October 26, 2017 – The flight to Dubai was uneventful. Emirates Airlines is pretty awesome. They kept us fed and were very nice to move us when I noticed that my seat was missing the recline button. We moved to bulk head seats and were able to stretch out and stand to walk around a bit when needed. The many flight attendants continued to check on us all throughout the flight and brought us special food items that others around us were not receiving. I always have the worst time on long flights. I can never really sleep and am uncomfortable.
When we got to Dubai we were both pretty impressed. The airport (Terminal 3) is gorgeous….nothing like our old airports at home. Getting through security was very quick and we were able to catch an uber to the Rove Hotel Downtown where we were staying. The hotel was cute, basic with a modern industrial feel and just across the street from the Dubai Mall, the water fountains and the Burj Khalifa.
With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft) and a roof height (excluding antenna) of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure in the world since topping out in late 2008. Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior completed five years later in 2009. The primary structure is reinforced concrete. The building was opened in 2010 as part of a new development called Downtown Dubai. It is designed to be the centrepiece of large-scale, mixed use development. The Burj houses 900 apartments, the 320 room Armani Hotel, corporate offices, luxury spas, several swimming pools, observation decks and more. There is a 27 acre park that surrounds the building and beautiful fountains. We spent the rest of the evening walking around the park and the mall there. The mall has every store you would ever want to visit. The Dubai Fountain is outside the mall and is the second largest choreographed fountain in the world. The whole area was pretty impressive. We have a tour of the Burj Khalifa in the morning before our flight. Excited!!
