Weekend Getaways

Okay I lie. Not weekend. But close enough. Read this if:

1. You’re a Dubai working professional, doing that 9am – 6pm thing that sometimes turns in to (or feels like) a 7am – 1am shift – doesn’t mean you don’t love your job! But yes, that short and sweet getaway would just be peachy right about now..
2. You’re a twenty something starting your career and have enough energy to do medium length – red eye flights (under 6 hours) and backpacking trips.
3. You have a wee bit of disposable income every few months (after rent, groceries, DEWA and Etisalat..oh that endless list *sob* ..)
4. Work allows you to break up your leave days.. (a Thursday AND a Sunday off means FOUR days of prime travel time!)

Here’s hubby and my list of places you can travel to and from without breaking the bank, with just a bagpack, and with enough time to rest before you get back to the office on the following Monday:

1. Zanzibar, Tanzania
   We used the Holiday Factory 5 star package, that sets you back about AED 2000 per person for the flight, hotel stay (Park Hyatt is wayyyy more expensive if booked independently and possibly the best hotel in Stonetown). It’s approximately 5 hours and 50 minutes by flight. And you basically spend your time manoeuvring  around the alleys of Stone Town, snorkeling, playing with tortoise, and lazing by the infinity pool in the hotel.
2. Udaipur, India
   This romantic Rajasthani city is for all you couples who want a minimoon. Hubby and I had an intimate Hindu wedding there back in 2015 and I believe it was one of the last few weddings in the hotel (Raas Devigarh).. with rooms starting at AED 500 a night, you could easily pull off a 2 night getaway for about AED 2000 per person (including the flights, transfer, stay, food). Do visit the Fatehsagar lake: try their famous ‘jhaag coffee’ served in clay pots, indulge in the street side chilli paneer and momos, and smoke a beedee( cheap cigarette wrapped in leaves) if you feel adventurous!
3. Istanbul, Turkey
   We have one simple rule: go out, visit the noisy places during the day, and come home to a nice, calm and quiet hotel. If you feel the same way then Hotel Amira is the place for you. Once again, this is one of those AED 2000 per person kind of trips.. you can read more about it here.
4. Negombo, Sri Lanka
   An awesome alternative (and just 30 mins away by car) to Columbo, you need to do the Jetwing holiday. We went over for a weekend and stayed at their least expensive hotel (Jetwing Blue) $125 for two nights – our entire trip cost about AED 3500 for two. You can read more here.
5. Baku, Azerbaijan
   We recently tried Holiday Factory‘s 5-star package. Check it out here

You may see a lot of Holiday Factory mentioned above and around the website- they seem to have tons of good deals! After our Zanzibar experience, a couple of our friends and readers have asked us to review their other packages. You can read about the pros and cons of using a service like HF here, and you can check out their crazy deals here!