Arriving in Style with Blacklane

Let’s face it, most people enjoy “travelling”, but no one really enjoys travelling. The long journey to your paradise, that starts by getting to the airport, checking in, being searched at security, the flight, waiting in line at customs, finding your baggage and then trying to fight your way to a taxi or public transport before finding your way to your final destination. It is not something that I would call relaxing or therapeutic.
Since this trip was all about relaxation we decided to pre-book a transfer to remove the stress and also start the trip as we meant to go on, in style.

After doing research into the wealth of companies offering their services in Dubai, we chose Blacklane for their ease of booking online, range of options, friendly staff (who are great at responding if you have any queries) and affordability. To test out the range of their services we chose a “First Class” car on the way from the airport and a “Business Class” car for our return trip.
As we were going through the rigmaroles of landing and customs, I received one text to confirm that our driver had arrived and one that contained their contact details if needed which was reassuring in our sleepy state after our overnight flight.
Once we emerged into the arrivals hall, we found our driver waiting with our sign. He was well dressed in suit and was extremely quiet, only greeting us with “Sofitel the palm?” We nodded and away we went.

“The World in a Weekend”

After crossing two roads into the car park we were introduced to a gleaming white BMW. Our bags were immediately loaded into the boot as we lowered ourselves into the cool, very spacious interior. A haven after our brief encounter with the wall of humidity that greets you as soon as you step into the Dubai heat.

That was easy…

The soft cream leather interior was very comfortable to settle into after being cramped into the airplane seating and a cold bottle of water was just what we needed.

Essential refreshements

There were easy to navigate multimedia screens on the back on each seat which controlled the heating/cooling on each side of the car and showed the SatNav route the driver was following. You could (if you were organised enough) have brought your own CDs or mobile drives to plug in to listen to your own music or watch your own films and each side had independent volume control.

SatNav in the back

Black blinds provided privacy and kept the heat of the sun out of the car, however this contributed to the perfect atmosphere to drift off to sleep.

A little too comfy?

The drive was smooth and efficient and was certainly the best way to start out trip.
For our return transfer we booked a “Business Class” car, with many of the same comforts as our “First Class” experience.
Our driver was very prompt and had arrived before we had finished checking out of our hotel. Our luggage was loaded efficiently into the back of a black Lexus before we took our seats.

Our “Business Class” Car

Again the leather interior was very comfortable, not quite as spacious are our first car, but still enjoyable.

Lots of room for luggage

Compared with the First Class experience there were no multimedia screens, sun/privacy blinds, SatNav access or dual air controls. However, that being said, the overall journey was just as comfortable and smooth. It was a pleasure to ride with Blacklane.
I would definitely recommend pre-booking airport transfers since I have been on the other end of fighting for a taxi after a long flight. I’m not sure why I didn’t start doing this sooner!

Last modified: 20th September 2016