Romanian woman in the hotel in Dubai, damaged by an Iranian attack: “The rumbles are still heard” / What followed after the explosion in Palm Jumeirah

“Families with small children slept at night on the -2nd floor, in the parking lot, to protect them,” says Daniela, a Romanian staying in the “Fairmont” hotel in Dubai, which was damaged on Saturday following an Iranian attack. She told HotNews what is happening now in the Emirates and what are people's worries.

Daniela Dobrića is 26 years old and is a specialist in digital marketing. She is on vacation and, she says, “on the way to Asia we stopped for a few days in Dubai.” He has been there since February 27, the day before the US and Israel attacked Iran and then the Tehran regime retaliated.

After the conflict broke out, Daniela started telling people on her TikTok account about her experience these days in Dubai.

@_danieladobrica In response to @Dary.. ♬ original sound – Daniela

She also detailed the situation in a dialogue with HotNews.

“We are a larger group of Romanians, about 15 people in total, half of whom live here, and half of whom are on vacation, like me and my boyfriend. We live in the Fairmont Hotel, exactly where the first drone fell,” the young woman explains to HotNews.

“I initially thought it was an AI joke or an effect”

He was not at the hotel when the Iranian drone fell, but was at a restaurant with several friends.

“We had just sat down at the table when we received a video call from our friends, who were on the beach in front of the hotel. At first, honestly, I thought it was a joke with AI or an effect, because it was too much of a shock to believe that something like this was possible right at our hotel”, recalls Daniela, in the dialogue with HotNews.

He says he only realized the “gravity of the situation” when he heard his friends shouting. Then, within moments, the people around him also began to stir “and head for the exit.”

Arriving at the accommodation area, she learned that the hotel was not seriously damaged, and the drone fell “right in front of the hotel”.

“The authorities intervened very quickly, the top floor was evacuated. They stood in front of the hotel for about six hours after the incident.”

They wanted to go to Oman, but then they found out that there were also attacks there

Daniela says that since Saturday she has been thinking, together with her group of friends, “about a lot of options to be as safe as possible”.

They considered going to Oman, but soon changed their plans.

“Last night, we had come to the conclusion that it would be ok to leave for Oman in the morning. But in the morning, when we woke up, we saw on the news that Oman had also been attacked. For now, we will stay put,” she explains.

“Another piece of drone fell near our hotel”

Daniela says that the authorities speak “very calmly and support us”, but “we are terrified of what could happen in the coming days”.

“Last night, after the incident at our hotel, we stayed with our friends for a few hours, and when we saw that nothing was happening, we decided to go back to the hotel. When we went up to the room, we received an alert warning us to move away from the windows as much as possible and take shelter in a safe place, for example in the underground of the blocks or in a parking lot. About 20 minutes after this message, another piece of drone fell in the proximity of our hotel. The local authorities are constantly telling us to stay put and in the shelters,” explains Daniela.

How life works in Dubai: Trust in the authorities is essential

The Romanian woman in Dubai says that the atmosphere in Dubai is “quite normal”, because “people seem to trust the authorities”.

“From official sources we understood that their defense would be quite effective, so we are, in a way, safe. The problem is the pieces of drones and missiles that fall as a result of interceptions that are made too low”, says Daniela.

“There are distant booms again”

She explains that everyone in her situation now has only two choices: “Either we stay calm and try to carry on with our lives as normally as possible, or we panic and lose our minds completely.”

“We only hope to receive more alerts if the need arises. Currently, distant rumblings are heard again, both near us and in Abu Dhabi, according to a friend who lives there,” the young woman elaborates in the dialogue with HotNews.

“We are surrounded by other tourists who have received directions”

Daniela says that although she contacted the authorities in Romania, she did not receive any response.

“All of us in the group sent the documents to the Romanian Consulate on the e-mail address yesterday, but unfortunately no one has been contacted and we have not received any response. We wonder in amazement what would happen if such a situation started in Romania, and the government or the consulate could not even give us a message or a solution,” she says.

In the absence of communication with the Romanian authorities, the group of Romanians stuck in Dubai are also talking to other expats who have received recommendations from the authorities in their countries: “We are surrounded by other tourists who have received instructions from the consulate of their countries, all of whom have managed to get in touch,” she continues.

“The feelings we experienced are different from those who stayed in unaffected areas”

Daniela says that she also understands those who, on social networks, said that the situation is exaggerated. “Everyone is affected in their own way. In our case, one drone fell right in front of the hotel, and another one about 100 meters from the hotel, a few hours away. You realize that the feelings we experienced are different than those who stayed in unaffected areas,” she explains.

And she gives concrete examples: “At our hotel, the mattresses were removed from the beds, and families with small children slept at night on the -2nd floor, in the parking lot, to protect them”, concludes the Romanian on vacation in Dubai.