Cebu Pacific celebrates 9th year of servicing the Dubai route
Suppose you only have three days in Dubai, where would you go and what would you do? Depending on what you want to see and do, Dubai has a gamut of experiences to offer. Now that travel restrictions in and out of the Philippines have eased out, it’s easier to plan your next trip. And if Dubai is top of your mind, let me give you a virtual tour of the emirate and perhaps help you plan your itinerary.
When the Philippines’ leading low-cost carrier (LCC), Cebu Pacific Air (CEB), invited select members of the press for its 9th anniversary of servicing the Manila-Dubai route, I prepared myself for an adventure-packed three days in Dubai.
A home away from home
We arrived past midnight at the Dubai airport via CEB’s A330neo, its greenest aircraft with the lowest carbon footprint per passenger compared to its other aircraft, and immediately checked in at the Rove City Centre Hotel, our home for the next few days. Its contemporary-designed lobby with a high ceiling greeted us. The minimalist-chic room was a perfect sanctuary for my tired body needing some hours of good sleep.
If you are looking for one of the best places to stay as you explore Dubai, Rove City Centre is the perfect jump-off point for Dubai Creek and old Dubai. It is close to transport links that connect Rove City Centre to the new and old town, with easy access to Dubai International Airport within 10 minutes.
I love that it offers various amenities albeit I was not able to enjoy all. Here are among of its amenities: room service, full restaurant, 24-hour front desk, fitness center, swimming pool, parking, game room, internet access, and locker room access which was absolutely helpful on our last day as we needed to check out early but still had a full day for a tour.
CEB’s ‘Homecoming’ event
For its 9th year of servicing the Dubai-Manila route, CEB held a press conference at the Rove hotel attended by some press in Dubai and our group from the Philippines as well as a “Homecoming” event in the evening attended by some Pinoy entrepreneurs and some OFWs. The event featured Pinoy dishes thus, it was like a homecoming to the Philippines for the attendees. Prior to the event, CEB also raffled off several plane tickets from Dubai to Manila and announced the lucky winners during the event to the excitement of the crowd.
These two separate events were graced by the Philippine Consul General to Dubai, Renato Dueñas, Jr., who later gave us an opportunity for an interview.
At the press conference, CEB’s Corporate Communications Director Carmina Romero shared some of the milestones of the Dubai-Manila route for the past nine years.
“Our first flight to Dubai was on Oct. 7, 2013. Since then, a lot of memorable events have transpired including a baby born inflight on August 14, 2016. CEB’s Bayanihan flights in 2021 have flown over 8,750 Filipinos and to date, we have served more than 1.6 million passengers,” she said.
Romero also highlighted the company’s sustainability initiatives. “Last year, two A330neo aircraft were added to the fleet. From March to July this year, four out of seven aircraft have been delivered,” she said.
The greenest aircraft of CEB, A330neo, is the first aircraft in the world that is certified to meet the company’s 2028 C02 emission reduction target.
Later, during the interview with Consul General Dueñas, he bared some of the recent initiatives that the Philippine Consulate has spearheaded.
“We have been pushing financial literacy among OFWs here in Dubai for the last six years or so. These programs are in partnership with several organizations including the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)- Dubai and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),” he said to Manila Standard.
Currently, there are over 700 thousand Filipinos—including children—living in the UAE and 500 thousand of these Pinoys are concentrated in Dubai.
“This year we started doing it in person or via physical events. The aim is for OFWs in Dubai and the Northern Emirates to learn how to save, budget, and manage their debt and assets. We also teach the OFWs how to invest, for example in real estate, among others.”
Dueñas said that these physical and online activities are usually well-attended with a diverse mix of participants from different industries such as retail, F&B, medical, and service.
Heritage tour
We had a full-day tour the following day and CEB’s media partner in Dubai, the New Perspective Media Group helped arrange the tours, and the team assigned to us was a truly wonderful help. If you wish to explore the city and get to know Dubai’s past and present, a heritage walking tour, as well as downtown exploration, is a must. Don’t forget your sunscreen, a headscarf, or a hat.
At the Al Shindagha Museum, we learned about a family’s love affair for scents and perfumes that spanned across generations, as well as the importance of this practice of perfume-making to their culture. We then proceeded to the Grand Souq for unique Arabian souvenir items such as teas, spices, household items, and scarves, among many others.
We took the one-Dirham boat service or “Ride the Abra” to reach the Gold Souk on the other side of the creek, which is in fact a part of a saltwater creek, tidal inlet, and waterway in Dubai. Souq or souk means an open-air market in an Arabian city. The Gold Souk is perhaps one of the favorite places for Filipinos (as well as Indians and Africans, we were told) to visit as one can score a piece of jewelry for a price you will most likely not get from home. Suffice it to say, some of us in the group did bring home some lovely jewelry.
As night crawled on, we proceeded to the Dubai Mall, another must-see. You will need hours to explore this mall, so good call if you already have the shops in mind to go to. As for us, we went to see the Dubai Aquarium and The Human Waterfall—both are a feast for the eyes. Before we called it a day, we went to see the Dubai Fountain and of course, the beautiful Burj Khalifa as seen from a good distance.
Dubai Miracle Garden, Desert Safari, and an Arabian night
It’s our last day and there are still several places to see. We are all excited and ready for the day. Just like the past few days, we enjoy a sumptuous breakfast at Rove’s The Daily restaurant, after which, we check out and deposit our luggage at the hotel’s locker room before heading out for the day.
The Dubai Miracle Garden was a surprise for us as it was not included in the original itinerary. However, we were fortunate because on that same day we were told that Dubai Miracle Garden opened to the public, and off we went to see it.
“Why is it called a miracle garden?” We asked our tour guide. “It’s because Dubai is a desert country, and to be able to build a huge and beautiful garden as this one is some sort of a miracle,” he says to us. And indeed, it was lovely.
Before our Desert Safari experience, we had a bit of time exploring the Burjuman Mall, then before sunset, off we went on an adventure I didn’t foresee. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun—so much so that I must have been laughing-shrieking the entire time. My companions were more composed and collected than I was.
We concluded the tour with a short ride on a camel’s back for the ‘gram, and an Arabian night featuring scrumptious Arab cuisine while being entertained by first, a fire dancer, then a belly dancer, and finally an exhibitionist imitating a carousel.
A renewed appreciation of Arab cuisine
While all these are unforgettable experiences to me, what cinched the entire trip really was my renewed appreciation for Arab cuisine. Prior to the trip, my experience with Middle-Eastern food was limited. Almost all, if not all of the meals we partook in were authentic Arab food—from Al Safadi Al Rigga restaurant to Al Fanar in Al Seef, Al Makan, and arguably one of the best shawarma in Dubai, the Al Safadi, which we all hand-carried back to Manila. If you are to ask me what will make me want to go back to Dubai, it’s definitely the food. Simply superb.
