Dubai Travel Tips From a Longtime Resident and a Native Emirati Chef

Welcome to episode one of a four-part Unpacked series on Dubai travel: the history, the ambition, and the glamorous, multicultural city it's become today.

In this episode, host Aislyn Greene and the Dubai-based travel writer Nicola Chilton set the stage: They walk through how a fishing village and pearling outpost became one of the fastest-changing cities on Earth—and what it's actually like on the ground today.

Halfway through, Aislyn hands the mic to Nicola—who will host the remaining three episodes—for a conversation with her longtime friend, Sahar Parham Al Awadhi, an Emirati chef born and raised in Dubai.

They take a deeper dive into the city's history along Dubai Creek: the abra boats, the spice trade, and the neighborhoods where "old Dubai" is still very present.

Together, they set up the rest of this Dubai series: three more episodes on the city's architecture, food, and culture, all filmed in the same studio, so you can watch as well as listen on YouTube.

This week's guests

Nicola Chilton is a UK-born travel writer who has lived in Dubai for more than a decade and will be hosting the rest of this series.

Sahar Parham Al Awadhi is an Emirati chef, the first Emirati chef at the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, and the founder of Abra, a new restaurant inside Dubai’s Etihad Museum.

Plan your own Dubai trip

First, begin with these essential Afar resources, including the best hotels to book (and why hotels are so much more than a place to stay), a guide to the evolving food scene, and how to spend four days in Dubai, according to locals.

Where to stay, what to do, and what to eat from this episode

Jumeirah Beach — base yourself here for easy access to Dubai’s best hotels, restaurants, and free public beaches.

Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab — opened just over a year ago, directly across from the iconic Burj Al Arab.

Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort — about an hour from the coast, inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, where gazelles and Arabian oryx wander past your private plunge pool.

Dubai Creek — hop an abra, the little wooden boats that cross between Bur Dubai and Deira, for about 30 cents.

Al Fahidi historical neighborhood and Al Shindagha Museum — Bur Dubai’s restored old neighborhoods, now galleries, cafés, and museum houses.

Karak tea — Dubai’s ubiquitous, inexpensive spiced milk tea, best bought roadside from a canteen window.

Abra — Sahar Parham Al Awadhi’s new restaurant inside the Etihad Museum⁠, built around “new Emirati cuisine.”

XVA Hotel — a boutique stay inside a heritage house near Dubai Creek, with its own gallery and café.

Arabian Boutique Hotel — another heritage-building stay near the water, home to Arabian Fish House.

One&Only One Za’abeel — for skyline views from one of Dubai’s newest towers.

Hatta — a mountainous exclave about 90 minutes from the city, popular with residents for hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking.

Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome to Dubai 00:03:00 From Bangkok to Eleven Years In 00:06:00 After the Spring Unrest 00:08:00 Beaches, Desert Camps, and Mountains 00:14:00 Enter Sahar Parham Al Awadhi 00:19:00 Reviving Emirati Cuisine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices