Before Dubai Mall opened and took away the title of the biggest mall in the UAE, that honor was held by the Mall of the Emirates. Mall of the Emirates was opened in 2005. Since then, it has been synonymous with the upscale outing and a hub for luxury brands.
Even now, the mall houses many one-of-a-kind spots in Dubai. It has a gigantic glass dome built in classic European architecture.
The first Apple store in the UAE was in the Mall of the Emirates, followed by Dubai and Yas mall in Abu Dhabi. Many fashion brands and restaurant chains have their signature stores here.
Ski Dubai – snow in the desert
The most famous of all the things in the mall is Ski Dubai, the largest indoor ski resort in the Middle East and the only location open to the public in Dubai with sub-zero temperatures. The ski resort was fully functional even when the mall was unveiled. This 85-meter tall snow slope has five runs with varying levels of intensity. The longest of them is a 400-meter slope with a 60-meter drop.
You don’t have to be an expert skier to visit Ski Dubai because there are many activities other than skiing. Simply spending some time on the snowy slopes can be an experience worth paying for if you don’t live in a cold climate where snow is expected.
You enter the park through a cavern where a larger-than-life ice sculpture of a winged dragon is displayed. You won’t regret grabbing a hot drink from the snow-themed restaurant, as it will help you fight the cold better. If you are not into skiing, pet the penguins or get on board the rides.
They take you to the top of the slope in chairlifts for snowboarding and skiing. Depending on the starting point, the descent to the bottom takes a few minutes. Chairlifts are also an opportunity for sightseeing around the park.
It would help if you met the permanent residents of Ski Dubai — the snow penguins. Go near them and pet those one heck of cute creatures. Ski Dubai also features Olaf- the snowman from Frozen.
What to wear when you visit Ski Dubai
Protective clothes are required to enter the park. You don’t have to bring any of them, though. Jackets, pants, fleece gloves, snow boots, helmets, and socks can be borrowed at the counter. These are important to be safe and avoid frostbite and are included in the ticket price.
They also provide a locker facility to safe-keep your belongings as you spend time in the park. Don’t worry about using cameras and smartphones inside the snowpark because usually, they can handle that level of cold without suffering any damage.
Magic Planet – Fun of Gaming
Magic planet is the ultimate gaming destination in the Mall of the Emirates. This place is an excellent choice to spend a weekend with the family.
The place offers many evergreen consoles, from classic arcade games to the latest. All the newest video games and AAA titles can be found here.
Gravity is a state-of-the-art trampoline park inside Magic planet. As the kids enjoy thrashing the consoles, grownups can chill at Yalla bowling alley, a ten-pin bowling alley.
VOX Cinemas
VOX is on the second floor of the Mall of the Emirates. This 24-screen theater is one of the UAE’s only two places to watch movies in IMAX format. There are also VOX kids, VOX 4DX, and the dine-in cinema — the Theatre by Rhodes.
VOX 4DX is a unique movie-watching experience that adds more dimensions to the usual cinema using motion simulators, scents, water, and lighting.
VOX Kids has bright walls and colorful seats, and screens for kids-friendly movies. It also has a party room for them to play in.
On the other hand, Theatre by Rhodes takes it to a whole new level. It is a luxury cinema hall with private lounges and food by the renowned culinary artist Gary Rhodes.
Restaurants in Mall of the Emirates
Besides the fun, entertainment, and shopping options, the Mall of the Emirates dining opportunity tops it off with over 100 cafes and restaurants. Eight of them are upscale restaurants inside the Fashion Dome.
Two food courts are located at both ends of the mall. The first one is on the first floor near Ski Dubai. Sitting here, one can look inside Ski Dubai through the enormous glass window. Those who don’t want to go inside the snowpark can still taste it from here. The other is on the ground floor towards the eastern end of the mall.
The Cheesecake Factory is a famous American restaurant, YO! Sushi! is a Japanese sushi cafe where food is served on a conveyor belt are a few popular ones in the mall.
Shopping at Mall of the Emirates
The mall underwent a large-scale expansion in 2015. Several lifestyle brands found their way in after the renovation. It currently has over 630 world-class stores. The Harvey Nichols store itself is spread over three floors.
Fashion Dome, which opened in 2010, is dedicated to uber-luxury fashion and accessory outlets. One of the giant Carrefour hypermarkets in the emirate is in MOE, which is open from 9 am to midnight every week.
The mall is located near the 4th interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road and has excellent accessibility. There is a metro link to the mall from the Emirate metro stop mall.
Five hotels surrounding the mall are Kempinski, Ibis, Sheraton, Novotel, and Hilton Garden Inn. Two of them, Kempinski and Sheraton, are connected to the mall directly.
Opening times
The mall is open seven days a week from 10 am to 10 pm, except on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, on which it works until midnight. Ski Dubai and VOX customers enjoy 4 hours of free parking inside the mall. It’s usually bustling around here and especially so on weekends.
The best way to visit attractions in Dubai is to go on a city tour. It will help you cover the main sites in a few hours, and the experienced tour guides will be pretty helpful in enjoying the sightseeing.