INTO THE MIDDLE EAST
Family highlights( no trust fund required) Dubai Mall: a city indoors Step inside and the desert heat disappears. Browse the 1 200 shops( window-shopping is free, remember) while the kids gasp at sharks gliding overhead in the giant aquarium, or wobble across an Olympic-sized ice rink. Even the indoor waterfall feels like a public artwork. Best of all: entry doesn’ t cost a dirham.
Dubai Fountain Show: water ballet on the cheap Every evening at sunset, crowds gather at the base of the Burj Khalifa. The fountains leap, sway, and boom to music while tourists whip out phones. Kids cheer when the jets shoot sky-high; parents silently rejoice that the whole spectacle costs exactly nothing.
Museum of the Future: the shiniest classroom you’ ll ever enter That curved silver building covered in Arabic calligraphy? Inside, it’ s all hands-on exhibitions on space, AI, and sustainability. Teens roll their eyes at“ another museum” only until they find themselves pushing buttons and posting selfies. Parents leave feeling smug that they snuck in some education along the way.
At The Top, Burj Khalifa: elevator pitch Rising 124 floors in 60 seconds is half the fun; the other half is the view. Buy tickets online for off-peak slots to keep costs down, then let the kids point out“ tiny” cars below. It’ s a memory that lingers long after the tan fades.
Aya Universe & House of Hype: digital daydreams Part light show, part Instagram trap. These indoor immersive spaces beam colours and soundscapes across walls and floors. Teens get new profile pictures; younger kids wander wide-eyed. Parents? Here, they’ re just grateful for the air-conditioning.
SUMMER 2025 / 26 • rovesa. co. za | 93