Layovers are typically a source of annoyance with  much anxiety surrounding the possibility of missing the next flight, and general frustrations associated with waiting around the airport to board another flight.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I learned how easy it is to travel into Dubai, UAE and decided a 7-hour layover would give me plently of time to travel into the city to explore and enjoy another destination.

Read on for 3 more minutes to see how I made the most of my layover to shop for the famous Oud and perfumes, incense, other goodies, and ate my first taste of camel.

From Dubai International to the Gold Souk it is only 7 kilometers which makes for a quick drive into the city. Depending on the length of your layover you may want to drop your carry’ons at storage before dipping into the city. Afterwards, you can hail a taxi outside and quickly be into the city.

A visit to Dubai would not be complete without visiting the hundreds of fragrance shops to have a custom blend made to take home with you. My mission was to have a few perfumes made and purchase the famous Oud oil the region is known for.

After wandering around for 30 minutes I found my way into Yusuf Ali’s Perfumery where he asked me my favorte fragrances, mixed them, added color and placed the custom fragrance in my hand-select container.

After making my perfumes, Yusuf told me he had made fragrances for Gwen Stefani. A wonderful suprise to know the pop star and I had the same taste in shops.

Burj lightshow

Souk al Bahar

Knowing I had only time for one meal while in Dubai, I chose to eat at a high-end Emiratie restaurant – Siraj. This contemporary restaurant is located within Souk Al Bahan and steps from the waterfront with stunning views of the Burj.

I chose this restaurant because they serve camel steak, they are a trendy, great reviews and located within the modern part of the city which provided great contrast from the hustle and grit of the Souks.

For my meal, I ordered dates and tea, hallouimi cheese, camel steak and potatoes followed by the most interesting desert. I ordered a 23 karat gold saffron Mouhalabia. This extremely rich desert is a creamy, milk-bsed dessert which is topped with cotton candy and drizzled with honey that hosts floating flakes of gold.

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Haggle-free Shopping Souk Madinat Jumeirah

Souk Shopping