Some say Dubai is like Las Vegas – but it isn’t.  Dubai is bigger, has taller and more unique buildings and, of course, there is the obvious: there is NO gambling and limited alcohol here.  Dubai is bigger, shinier, cleaner, faster.  More sober, in the nonalcoholic sense (not in the happy/giddy sense).  Of course I am biased because I live in Dubai!  But you must come see for yourself ….

While Dubai is NOT Vegas, I cannot help but think of Vegas’s Bellagio Hotel when we go to see the fountain show at the Burj Khalifa.  Pictures really cannot do it justice, and every time it amazes and delights me.  Every night, without fail, on the half hour from 6pm to 9:30pm there is a dazzling water and light show set to music.  Sometimes the music is classic Arabian music (my favorite fountain accompaniment) – but there’s also Michael Jackson, Adele, Mission Impossible, and many others (I am still waiting for the Beverly Hillbillies theme, but I will be waiting a LONG time I am certain!)  We walk across the street from our condo to see it often; but when we are not in attendance we know it’s happening because the Burj Khalifa has some extra sparkle and glow.

One of my favorite effects was a low and advancing mist/fog that precedes the Michael Jackson show (the song, of course…. is THRILLER).

Here is the inside skinny on the best places to watch the fountain show: most people line the obvious edges of the lake by Dubai Mall and on the bridge between the Dubai Mall and the Souk al Bahar.  But for a less crowded vantage point, come in from the Boulevard to the field by the Opera House – or come by the Palace Hotel and walk to the lake from there.  There’s a corner that cannot be accessed from the Mall side that is always less crowded.

Make sure you don’t spend the whole show recording it on your iPhone – it doesn’t translate and you’ll miss the spectacle.  And it IS spectacular!!!