three busy days we did nothing at all, on purpose. The beach at Jumeirah has shallow, warm water and a view of the Burj Al Arab that looks unreal. We built a sandcastle version of it. It did not survive the tide.
Day 5: Sunrise and home
We booked the earliest slot at the Burj Khalifa so the kids could see the city wake up. It was worth the alarm. By lunchtime we were back at the airport, already arguing about what to do next time.
What I would tell another family
- Book the evening safari with young kids, and ask for a child seat
- Leave one full day empty in the middle of the trip
- The abra is the best value in Dubai, and kids love it
- Message the team about anything; they answered every question, even the silly ones
