Emirates version of Interlux
Emirati version of Interlux
The day before I looked at the time of collection and departure of the tour on the Interlux website and something alerted me. It was also useful to check the site for the departure of aircraft and it turned out that there was an error on the Interlux site. Everything should happen a little earlier. For some, this may not be significant, some 40 minutes, but if I had not left earlier (It was a pleasant trip on LuxExpress, I managed to buy tickets at a discount. ) and I would have traveled as planned on the first bus then it was calculated end-to-end and there would be problems. Interlux, however, informed about the changes by call and SMS, but for the residents of Riga this is normal and I would not have had time to change tickets and plans.
Upon arrival at the airport, I saw Alena's already familiar friendly face and a sign with the inscription INTRERLUX - there is no doubt, everything is correct.
With parting words, the representative issued the tour program and sent for the flight check-in. Everything is fine except that the tour program does not match the previously published and approved.
Registration was quick. Further the transit zone - cafe, Duty Free, toilets. Then landing. The plane is small, completely filled (Boeing 737). Departure at 12.15. On board Turkish Air, they were fed and offered a choice of several dishes (pasta, chicken, fish), salad and drinks, including alcohol. Lunch is wonderful.
The flight time is 3 hours. To pass the time there is entertainment in the form of an on-board computer with a set of films, books, music, games. By the way. Russian language is present in the computer menu. But there is no internet. Landing time - 16.15
Arrival to Istanbul. The exit from the plane was controlled and the passage to the transit zone was carried out by tickets. When passing to the departure terminal, the signs indicate the time of passage. In our case, it was 8-11 minutes. 3 hours 20 minutes (the time between flights) passed quite painfully, there was nothing special to do in Duty Free, and it was expensive, except for staring, eating and drinking. There was WiFi at the airport.
Flight to Dubai at 19.35 - the plane is large (Boeing 777) and full. Two entrances to the plane, brought by bus. The service on board is similar and lunch was again offered. The flight time was 4 hours 30 minutes and at 1.05 we were in Dubai.
Exit directly to the terminal through the front door. Then it was necessary to get to the exit - far enough along the terminal. Then they are delivered by rail transport to customs, inspection, passport control (they put a mark in the passport). Gone quickly enough.
Baggage collection.
Tatyana, a representative of INTERLUX, and our guide for the entire stay in the Emirates met us with our luggage at the exit and there we were met. Having collected everyone, we went to the bus and a trip to the hotel.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
Of course, not only use the information on the Intelux website the day before departure, but also check the flight schedule! It is useful to take a closer look at the group right at the Riga airport at the place of the group's meeting and at the landing in order to have additional reference points in the future.
We arrived at the hotel at about 3 am. The Bin Majid Acacia Hotel and Apartments is located in another emirate (not the one we flew into) and it took just over an hour to get us to the city of Ras Al Khaimah. The hotel, one might say, is not in the city itself, but on its outskirts, in an industrial zone (see separate description). Upon check-in, they took away passports and issued them after paying a hotel fee of 15 dirhams per room (135 dirhams turned out). You can pay by card. Somewhere at five o'clock in the room.
8 o'clock breakfast. Buffet (a lot of things, you can’t list everything - you won’t stay hungry: fruits, yogurts, herbs, jams, freshly prepared scrambled eggs, sausages, eggs, muffins, coffee, milk, juices, olives, etc. The menu is extensive but every day repeats.
At 9.00 a bus to the beach (the beach at another hotel, which, like our hotel, is part of the Bin Majid Hotels & Resorts system). The bus is small, seats 25, not the first freshness. Takes, as indicated everywhere, only sedentary. If there are not enough seats, then the bus returns (15-20 minutes) and picks up the rest. Bus on schedule. Take a pass to go to the beach (they check and pick it up at the entrance of the beach) and a ticket for a towel (they give out a towel on the beach itself and return the ticket after returning the towel) to the reception. I didn’t try to pass without a pass, but without a coupon for a towel, you can get a towel by persuading a smiling worker. On the beach there are sunbeds, there is a pool, there are also sunbeds. Inside the pool there is a bar - they pour it to other hotels that have all-inclusive. But they don’t look too closely and you can treat something for free. There is a small water center with slides. There are water activities such as "bananas", scooters and the like. There is an animator on the beach, moreover, Russian-speaking and Russians on the beach are the overwhelming majority.
Back by taxi (there are cars at the exit from the beach) - 17 dirhams.
After a trip to the store across the street. Passage through the overpass, but the approach to the overpass on the sand. There are 300 steps nearby. The store is sloppy, there are almost no prices for every purchase, you have to run to the checkout and look at the price. There is a Pakistani cafe nearby.
Trip to Al Hamra Mall. By taxi 12 dirhams. Two floors, like an ordinary mall - boutiques, food, currency exchange, ATM, Spinneys store, well, as always.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
The hotel is quite consistent with its stars. The remoteness of the hotel from the beach is quite conditional. The only thing that is inconvenient is that if you come once, then the second time, for example, after dinner, you no longer want to go there. The store, in principle, is of no interest and was just there to look. In the cafe you can have a bite to eat and quite tasty, but keep in mind that it takes time to cook. You can pay by card, but it's not very welcome. As a matter of fact, there is nothing to say about the mall. Everything is there like in any shopping center and you can change the currency there!
Breakfast 7.00
Departure to Dubai. Sightseeing tour. After free time. Friday is a day off, there are a lot of people. Free time was only enough for the Dubai Mall (Dubai Mall). Crowds of people and not only because of the day off, everything is expensive. Snack at fast food. At 6 pm we watched the fountain (Dubai Fountain). After that, I immediately got on the bus and was taken to another fountain (Dubai Festival) as a bonus. I liked both fountains.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
A lot was taken around the city and the main thing was shown. So the tour is already useful. Dubai mall is probably just for reference. Aquarium as a sight to be seen! It is impossible to cover everything, it is expensive to buy. The fountain is beautiful. When returning from the fountain to the bus at the appointed time, you should keep in mind that the flow of people is huge and you need to have some kind of time reserve, because. movement is slow. The second fountain is less visited and there is no huge pandemonium. The fountain is located near the Dubai Festival City Mall. Accordingly, see the schedule of the fountains.
8.00 Breakfast.
At 9.00 departure to Sharjah (Aš Š? riqah). We drove to the flamingo nursery, but we couldn’t get close - accreditation payment is required, so we looked from afar.
Next, a sightseeing tour of the city. The caricature flows smoothly into Dubai, so as a bonus we stopped at the golden frame (Dubai Frame) (52.50 dirhams entrance) - a chic exposition (past, future, panorama from above, glass underfoot) - I highly recommend it.
Old Dubai - sightseeing tour. A very small area, almost all houses are museums, exhibitions, shops open to the public.
Then the boats crossed the bay. The gold market, the spice market, many other shops - everything is tailored for tourists. You can and should bargain. But you yourself need to know the market situation. Prices are inflated many times, so there is room for bargaining. They drop a lot, but still, the price remains higher than in other places.
We visited the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization
At the end of the tour, we saw the fountain, which already seems ordinary, in any case, loses to what we saw earlier, but there are a lot of people.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
Emotions were present during the description, so there is no need to repeat it.
7.00 breakfast
8.00 departure to Fujairah.
On the way, stop at the carpet and fruit market. Then stop for a tour at a small mosque (Al Badiyah Mosque). We also visited the Fujairah Fort - Fort (Fujairah Historic Fort)
Arrived at the hotel (Sandy Beach hotel), buffet lunch (85 dirhams).
At the hotel there is a beach on which we were offered to spend time. There is a coral island nearby and swimming up to it (and you can walk at low tide) you can admire the beautiful inhabitants of the reefs (the guide took her set of masks). We were not lucky with the weather, it was raining. We went home at 4:30 pm. A strong wind picked up. It started to rain.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
In the carpet market, factory-made silk carpets from $200. You can bargain and buy a hundred euros. Carpets are thin and conveniently packaged in a bag. Handmade carpets cost several thousand dollars.
Fruit market. Tasty. you need to bargain, but, again, the price must be repeatedly thrown off. Do not take more, exactly what we tried, because. in addition, they will give not quite mature.
From all of the above, the trip turns out to be just for relaxation, there is little to learn.
It rained all night. There are huge puddles on the streets.
Breakfast 8.00
It's raining, going to the store (800 steps to the left from the hotel to the five-story building). The store is more interesting than the neighbor.
12.15 a trip to the beach 12 dirhams.
15.30 trip from the beach to the mall al harama 15 dirhams. Then a trip to the store - 11 dirhams. Lunch in a cafe.
Cancellation of crab hunting due to bad weather.
Visit to the gym and sauna.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
The day did not work out - the weather is to blame. If you buy something for little things and for a meal, then this store is convenient. The gym is nice and comfortable, don't forget to bring sports shoes with you. Towels are given out, there is drinking water, advice and assistance from the attendants is present. The bath is of an average hand, but after the hall it’s not bad.
Seventh Day
8.00 Breakfast.
Departure to Oman. We drove for about an hour and reached the city of Dibba (Dibba) (it has control of two emirates and Oman). Then customs, they didn’t get off the bus, the border guard came in and checked the Emirati entry mark in the passports. We weren't given any marks. We passed quickly and drove on.
We drove up to the port to the pier. There were boats, passing through the row of boats, we plunged into the last one. The boat has sunbeds and seats. After departure, changed for sunbathing and water bathing.
I saw a description of the trip somewhere on the net, so I won't describe it. We swam on the spot, looked at reefs, fish, took out two pearl shells, rode on a "tablet". Then we were invited to have lunch. Salads, fried barracuda, tea. After they opened the shells, one contained a pearl. The shells were cleaned, the meat was cut, poured with lemon and eaten.
After we went fishing, which was a success (a few barracudas, sea bass, some smaller fish).
On the way back, there were more vehicles at the customs, so we stood in line for a while. We checked the documents very quickly and went to the hotel.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
A simple recreational trip. A boat trip and, in fact, we didn’t see any Oman, only border guards!
8.00 Breakfast.
Free day. Trip to Dubai.
I took a taxi for 31 dirhams from the hotel to the bus station. I bought a bus ticket at the box office for 25 dirhams. The bus departed on schedule at 9:30. The front seats are for women, but the seats are indicated on the ticket. The driver adjusts the seats himself if problems arise. Smartly dressed people came in and handed out gifts (small chocolates) in honor of the day the state was formed. The bus brought to the Union station in Dubai. They asked where the bus would depart from and they showed me the exact location. There are no timetables at the station, but tickets are sold (tickets for men and women). I went to the subway, at the entrance at the box office I bought a day ticket for a golden car for 40 dirhams. I took the metro to the Damac Properties station in a golden carriage. Then I got on the tram (registration of the same ticket at the bus stop) and drove for viewing along the tram ring. Pictures could not be taken, because. ads on the windows did not allow it. From the Palm Jumeirah tram stop, walk across the road and through the parking lots (there are arrow signs, but a rather dumb passage) to the monorail. Fare payment by cash only. Monorail in 15 minutes. 30 dirhams round trip. I just swept to the end and looked from above at the "palm tree" and the water park. The return passage through the parking lot to the tram and on it to the metro. I took the metro to the Deira City Center station and visited the Carrefour store. After the store, a small snack in a cafe.
I took the metro to the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station and got to the entrance to the tower for a very long time. Passage by e-ticket immediately (no need to reissue anything). I left my things in the storage room. Queue for 30 minutes. Climbing the tower - very quickly and quietly. Caught a little day view and enjoyed the evening. Rocking on the tower.
After the tower, take the subway to Union Station. The bus left late (see schedule), but it turned out to be good for me. The ticket, by the way, is 20 dirhams, not 25 as in the direction of Dubai. I asked to stop at Al Harma mall and from there for a record 9.75 dirhams by taxi (on the opposite side of the mall) I got to the hotel.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
Everything turned out great and without any problems. I bought a bus ticket with a card. At the bus station, free water is available in plastic packaging (cups). From the last stop you can see the metro building. Bought a card ticket. Look in which direction to go for landing (well, a lot is written about this and everywhere in the reviews). In my case, the subway turned out to be not just for show - it was convenient. The tram did not cause much enthusiasm, and the impressions from the window did not increase either. The passage to the monorail is tricky, but comprehensible. The monorail itself, most likely, as a show, for the view from a small elevation. On the tower you need to have a margin of time. Moreover, it is far from the metro to go even indoors. Cool and interesting. The truth is, "I was there. " There are views from the tower on the network, but not everyone is given a picture on the window overlooking Dubai. He did not regret capturing both daytime and evening views and was satisfied, besides, he looked at the fountain and the show from above!
When traveling back by bus, do not forget to ask the driver to stop at the store. He does it himself, but it doesn't hurt to remind him. There is no need to go by taxi to the other side (to the store).
8.00 Breakfast.
Beach by taxi for 12 dirhams. The sun, on the beach, work to restore the beach, brought sand, this does not interfere with rest and swimming.
About 12 o'clock we returned to the hotel (taxi).
13.00 Departure for an excursion to Dubai.
Park of flowers (Miracle Garden), entrance fee. It's mesmerizing at first. Beautiful and grandiose. After passing the park and making a photo session, we visited the Butterfly Museum (Dubai Butterfly Garden) (admission is paid). There was little time, we passed the museum almost without stopping, several halls.
at 16.00. departure to the fair (Globalvillage). Paid entrance. Lots of pavilions. Huge world market. Everywhere you can bargain. It is quite difficult to pay with a card, but, in some places, it is possible. It's impossible to bypass everything. Lots of rides. We didn't get to the fireworks - there were none that day.
Return to the hotel.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
The time before the start of the trip needs to be filled with something, so a trip to the beach turned out to be appropriate, especially since it turned out to be a farewell visit.
A trip to Miracle Garden is interesting, but does not hold attention for long. The first impressions are fascinating and then boring. There is just enough time to go around the circle only once. So visiting the Butterfly Museum (Dubai Butterfly Garden) is more of a character that I was there. Yes, butterflies are beautiful, but there is no time to enjoy. So it's better, like everyone else in the group, not to go, although I was pleased with the visit. Globalvillage is definitely worth a visit and time just flies there. Those two and a half hours were clearly not enough for us.
8.00 Breakfast.
Some people went to the beach in the morning. Part for a farewell visit to the store. Fees home. Room release.
13.00 departure to Abu Dhabi. Another guide, Vladislav, got hooked in Dubai.
We stopped at the science center (Masdar city), a short excursion. We visited the Ferrari Center (Ferrari World Abu Dhabi). More like a photo shoot. We visited the Khalifa Park Museum "Time Tunnel". Paid entrance. The tour is short, but exciting and interesting. They traveled in wagons. Accompaniment in English, but the meaning is clear. There is also a small aquarium - interesting
Check in at the sports club for lunch. Buffet - delicious, nutritious, varied.
We visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Cente. The dress code is strict. Women took clothes with them or for rent (Tatiana agreed). Sightseeing tour of the mosque. Grandiose. Chandeliers Swarovski. Free time. Going to the toilet is like a museum!
Evening departure to Dubai. The guide has changed, Tatyana is completing our trip to the Emirates!
We arrived at the airport. They brought it to the wrong terminal. Rebooted and brought to the desired terminal.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
Masdar city did not leave a special impression - I didn’t go there on purpose, but since it’s free and on the way, why not? Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, as mentioned for the photo shoot, it's more for the fans.
The Time Tunnel Museum is a pleasant surprise - very original.
Very well in advance, they fussed through the guide about lunch, on time, tasty, cozy, not expensive.
Mosque without question - must visit, it's beautiful.
Tickets on the passport, then passport control and customs inspection. Everything is fast. Duty free. Cheap cigarettes. Didn't buy anything.
Departure. Big Boeing.
Breakfast on the plane.
Istanbul. Plus 6. A huge number of people to enter the transfer zone (it seemed to me that about 1000). Wedged into the queue. Passing through the frame with the following actions. Duty free.
Departure on a small Boeing. Breakfast on the plane.
Arrival, passport control.
Minibus to the bus station. Regular bus to Tallinn.
Impressions, sensations, recommendations:
Nothing special, standard recommendations. I will only note the passage to the transfer zone of the Istanbul airport. It turned out to be unusual, because there was no such thing in the direction of the Emirates and everything was fine. Here, we should not forget that all liquids purchased already in Dubai Duty Free and printed out will be withdrawn. Well, try to do as we do and not go to the end of the queue, but just wedge yourself in!
The overall impression of the trip remained positive - we managed to get new impressions and relax.
Understanding Interlux to organize a tour in such a way as to attract the attention of as many tourists with different interests as possible, I note that the excursion load is not so great. This tour is quite close to what other operators organize with charter flights and simple hotel reservations. Again, it is difficult to balance sightseeing objects - some people like one thing, others another. Now, after visiting, I would add other objects! But in this I would change some points! There are not many of these moments.
The first of these is a visit to Fujairah. I don’t know for sure if there is something there that you can still see, but there are no special impressions that we were in this emirate.
Second, this is, of course, Oman! Let it be only an enclave, but there should be at least a little atmosphere of the state! Checking into a simple store already somehow solved this problem! There must be something else that distinguishes this state, even just to look at people, to see the prices in the store - if there are no differences in culture and architecture.
It is worth noting that if you do not agree with the proposal and want to make a more intense and balanced tour for yourself, then you should contact the person who will organize everything on the spot, and not the clerks from the office.
