Alexandria

The city was founded more than 2,000 years ago by Alexander the great and today it's the second largest city and the economic hub of Egypt. It's a coastal city that lies on the Mediterranean Sea. Neighboring countries across the sea are Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. The main international airport has been close for renovation for a while now and those traveling by air can reach Alexandria through the nearby Borg El Arab International Airport. You could also get there by road from Cairo, and yes, they do have Uber drivers available at very reasonable prices if you want to avoid hassling with taxi drivers.

Alexandria Corniche

Engineer's Club Beach

The Corniche is usually bustling and gets quite crowded by evening, best time to enjoy would be in the morning or early afternoon. There are many cafes and restaurants spread across the shoreline, and Alexandria is very famous for it's fresh and tasty seafood. I heartily recommend trying their lobster and crab dishes, which in most restaurants you could pick out from displayed items according to your liking.

Local fisherman

More fishermen

As you go on the corniche towards the east, you'll find the Stanley Bridge, which is architecturally different from everything else in Alexandria. The bridge divides a popular beach area from the sea.

Stanley Bridge

Stanley Bridge

Stanley Beach

There are a lot of places to visit. For me anyone visiting Alexandria must visit the library which is called Bibliotheca Alexandrina, there used to be a strong French influence on this city. The library really looks out of place due to its modern design. It also has a large museum section that has lots of artifacts, historical and modern artworks.

Pharoah statue outside the library

Entrance to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina with hieroglyphics

Inside the library

Main library gallery

Industrial artifacts

Nubian busts

Museum area

If you're into more historical stuff, you should visit the Royal Jewelry Museum, that houses collections from King Farouk and his family members. His sister was married to the Shah of Iran, which is why you'll find Persian influences. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited inside.

Royal Jewelry Museum

There are more becahes, notably the San Stefano Beach, where the Four Seasons Hotel and adjoining mall are. However, if you crave a more private beach and serene surroundings, the North Coast with its smaller cities like El Alamein, Marina and Sedi Kreir are a short drive away.

Alexandria Corniche at night

More info on Alexandria: Wikipedia, Trip Advisor

More info on library: Bibliotheca Alexandrina

More info on Royal Jewelry Museum: Royal Jewelry Museum

Dubai - Burj Khalifa

The tallest building in the world doesn't need an introduction. So, I'm going to get right to it. You happen to be visiting Dubai and you obviously want to see this Burj Khalifa. You might've already seen pictures or maybe even seen Tom Cruise gliding along the Burj in the Mission Impossible movie. It's now time for you to get up close and personal. Sure, you could just walk up to the entrance and buy a ticket after waiting in a long queue, and, when you finally reach the ticket window, it might not even be available.

Tickets

I recommend planning ahead and buying the tickets online. The best time would be in the evening before sunset, so that you will be able to enjoy the views of Dubai both during the day and at night in all its glory. Also, try to go on a weekday to avoid huge crowds.

Burj Khalifa At The Top Ticketing Website

Once you get to the venue (on time!), you walk up to one of the provided printers to print your tickets and you walk through a lobby to go to the special elevator for visitors. This lobby has a few models and historical information about the skyscraper.

Burj Khalifa At The Top lobby from Dubai Mall

World's "fastest" elevator to floor 124

The elevator ride is a quick one, if I remember the elevator assistant correctly, it's supposed to be one of the fastest elevators in the world. You can watch the number on the floor indicator just whiz by, until you reach the floor designated "At The Top" (which by the way isn't actually the top, but, it's the highest floor where visitors have access to.

On a clear day, you get a 360 degree view of the whole city, with nothing but some glass and railings between you.

Daytime view of the area surrounding Dubai Mall

Daytime view of the area surrounding Dubai Mall

Daytime view of Sheikh Zayed Road

Looking up from the observation deck

Nighttime view of area around Dubai Mall

Nighttime view of area just below Burj Khalifa

Nighttime view of Sheikh Zayed Road

A cool feature that they have is called the Falcon Eye View, where they have these movable screens that you can point towards anywhere in the city and it'll show different options: Day, Live, Night and Historic. Historic is the coolest one as it shows you how just a few decades ago, Dubai was basically empty.

Historic view of Sheikh Zayed Road

Falcon view video

After you're done and ready to go back down, you'll walk through a corridor with information on other tall skyscrapers around the world. You'll be able to walk back into Dubai Mall, where you could do as you please. If you want a romantic dinner, reserve a table at the Amal Restaurant which is just a short walk away at the Armani Hotel, where you can have dinner with the best view of the dancing water fountain.

View of the water fountain from the restaurant

More information on Burj Khalifa: Wikipedia, Trip Advisor

Booking and buying tickets: At The Top, Burj Khalifa

Booking for restaurant: Amal Restaurant, Armani Hotel 

Maldives

We all need breaks from our daily grind. What better way to do so, than to go to a tropical paradise? Even though it is a relatively tiny nation, Maldives is an archipelago, that consists of around 1,190 islands, that are divided into 26 atolls. A lot of individual islands have been turned into resorts. This gives them the advantage of being quiet and isolated getaways. It would be a great choice if you're planning a long weekend, but, I'd say 5 nights would be the sweet spot to enjoy your visit.

Getting to your resort isn't always straightforward. I was travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and at the time there weren't any flights to the Maldives. I took a connecting flight through Colombo, Sri Lanka, where you shouldn't miss a chance to sample their world famous teas. Once you get to Male International Airport, you have to take another short trip to your island. I had to take a short flight and then a speedboat to get to the resort where I had booked.

Buddha at Colombo International Airport, Sri Lanka


Sri Lankan Tea

Male International Airport, Maldives

Speedboat to the resort

Approaching the resort


Up close on arrival

Once you get to the island, you're welcomed with cool and refreshing coconut drinks as you go through the check in process. The whole resort had a very relaxing atmosphere and the staff were quite friendly and helpful.

Main pier

Swimming pool and cafe

Gazebo with swings


Second Pier

The contrast between the white sand and clear blue water was mesmerizing. Perfect for taking a stroll around the island and then easing on to a lazy chair with a book or a tablet after applying ample amounts of sunscreen.

One of the beaches

View from the villa

Overlooking the beach

After you regain some of your energy, there are plenty of activities that you could do. For one you could go snorkeling or diving to discover the exotic marine life. It's always good to see healthy corals, and here they were alive and kicking. 

Snorkeling gear

From the pier

From the pier

A part of the island was reserved for the water sports center that was well equipped. They had snorkeling and scuba gear, surfboards, banana boats, rowboats and jet skis. Safety precautions were taken before any activity and necessary equipment provided.

Water sports center

Banana boats

Jet skis

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes to beat your hunger. Being an island, obviously they have various seafood options. What I liked though, was going on a fishing trip to catch my own fish. We took a boat into the Indian Ocean with experienced fishermen who knew where to find the best fish. Once we were back at the resort, the chef at the restaurant was more than happy to prepare our catch the way we wanted.

Bait for fishing

Bonus rainbow shot

Some of the catch

Back to the island in time for the sunset

Caught fish grilled and fried at the restaurant

If you're looking for a relaxing island getaway in the Indian Ocean, then you want to go the Maldives!

More info on Maldives: Maldives
Flight to Maldives: Saudi Airlines
Places to stay in Maldives: Trip Advisor