Dubai is a city you must include in your bucket list. You simply have to visit. Famous for sightseeing attractions like beautiful, shiny skyscrapers, state of the art buildings and beautiful beaches and sand dunes and so much more, it has been widely ranked as the fourth most visited city in the world and the most attractive destination in the Middle East region for international visitors.
Together with my photographer, we recently flew to Dubai with emirates.com for a luxury experience and sight-seeing of its leading attractions. One of our most memorable visits was to the recently opened Ain Dubai, which is situated on the gorgeous lifestyle destination, Bluewaters Island, where the charm and exclusivity meets the exuberance of a sophisticated urban lifestyle. This wheel is the newest landmark to join Dubai’s long list of world record-breaking attractions enriching Dubai’s offerings as a global tourism and leisure destination.
It is reported that more than 10 countries came together to create Ain Dubai, with the steel wheel structure produced across the UAE, South Korea and Germany, and the UK, France and Netherlands providing key engineering and project management expertise. The wheel is 250m tall, which makes it nearly twice as high as the London Eye!
There are 48 hi tech capsules and each capsule can hold upto 30 people. The Ain Dubai takes the cake when it comes to record number of passengers able to ride at the same time. It can accommodate at most 1,750 people on each rotation. Quite a huge number.
You are advised to arrive up to 60 minutes ahead of your ticket time to prepare for your trip. On entry, your ticket will be checked by the security man at the main entrance, then you proceed to the check in desk, where you will be given tags and then you proceed once verified, to an escalator that takes you to the next floor.
There you will stop for a photo session (for those who want) before you are led to where the cabins/ capsules are, ready for occupation. The type of cabin you enter depends entirely on the experience you’ve booked. There are 3 pods options- Observation, Social and private pods. More info on these is here https://www.aindubai.com/en/about-ain-dubai?csrt=9250517086475181304
Open daily from 2pm to 10pm, and on a 360-degree rotation, guests soak up to the panoramic Instagrammable city views, with the entire spin taking 38 minutes to complete. You get to marvel and see the Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence and on a clear day, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and the Burj Khalifa. It is important to note that for the most part it does not stop rotating. You have to literally hop onto – and out of – a pod while it is still slowly moving. The capsules are all glass made so you can see all around the views.
There are special VIP capsules that can accommodate 12 people and comes with a private bar on board. For the ultimate luxury, guests can book one of many VIP pods that host dining experiences as well as customizable private events, from extravagant parties to special family-friendly occasions. More info https://www.aindubai.com/en/about-ain-dubai?csrt=9250517086475181304
Dubai is really full of architectural wonders and magnificent developments that never cease to amaze. One of the most fascinating things about the location of the Ain Dubai, is that it is on a man-made island namely the Bluewater Island. This island, is home to more than 700 residential properties, two 5-star hotels and more than 200 shops and restaurants. It is also where the Ain Dubai, the world’s largest observation wheel is. The island has the only the other Caesars Palace property in the world besides the Las Vegas one.
According to reports, the island was made of 4,118,425 m3 of sand and 962,530 m2 of rock. A dedicated road leads to and from the island and there is a specially constructed 300-m walkway that provides pedestrian access. It is reported that one of the wheel legs will be housing the highest rope climbing platform in the world.
When Ain Dubai was officially opened in October 2021, Ronald Drake, General Manager, Ain Dubai said, “We’ve seen the excitement across the city peak as we get closer to opening so it was only fitting that we host an opening that was in line with all that Ain Dubai has to offer as the ultimate celebration destination. We can’t wait to welcome the world to see everything beyond the stunning view of Dubai’s dazzling skyline available at Ain Dubai, from family entertainment to sunset views and DJ sets. We have plenty of surprises in store across the two days, making it the perfect place to spend the long weekend.”
I guarantee you; Ain Dubai is indeed one of the attractions you must see and experience when in Dubai. And if you planning to travel there, fly emirates.com . Emirates which was voted ‘Best Airline Worldwide’ for the eighth consecutive time by the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2021, has 10 flights a week between Nairobi and Dubai.
According to Christophe Leloup, Emirates Country Manager in Kenya, “As demand proliferates, emirates.com is ramping up our operations in order to provide better connectivity and convenience to our customers, so they can be reunited with family and friends, discover new cities, or just relax as they create new memories, safely. Emirates currently serves over 120 global passenger destinations, gradually restoring over 90% of its pre-pandemic network, operating over 800 flights a week from the airline’s hub, Dubai.”
(Thanks to Emirates, not only are we the first Kenyan social media influencers to be on this record breaking Ferris wheel but we are also the first Kenyan publication to visit and ride in the Ain Dubai).