48 Hours in Fujairah: Road Trip, Country Club and Forts

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48 Hours in Fujairah: Road Trip from Dubai

Far too many expats move to the UAE and never travel outside of Dubai. These poor souls have no clue what they're missing out on, so we set out to show you exactly what a road trip to Fujairah could uncover.

Many Dubai expats will make it down to Abu Dhabi once or twice, but the other emirates in the UAE never get as much love, and while they are nowhere near as built up as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, they contain some real treasures.

I'm ashamed to say I saw here for well over a year before I ever made it out of Dubai, but have since explored all the emirates so when Anne thought it would be fun to rent a car and see all we could find in Fujairah for the day I jumped at the idea. Check out our complete list of the best road trips in the UAE for more ideas.

We set out at 9am on a Saturday morning and I was shocked how quickly we got there - 75 minutes on the dot. I always felt Fujairah was so far away, being on the other coast, but we made it well before lunch time and made our first discovery of the day - the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club. I'll be honest, a country club is not at all what comes to mind when I think of Fujairah, but there it was.

Set amongst nice trees and manicured lawns, not only does it have a complete spa, beautiful pool, gym and tennis courts, but a McGettigan's as well - our day kept getting better and better, until we hit the mother load...

As we were walking out we noticed an Africa + Eastern logo on a door and opening it, found The Cellars, or Narnia, as I call it. I've known people to go on booze runs to RAK all the time, but never to Fujairah. While Anne has an Africa+Eastern alcohol license, I don't, but lucky for me you don't need one in Fujairah. Score!

Check out our "Read our Complete Guide to Drinking in Dubai" 

We were not only shocked at the size of this place, but how insanely cheap everything was. I finally have a nice 6 pack of American beer to watch my next Redskins game with, and know exactly where we'll go to stock up for our Christmas parties in a few weeks.

[WATCH] Road Trip to Fujairah from Dubai
[WATCH] Road Trip to Fujairah from Dubai

Leaving on a high, we sped off down the road and towards the stunning Fujairah Fort, a really cool look at ancient ruins in the UAE, something we don't see very often in Dubai. As the weather was perfect, we were able to wander around this really cool area in the afternoon sun and get lost in a variety of old forts, buildings, pathways and slightly scary dark rooms.

As we were losing the afternoon light quickly, we jumped back in the car and wanted to get to the beach before the sun set and try to find a great spot for some later afternoon snorkeling. I've heard of amazing snorkeling in Fujairah up by Snoopy Island and Martini Rock, but unfortunately we just ran out of time - and of course failed to realize we didn't actually own any snorkeling gear.

[WATCH] Road Trip to Fujairah from Dubai
[WATCH] Road Trip to Fujairah from Dubai

As we headed back to Dubai, we drove back through the beautiful mountains and were back home before dinner time. I would happily spend a weekend back in Fujairah, as the prices are cheaper, the vibe more laid back and the beaches are much more like real beaches than they are here in Dubai.

Only an hour away from home, beautiful scenery, history, snorkeling and a booze shop - what more could you ask for in a road trip from Dubai?