I went on a trip to Dubai from January 25th to 29th, 2025!
Here are some key impressions and discoveries from my time there:
- The beach was absolutely beautiful!
- Every mall was insanely huge — felt like a theme park.
- Supermarket prices were surprisingly reasonable (about the same as Japan).
- Lots of immigrants, especially from India and the Philippines.
- Summer temperatures hit 40-50°C, so visiting in winter is definitely the way to go!
I spent about 60,000 yen (roughly $400 USD) for accommodation, transport, food, and everything else.
Considering how much sightseeing I did, I feel like if you can earn about 250,000 yen (around $1,650 USD) per month, you could totally live the nomad life in Dubai.
Now, here’s my day-by-day record of the 5-day Dubai trip!
Day 1: Arrival in Dubai - Check-in - IBN Battuta Mall
I flew to Dubai from Istanbul, Turkey.
Since the only direct flight was at 10 PM, I arrived in Dubai around 4 AM.
Check-in wasn’t until noon, so I worked at the airport until around 11 AM before heading to my hostel.
At the airport convenience store, I bought some chips and water for 20 AED (about 800 yen), which wasn’t as expensive as I expected.(Probably because my sense of prices was already broken after Europe and Turkey.)
I bought a Silver NOL Card at the airport station and took the metro to DMCC station.
First surprise: Dubai is way bigger than it looks on the map! The direct ride to DMCC took nearly an hour.
My accommodation was Urban Panda Skyview Hostel JBR, which cost around 4,000 yen per night.
It’s close to the famous JBR Beach and offers stunning views from the 32nd floor — a super cost-effective stay!
After arriving, I immediately crashed into bed from exhaustion.
Later that evening, I recovered enough to check out IBN Battuta Mall, just two stations away.
This mall is massive, and even has the “world’s most beautiful Starbucks” inside.
I ended the day with some Chinese food at the food court (35 AED, about 1,500 yen).
That wrapped up my first day with a pleasant surprise — Dubai wasn’t as expensive as I had feared!
Day 2: Work & Global Village
Since I barely got any work done on the first day, I dedicated the daytime to work.
In the evening, I went to visit Global Village, where a university friend of mine works.
Global Village is in a more suburban area, so a taxi is a must.
Dubai’s main ride-hailing app is Careem, which works pretty much like Grab.
The round trip cost 180 AED (about 7,200 yen) — 40 minutes each way. Pricey? Reasonable? Depends on your perspective!
The entrance fee was around 1,000 yen, and inside was a giant international pavilion-style marketplace.
Each country had its own booth selling food, crafts, and souvenirs.
I hung out with my friend at the Japan booth until closing — super chill work environment, haha.
My honest review? It’s a "go if you have time to kill" kind of place.
Day 3: Abu Dhabi Day Trip & Night Clubbing
My friend took the day off, so we went on a day trip to Abu Dhabi.
From IBN Battuta Mall, you can catch a bus to Abu Dhabi, and you can pay using your NOL Card.
After arriving in Abu Dhabi, you need to buy a separate Hafilat Card for the local bus system — heads up for anyone planning to visit!
The destination was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was absolutely dazzling and breathtaking.
After 3 hours back to Dubai, we grabbed dinner at IBN Battuta Mall.
Just when I thought we were saying goodbye, my friend decided to crash at my hostel for the night — surprise sleepover!
Naturally, we ended up heading to a club called Bla Bla Dubai.
Entrance was free (lucky timing?), and beers were 50 AED (about 2,000 yen).
The atmosphere was super casual, very budget-friendly, and easy to enjoy.
There were also some working girls from Asia hanging around, giving me a glimpse into Dubai’s darker side.
Day 4: Old Dubai & Dubai Mall
We started the day relaxing at JBR Beach, enjoying the beautiful blue sea and soft white sand.
A perfect resort vibe.
Next, we headed to Old Dubai and got off at Gold Souq Station.
The souks were packed with aggressive salespeople, but we just browsed without buying.
Compared to the modern parts of Dubai, this area had a much more local, authentic feel.
We took an abra (water taxi) across the creek for just 1 AED — super cheap!
The sea breeze was nice, but the water wasn’t exactly clean.
On the other side, we walked towards Burjuman Station, passing through a more tourist-friendly area.
I noticed that most shopkeepers were immigrants — I barely saw any Emiratis working in these shops.
From Burjuman, we headed to Dubai Mall, which was enormous beyond imagination.
We caught the Burj Khalifa Fountain Show, held every 30 minutes for about 10 minutes.
The combination of the fountain and the towering Burj Khalifa in the background was stunning — I probably stood there with my mouth wide open.
There are restaurants around the fountain, but they looked expensive.
We ended the day with a casual meal at the food court, and I said a sad farewell to my friend.
Day 5: Work & Departure
On my last day, I started with a morning walk around the hostel, listening to music.
The futuristic buildings against the clear blue sky made for such a pleasant stroll.
I spent the rest of the day working until my 3 AM flight.
Since the last metro from DMCC Station to the airport is around midnight, I stayed at the hostel as long as possible.
At the airport, I used trip.com to book a free lounge pass, where I stuffed myself with food one last time before leaving Dubai.
And just like that, my 5 days in Dubai came to an end.
I was surprised that you can enjoy Dubai quite a bit even without being super rich.
That said, next time I visit, I want to come back as a rich tourist, splurge on luxury cruises, and experience the fancy side of Dubai!
