I Let Claude Plan Our Dubai Trip — Here's How It Went

I’ve written guides about AI trip planners and even let AI plan a London weekend. But this time the stakes were different: a short business-adjacent trip to Dubai with two colleagues, barely any time to plan, and a city I’d never visited before.

So I asked Claude to figure it out. Three days, three guys, one prompt.

The Setup: Claude Gets the Brief

Here’s what I gave Claude:

Plan a 3-day trip to Dubai for me and two work colleagues. We arrive late Sunday night (Feb 9) and fly out Wednesday afternoon (Feb 12). Our business partners are covering the hotel and one big activity. Budget for food, transport, and other activities: around $100/day per person. We want to see the main landmarks, have some great dinners, and do something memorable. No dietary restrictions.

Within minutes, Claude delivered a day-by-day itinerary with restaurant suggestions, landmark priorities, and a transportation strategy. The key insight it gave us: don’t try to do everything — Dubai is huge and 3 days is short.

Here’s what Claude suggested vs. what actually happened.

Day 0: The Arrival (Sunday, Feb 9)

Claude’s plan: Land, Uber to hotel, sleep. What happened: Exactly that.

Our Emirates EK128 landed at midnight. Dubai airport at night is something else — even at that hour, it’s buzzing with energy. A quick Uber later (first surprise: our “regular” Uber was a Lexus), we checked into Five Palm Jumeirah.

The hotel is on the Palm, which means you’re surrounded by water on three sides. We didn’t have time to use the pool, beach, or spa during our entire stay — but the breakfast alone was worth it. Easily one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve ever had. Multiple stations, fresh everything, views of the Arabian Gulf.

Pro tip from experience: If your Dubai trip is short, don’t stress about hotel facilities. You’ll be out exploring all day. Pick a hotel with great breakfast and a good location instead.

Day 1: Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa (Monday, Feb 10)

Claude’s plan: Dubai Mall in the morning, Burj Khalifa observation deck in the afternoon, dinner at a recommended restaurant. What happened: Almost — minus the observation deck.

Dubai Mall: Bigger Than You Think

Claude warned us: “Don’t underestimate Dubai Mall. It’s not just a mall — it’s a city inside a building.” That turned out to be an understatement.

We spent the entire morning just walking through it. The Dubai Aquarium, the indoor waterfall, the sheer scale of the place. It’s free to walk around, which makes it a perfect budget-friendly activity.

The Burj Khalifa Situation

Here’s where we deviated from the plan. Claude had recommended booking the At The Top observation deck (Level 124/125) at least a few days in advance. We didn’t.

Our trip was last-minute, and by the time we checked availability, prime slots were gone. So we admired the world’s tallest building from below instead. Still impressive — the thing dominates the skyline from every angle — but lesson learned.

Lesson #1: For Burj Khalifa, book early. Claude told us. We didn’t listen.

Evening: FRNDS Restaurant & Secret Room

This part wasn’t in Claude’s itinerary at all. Our business partners in Dubai invited us to dinner at FRNDS, a restaurant and lounge concept. Great food, great atmosphere, the kind of place where the evening starts relaxed and builds momentum.

After dinner, they took us to Secret Room — an exclusive nightclub that lives up to its name. No visible entrance, you need to know where to go. Inside: world-class DJs, a crowd that’s dressed to impress, and the kind of energy that makes you forget it’s a Monday night.

Lesson #2: AI can plan your days perfectly, but the best nights come from local connections. If you know anyone in Dubai, let them show you the nightlife.

Day 2: Helicopter Flight Over Dubai (Tuesday, Feb 11)

Claude’s plan: Morning at Jumeirah Beach, afternoon helicopter tour, evening dinner. What happened: We skipped the beach (jetlag was brutal) and went all-in on the helicopter experience.

Falcon Helitours: The Highlight of the Trip

Claude recommended Falcon Helitours at the Atlantis Helipad on Palm Jumeirah. Our business partners arranged a 45-minute flight for us, and it was the single best experience of the entire trip.

The route took us over:

• Palm Jumeirah from above (you finally understand the palm shape)
• Burj Al Arab — the sail-shaped icon looks even more dramatic from the air
• Dubai Marina — the density of skyscrapers is unreal
• Burj Khalifa — seeing it from helicopter altitude puts its height in perspective
• The World Islands — the artificial archipelago that looks surreal from above

I was wearing my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses during the flight, which turned out to be the perfect use case. Hands-free filming while looking around freely — no fumbling with a phone in a vibrating helicopter. The footage came out stable and sharp, which honestly surprised me.

The only downside: Ray-Ban Meta has a 3-minute video limit, so I had to restart recording every few minutes. Minor inconvenience for incredible footage.

Evening: Rüya Restaurant

For our last proper dinner in Dubai, Claude had suggested Rüya — a Michelin Guide-recommended Turkish restaurant. It turned out to be the perfect way to end the trip.

The rooftop setting alone was worth the visit: an open-air terrace with a pool, palm trees, fire pits, and views across the Dubai skyline at night. The decor is tasteful without being pretentious — exactly the vibe you want after a day of helicopters and sightseeing.

What we ordered (for three people):

Course	Dish	Price (AED)
Appetizer	Cig Köfte	90
Appetizer	Antep Fistikli Rafik	80
Appetizer	Halloumi & Mixed Leaf Salad	85
Main	Manti (Turkish dumplings)	170
Main	Sis Tavuk Kebap	130
Main	Adana Kebap	155
Side	Pistachio Rice	50
Side	Triple-Cooked Chips (garlic, lemon & chili) x2	110
	Total	870 AED (~$237)

That’s ~$79 per person at a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant. For Dubai, that’s surprisingly reasonable — and the food was genuinely excellent. The manti and the Adana kebap were the standouts.

Day 3: The Departure (Wednesday, Feb 12)

Claude’s plan: Morning at Kite Beach or Dubai Frame, early lunch, then airport. What happened: We slept in. Hard.

The jetlag caught up with us. Three days of non-stop activities in Dubai heat, late nights, and early mornings — our bodies needed rest more than another attraction.

We had a long breakfast at Five Palm Jumeirah (again, incredible), packed slowly, and Ubered to the airport for our EK95 at 15:05.

Lesson #3: AI doesn’t account for jetlag. If your trip is short and you’re crossing time zones, build in recovery time. Better to do fewer things well-rested than to rush through everything exhausted.

The Numbers: What Dubai Actually Cost

Our business partners generously covered the hotel (Five Palm Jumeirah) and the helicopter tour. Here’s what we paid out of pocket:

Expense	Cost (per person/day)
Food & drinks	$40–60
Uber rides	$15–25
Activities (Dubai Mall)	Free
Hotel (Five Palm Jumeirah)	Covered by partners
Helicopter tour	Covered by partners
Daily average (our pocket)	$80–120

Uber in Dubai deserves its own mention. It’s cheap, reliable, and — here’s the kicker — your standard Uber is often a Lexus or Audi A8. In most cities, that’s a premium ride. In Dubai, it’s Tuesday.

What Claude Got Right

• “Don’t try to see everything in 3 days” — Perfect advice. We focused on a few big experiences instead of rushing
• Hotel location on the Palm — Close to the helicopter tour, easy Uber access everywhere
• Uber over taxis — Consistently cheaper and higher quality
• Dubai Mall as a full morning activity — We initially thought an hour would be enough. It wasn’t
• Falcon Helitours recommendation — The absolute highlight

What Claude Didn’t Account For

• Jetlag is real. Three time zones east, arriving at midnight — Day 3 was essentially a write-off
• Booking lead times. Burj Khalifa needs advance booking, and Claude mentioned this, but the itinerary assumed we’d do it (we didn’t)
• Local connections. The best evening of the trip (FRNDS + Secret Room) came from our business partners, not from AI
• The heat factor. Even in February, Dubai is warm. Walking-heavy plans drain your energy faster than expected

The Verdict: AI + Local Connections = Perfect Trip

Claude gave us the structure: where to stay, how to move around, what to prioritize, and what to skip. That framework saved us hours of research for a trip we planned last-minute.

But the magic happened when we combined AI planning with real human connections. The restaurant invitations, the nightclub nobody finds on Google, the “you have to see this” moments from people who live there.

My advice for a short Dubai trip:

1. Let AI handle logistics (hotel, transport, landmark priorities)
2. Book Burj Khalifa in advance
3. Do one unforgettable experience (helicopter tour)
4. Say yes to every local recommendation
5. Don’t fight the jetlag — build in downtime

Three days isn’t enough for Dubai. But with Claude’s planning and a bit of flexibility, it was enough to fall in love with the city.

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Want to plan your own AI-powered trip? Start with our complete AI trip planning tutorial or check out the best AI trip planners for 2026. Already used AI for travel? Read how it went in London and Malaysia.