It would be difficult for me to write about our day at the Mall of Emirates, since we were so wound up in our shopping, the word “shopping” would just literally be the main description for that day! (lol) I’m not too sure if you can count the Mall of Emirates as the counterpart of the Mall of Asia in the Philippines, but, to me, what mainly stands out about the Mall of Emirates is its gorgeous exterior design AND interior design, plus the fact that it has a space for indoor skiing (yup, you read right!) which is called Ski Dubai.
I didn’t get to go indoor skiing, but some of our family friends got to go. If you’re planning to try that out, the entrance to it can be found at the ground floor.
What we did for the entire day (specifically, six hours) was mainly shopping, shopping, and some more shopping! (lol) I think it’s almost inevitable since we came at the peak season (January every year) for shopping in Dubai, which is called the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). I think the DSF is more focused on luxury brands since I noticed that a lot of them were on sale, so that’s something the parents really enjoyed (lol!).
Gorgeous dome design as viewed from the fourth floor
I like how they have a good view of the walkways from the top floor. Give’s you a clear view of all floors if you’re bored and just feel like people watching or something.
I think it’s almost impossible to not find any sort of luxury car on the streets in Dubai. Just so happened that there are even more of these beauties inside their malls. (A tip though: You should try checking out their VIP parking. You’ll be amazed at the kinds of cars you’ll see parked there!)
The next day was focused on Burj Khalifa, Dubai’s greatest pride in built projects as it stands as the tallest building in the entire world.
To get to Burj Khalifa, you’d have to enter through Dubai Mall, which is the only way to enter Burj Khalifa, I think. One major advice though if you’re planning to visit Burj Khalifa is to reserve and purchase observation deck tickets in advance, since these easily get sold out, especially during peak viewing hours. Since our tickets for the Burj Khalifa’s observation deck had a specific time printed on them (Around 12:30pm, I think.), we had to schedule and manage our time properly so that we could have a proper lunch but still have enough time to make it to the entrance.
Since there’s a food court near the entrance to Burj Khalifa, we decided to have a quick lunch there first before heading in.
Live social media updates from anyone who uses the #BurjKhalifa hashtag!
Lining up at the elevator lobby
The astounding view from the outdoor observation deck (I repeat, outdoor, observation deck!!)
What you see when you look up from the outdoor observation deck
From an architecture standpoint, this is what it’s like to see Site Development Plans (SDPs) in real life! Totally amazed!
At the indoor observation deck, there’s an area where they display all sorts of Burj Khalifa, and Dubai merchandise. We went inside to check it out, since you can also get a good view of some of the other areas of Dubai from inside, apart from the viewing space that the outdoor observation deck provides.
This very interesting Burj Khalifa plush toy…
Shout out to all my architecture friends and schoolmates!
After enjoying the different views of Dubai from the observation deck, we decided to go back down. Although, going back down meant lining up for the elevator again; and, the line can get pretty long. Luckily, the staff informed us that you can take another elevator at the next floor above wherein you will also find a much shorter line.
At another viewing deck one floor above the one we just came from. Has a very interesting ceiling design.
Some of Dubai’s schematic sketches displayed at the ground floor
While heading back to the exit, there was also a view of the adjacent buildings. I was able to get a clear view of the aftermath of the huge fire that occurred at The Address Hotel (building on the left of the photo), which is even more saddening to see up close..
Some of the major people involved behind the Burj Khalifa project
Getting back to the Dubai Mall, we went to take a break at Morellis to have a bit of a snack and some refreshments. It was still early afternoon, so we wanted to recharge a bit before we got to checking out the rest of Dubai Mall.
This was too good and creamy!! huhu I’m not sure if what I ate was ice cream, or yogurt, cause the consistency was so smooth, creamy, yet dense and filling! ♥ 
An actual dinosaur skeleton was on display at an atrium of Dubai Mall! So amazed!!
After some shopping and exploring at Dubai Mall, we went to look for a place to have dinner in. Earlier in the day, we passed by a Five Guys Burgers restaurant somewhere at the ground floor, and realized that it had an al fresco dining area with a good view of the Dubai Fountain. We eagerly decided to have dinner there, since we’ve heard a lot about Five Guys Burgers in the US, and were ecstatic to find out that they had it in Dubai as well!
We were lucky enough to spot some good seats at Five Guys Burger’s al fresco dining area, so we stayed there to relax, munch on our burgers, and kill some time while waiting for the Dubai Fountain show to start. From our seats, we also had a good view of Burj Khalifa, so we took the opportunity to have some photos taken with it in the background. Truly one of the best (and one of the luckiest) ways to wind down after all the activities we did during the first half of the day.
The view of the Dubai Fountain across our seating area
