Fujairah had been on my travel list, for a long time. Yet, every time vacation within-country meant your phone number would still be on, and it wouldn’t be the perfect wireless break. However, ever since covid, going out of the country meant more hassles than enjoyment. Fujairah is just a 2-hour drive from Dubai, so with the winter break once, we decided to explore this beautiful location.
We started at around 11:30 from Dubai on 14th December and had reached there before 2 pm. We had booked a beach resort located at Al Aqah Beach. The check-in process was smooth and even though we reached before check-in time of 3 pm since the room was empty, they allowed us to check-in.
The room was nonsmoking, ocean view. It had a beautiful eye candy view of the Indian Ocean. A person like me can just gaze at the serene view like that and spend hours doing nothing. The room was big spacious, with a bathroom with bathtub and shower facilities.
The pool was big and amazing, with a big kids pool as well. The hotel had its own large private beach. Various water sports like parasailing, Banana boat was available.
The most amazing part of the stay was the view of the sunrise. Dubai is on the west coast has always a view of sunset in the water. This is the only place in the UAE where you can see the sunrise. Almost half an hour before sunrise, the sky turns red, just like it happens after sunset. At Sunrise, you see a small part of the red circle appearing out of the water, it slowly enlarges to a semi-circle and then full. It appears as if a huge red ball is slowly coming out of water. It was a humbling and surreal experience. We would get up in time, and rush to see the sunrise on both the days we were there.
Khorfakkan Dam and beach are just 30 min drive from the hotel. Kayaking and pedal boats are available at the Dam, which we thoroughly enjoyed. There are multiple playing areas for the kids.
Khorfakkan beach was serene and peaceful too. There were again lots of playing areas for kids and cycles available on rent for riding.
Other major attractions in the area are hiking trails in the Hajjar mountains. I couldn’t explore them due to lack of time, but would surely come back to enjoy them.
There are many options to stay ranging from 3 stars to 5-star hotels with good facilities. Dubai being a major tourist attraction is much costlier, while Fujairah was much reasonable, and easy on the pocket.
Winters in the UAE are very pleasant and sunny. During the daytime, a stole or a sweat-shirt is sufficient. It gets a little windy in the evenings and a light wollen suffices.
Food options range from Local Arabic to Indian, Italian, Chinese, and continental.
The hotel we stayed in was well-prepared post covid. The staff was regularly checked for covid and they diligently followed all precautions to keep covid at bay. The spa was operating, however, the kids club and the teenage club were closed due as per guidelines to them.
Fujairah is also famous for camping. However, currently due to covid, the government has restricted the same.
Overall, it is a beautiful emirate and is a must for nature lovers. Do visit it in winters, as summers though cooler than the rest of Emirates is not as pleasant as this time of year ( October to April ).
