Dubai advice

andrewf75

littlereddevil wrote: »

What a strange comment!

Hardly that strange given that half the people on this thread are saying the same thing and here is a newspaper article saying the same thing
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11936981/Who-in-their-right-mind-would-want-to-visit-Dubai.html

Its just the kind of place you either love or hate. Didn't intend to knock the place or those who enjoy it

shaun_from_Africa

I lived in Dubai from 1986 to 1992 and loved the place. It was fairly quiet and there were only a few big hotels (4 I can think of) in the city and it was very easy to drive about.

I stopped off there for a couple of days last year and the only thing that stopped me leaving early was the fact that I couldn't get my ticket changed to an earlier flight out.

If you are into nice hotels and plenty of shopping then it's certainly one of the places to go but not for me I'm afraid.

dickydonkin

I don't think anyone should be too critical of a persons choice of destination - I'm sure they will draw their own conclusions after they have visited the place - we are all different and want different things from a destination.

I think the OP requested advice - not posters questioning or criticising the decision to go to Dubai.

Having visited the place a few times (on stopovers) well before its current popularity, personally, I have no desire to visit the place again, however, that decision is based on my experience and I would never suggest to anyone not to go to a destination based on my personal opinion.

As for not visiting because of Dubai's human rights issues, many may suggest that many countries governments where we travel to may also have problems in this respect, but still visit nonetheless.

Each to their own I say!

PompeyPete

I've been a few times, but only on courses from work. Did I enjoy the place? I enjoyed the Creek, the culural parts, and seeking out where the next Hotel all inclusive BBQs were. Walking distsnces can be great, the terrain boring, and the heat and humidity oppressive.

Unless I was on an airline stopover for a couple of nights enroute to or from SE Asia then It's has no great appeal to me. I'll be there on Thursday week, but only for a couple of hours waiting for a connection to Bangkok.

andrewf75

dickydonkin wrote: »

I don't think anyone should be too critical of a persons choice of destination - I'm sure they will draw their own conclusions after they have visited the place - we are all different and want different things from a destination.

That is very true and I'm sure no-one meant to criticise, but the OP stated that he was "thinking about Dubai and knows nothing of the place" so questioning whether he really wants to go there is surely helpful. If it was me asking I'd appreciate that.

Had the OP stated he was definitely going there and wanted advice, then I doubt people would have responded saying he shouldn't go there!

dickydonkin

andrewf75 wrote: »

Had the OP stated he was definitely going there and wanted advice, then I doubt people would have responded saying he shouldn't go there!

Fair point.

RichyRich

For the record, I hate Dubai. I've been four times, twice on holiday and twice on business. It's a very strange place: there is virtually nothing that is more than twenty years old and it is quite strange being somewhere where everything is brand new. But a lot of people love it. If you like the beach, lots of tall buildings and shopping, you will be in heaven.

I'm being a little unfair. There's some old souks to look round and an Abraham across Dubai Creek is a great traditional trip (at only 1 dhiram per passenger -about 23p). I think a week is a long time to go for, though, unless you really like the beach.

You can pay through the nose for hotels right on the beach. My suggestion would be somewhere like the Bennington Jumeira Lakes Towers. It's much better value than the beachfront hotels, and the hotel has a free shuttle bus down to Jumeirah Beach Residence (which is only 15 minutes walk, if that, anyway). It's a lovely hotel with an outside pool.

Beware looking at maps and thinking somewhere looks near the beach. I did that the first time I went and ended up booking in Deira- Dubai's a big old place!

It's not cheap. A beer is the best part of a tenner. Food is a smidgeon more than London Prices, depending where you eat, obviously.

If you do stay around JBR/JLT (for some reason everywhere is an acronym) there is a great noodle bar behind the Bennington for a cheap bite (I forget its name) and down by the beach on 'The Walk' there's a Mexican place called Poco Loco which is brilliant.

If you're there a week you should have a night out at the Irish Village. It's at the other end of Dubai - by the airport - but is one of the few places to go for a drink that isn't a hotel bar and I actually enjoy spending time. A metro will take you there but you should get a taxi back - public drunkenness is not encouraged.

As said above, it's something of a Marmite destination. I think it's worth seeing, for the sake of seeing it, because there's really nowhere else like it. But I'm afraid my findings are that it's just too artifical for me.

However you decide to celebrate, have fun. Dubai is a massive airline hub, so you could always choose to have a couple of days in Dubai and spend the rest of your week away somewhere else. That way, you get to see two places.

RichyRich

Abra...not Abraham! Damn autocorrect

easymoney999

Stopover 2 nights in April in Dubai.

Looking to visit the Burj Khalifa, Can anyone recommend a good web-site and ticket?

Is it worth the extra to floor 148?

Heliflyguy

I booked through Expedia and the agent was Alpha tours in DXB.

I paid £47 for 2 adult tickets for the early evening but after sunset, that was April 2015.

Went up to the 125 floor and it was quite busy, hard to get a good photo hand holding the camera through the glass, seem to remember some cutouts in the glass to help.

Possibly an benefit to pay a bit more and go to 148 but I dont know for sure.

I think I chose Expedia for the cash back (TCB) but you can purchase direct.

http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/index.aspx

From the main entrance of the Dubai mall is a good 15min walk to pick up the tickets and get in and for us rather a long queue to get to the lifts but you can look at scale models and photos of the building as you shuffle along.