How much spending money for a stopover in Dubai?

cheekyvikster

Hey there,

Stopping over in Dubai for two nights on my way to Australia. Staying at the Pullman Mall of Emirates. How much spending money would you recommend I take to cover taxi fares to and from the airport to hotel and to cover food and soft drinks for the two days? All advice would be great!

Vikki x

EycplUK

How deep are your pockets ?
Dubai is expensive , and i mean expensive !!
Think of your first amount then treble it and you may be close

Mr_Wang

EycplUK wrote: »

How deep are your pockets ?
Dubai is expensive , and i mean expensive !!
Think of your first amount then treble it and you may be close

This is bad information. In fact it is probably the worst information I have ever seen on these boards in terms of being incorrect.

Accommodation in Dubai is expensive - But even then it is cheaper than other big cities such as London and you will get much more for your money in terms of class etc. There are no snide hotels in Dubai, even the Ibis is classy.

There are many top end restaurants, but at the other end of the scale Dubai is a haven for fast food joints and cheap eats. Think Taco Bell, Fish and Chips, McDonald etc..... The place is absolutely flooded with them. In fact in Dubai Mall there are about fifty different ones.
Taxi's are cheaper than the UK and the public transport system is cheap, clean, quick and efficient.

Also, Dubai is tax free for electronics and so if you fancy yourself an Ipad, expect to pay about £100 less.

The actual (I have been 3 times) answer is that it depends on what you want. Dont expect to turn up and get by on $5 per day because it's not going to happen. But use the Metro to get around, eat at the malls and their fast food joints, or even shop at the supermarkets and you can get by on no more than in a usual UK city, probably even less since you can just hit the beach (Though you have to pay a minimal fee expect showers, lockers etc) or public parks to save costs. Dubai Mall is a day out and puts you at the foot of the worlds tallest building and if you fancy it, for about £8 you can head up to Abu Dhabi within a couple of hours.

I love Dubai - Ill be there again in July and September and I can tell you - costs will not be something Ill be worrying about.

littlereddevil

Have to agree with Mr Wang. Dubai can be really cheap. Your hotel is quite a bit from the airport though.

dickydonkin

Mr_Wang wrote: »

This is bad information. In fact it is probably the worst information I have ever seen on these boards in terms of being incorrect.

Accommodation in Dubai is expensive - But even then it is cheaper than other big cities such as London and you will get much more for your money in terms of class etc. There are no snide hotels in Dubai, even the Ibis is classy.

There are many top end restaurants, but at the other end of the scale Dubai is a haven for fast food joints and cheap eats. Think Taco Bell, Fish and Chips, McDonald etc..... The place is absolutely flooded with them. In fact in Dubai Mall there are about fifty different ones.
Taxi's are cheaper than the UK and the public transport system is cheap, clean, quick and efficient.

Also, Dubai is tax free for electronics and so if you fancy yourself an Ipad, expect to pay about £100 less.

The actual (I have been 3 times) answer is that it depends on what you want. Dont expect to turn up and get by on $5 per day because it's not going to happen. But use the Metro to get around, eat at the malls and their fast food joints, or even shop at the supermarkets and you can get by on no more than in a usual UK city, probably even less since you can just hit the beach (Though you have to pay a minimal fee expect showers, lockers etc) or public parks to save costs. Dubai Mall is a day out and puts you at the foot of the worlds tallest building and if you fancy it, for about £8 you can head up to Abu Dhabi within a couple of hours.

I love Dubai - Ill be there again in July and September and I can tell you - costs will not be something Ill be worrying about.

The OP is having a two night stopover in Dubai - not an extended stay and hence asked for prices for taxis to and from the airport and to cover food for two days.

The reality is that Dubai is expensive as EycplUK alluded to and although it is not one of my favourite destinations, for the first timer it can be a good experience - but a few days is enough for me - how people can stay there for two weeks is beyond me - but each to their own and that is their choice.

I have been fortunate to visit the place before the boom and in my opinion was a better experience than what it is now - many who now describe the destination as tacky. If you are looking for a true Arabian experience, then you won't find it in Dubai, although I suspect that you just want a break in your Emirates flight to Australia.

OP - for the kids, it might be worth considering buying your cans of soft drinks and snacks in a supermarket and taking them back to your room just in case your children need a drink or nibble as hotel prices will certainly be prohibitive.

The shops aren't particularly cheap (the items sold in chain stores are cheaper in the UK) and if you do decide to buy electronic goods, watch out for fakes and make sure they have an international warranty, although the items I purchased in the gold souk over the years have obviously increased in value.

As you are staying in the Pullman (love the brand by the way), it suggests that you may not wish to be penny pinching, but I appreciate that you don't want to be paying over the odds either.

I love Dubai - Ill be there again in July and September and I can tell you -
costs will not be something Ill be worrying about.

The heat might be a different matter!

Mr_Wang

dickydonkin wrote: »

The OP is having a two night stopover in Dubai - not an extended stay and hence asked for prices for taxis to and from the airport and to cover food for two days.

The reality is that Dubai is expensive as EycplUK alluded to and although it is not one of my favourite destinations, for the first timer it can be a good experience - but a few days is enough for me - how people can stay there for two weeks is beyond me - but each to their own and that is their choice.

I have been fortunate to visit the place before the boom and in my opinion was a better experience than what it is now - many who now describe the destination as tacky. If you are looking for a true Arabian experience, then you won't find it in Dubai, although I suspect that you just want a break in your Emirates flight to Australia.

OP - for the kids, it might be worth considering buying your cans of soft drinks and snacks in a supermarket and taking them back to your room just in case your children need a drink or nibble as hotel prices will certainly be prohibitive.

The shops aren't particularly cheap (the items sold in chain stores are cheaper in the UK) and if you do decide to buy electronic goods, watch out for fakes and make sure they have an international warranty, although the items I purchased in the gold souk over the years have obviously increased in value.

As you are staying in the Pullman (love the brand by the way), it suggests that you may not wish to be penny pinching, but I appreciate that you don't want to be paying over the odds either.



The heat might be a different matter!

You are wrong I'm afraid DD.

I doubt many people would go to Dubai looking for an Arabian experience, but in terms of a stopover it is perfect. Great weather, cheap goods, quick and cheap to get around and food to suit any budget.
The only thing in Dubai that is unavoidably expensive is accommodation. If you think differently then I suggest you re visit. You will be pleasantly surprised.

dickydonkin

Mr_Wang wrote: »

You are wrong I'm afraid DD.

I doubt many people would go to Dubai looking for an Arabian experience, but in terms of a stopover it is perfect. Great weather, cheap goods, quick and cheap to get around and food to suit any budget.
The only thing in Dubai that is unavoidably expensive is accommodation. If you think differently then I suggest you re visit. You will be pleasantly surprised.

So everyone should sleep on the beach then? - as you stated, accommodation is unavoidable. I agree, cheap goods are in abundance - unfortunately, not the type of 'goods' I would purchase.

'Copy Watches' are in abundance as are fake 'designer clothes' - just not my thing and I did consider purchasing a Rado watch (genuine) when I was over there (authorised dealer) but the fact was that I got it cheaper at home.

The Western chains of stores are more expensive than here in the UK - particularly if purchasing on line.

Any savings made by purchasing 'cheap goods' in Dubai will be wiped out by the inflated accommodation costs anyway.

When I used to go there, I would opt for the hotels that have executive lounges and for the extra, you would get your alcoholic drinks 'free' for two hours on an evening and snacks and refreshments all day if you needed them. Great value considering the price of alcohol.

I would avoid the tacky monstrosities that are popping up all over the place as they are overcrowded and noisy - although I did have a great stay at the JBH when it was relatively new, however, out of all the hotels, the relatively small Hilton Dubai Creek was always my first choice with the option of using the facilities of their hotel on the beach via their free shuttle.

You state I am wrong - then (as always) you are right - but hey ho - what the heck!

cheekyvikster

Thanks all for the varied replies! lol Just goes to show how people have different tastes. lol

As it's only a stopover i'm doing i'm really just focussing on taxi fares to and from the airport and meals to cover the day and a half or so I am there...probably eat in the Mall for convenience.

Any got a rough idea of taxi fares to and from the airport to the Pullman hotel?? Also, which area is this hotel classed as being in?

All help gratefully appreciated!

Vx

thebigbosh

Hotel's in Al Barsha, tagged on to the MoE. Taxi from the airport will cost you around DHS70 (£12) although that's only if you get a sedan. The bigger people carriers or women-driven taxis are a little more (say DHS85 to get there)

There are some good fast food options in the mall (check out their website) and actually around the Barsha area there are quite a few good pakistani and indian restaurants if you're willing to experiment. Have a look on timeoutdubai.com for an idea. Budget £10 a head for meals on the cheap side.

Good luck, PM me if you need any more advice. You can do it cheaply if you want to. You can also spend a fair bit of money. But some commenters here are right, it's not as expensive as it's made out to be and you can save a bit of money if you know where to look.

In contrast to other comments - I've generally found electronics here to be more expensive than US or UK having lived here two years... And you can find some grotty hotels if you really try, although I don't recommend it :-D