Dubai Hints & Tips! (Merged)

khizman

maggiesoup wrote:

We went to UAE a few years ago in April and even then it was 40 degrees so be totally prepared. Because its a muslin country, make sure the women folk in your party dress appropriately! No-one walks because of the heat but, good news, there are millions of taxis and, if memory serves me well, its about £1 to go anywhere (haggle if needs be, you'll probably win) Anyhow, you may want to consider staying in Sharzah (I think its called that) its probably a lot cheaper than Dubai, takes 20 mins by taxi, and is a lovely place. Its supposed to be "dry" (i.e. no alcohol) but if you go to hotels for a meal you can drink. If alcohol doesn't rate high in your priorities, you can eat out at night for peanuts (5 of us, typical small indian restaurant in Sharzah, cost for all the food was about £12!) Its a fabulous place, you'll love it, remember to visit the Burz Al Arab (7 star hotel) its opulently tacky but worth a half pint in their roop top bar.

Erm there is no haggling with taxis in dubai
if you meet anyone who tries to haggle just take down his taxi number and report it as nowadays that kinda thing is highly illegal
he will lose his job and prob be deported

cleopatra_2

Just returned from Dubai and yes, alcohol is expensive. Taxis are all metered and we used them regularly - absolutely no problems but they do cost more than a pound, depending on how far you travel of course. I think most hotels have shuttle buses so we also used them and took taxis from the drop-off points which saved a few bob. It is currently 104 degrees and too hot to sit on the beach even under an umbrella although if the hotel has lawns and shaded areas you should be OK but we found the pools better and no hot sand on your feet when walking to the sea. There is only one pub in Dubai (can't remember the name of it but Timeout Dubai shows it) which is not in a hotel.

Karama shopping area is definitely the cheapest place to shop, but don't bother going before 4 pm because not everything is open. It's also slightly cooler then and as it's not a mall that's important.

Joe_Millionaire

Can anyone tell me where i can get a nice Cheap beach hotel for 23/07/05 to 30/07/05 as KLM have their flights at £220.00 each (plus £90 Tax)

fatboyonadiet

Check the end of this thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=60883 and check what khizman says in this thread itself too. Reckon you will get a bargain as it will be too hot for most people. Staying at the Oasis Beach Hotel myself which is one of the cheaper ones on the Jumeirah beach.

Joe_Millionaire

Cheers Fat boy

But it is a big risk to get there with no accommodation.......

I think I will keep on looking for either a package or a cheap room

fatboyonadiet

That's what I thought - was prepared to take the risk but the missus wouldn't. People who don't book swear by it, you'd be more likely to get it in July as it's quieter due to it being very hot.

budgetflyer

Your cheapest 4* Jumeirah beach hotels are Oasis,Hilton and Metropolitan Resort And Beach Club at around £700 + per room for a week.The Sheraton, Le Meridian etc are all over £1000+ . As I mentioned earlier ,you would be better staying downtown at half the price and getting a taxi to a Jumeirah beach hotel maybe 4 days out the 7 for sunbathing. Beach access,beds,parasol, towels are only around £12-£20 for the full day depending which hotel you go to. A taxi from downtown to Jumeirah beach is around £8-£10 depending where on Jumeirah beach you go.
Another benefit of staying downtown is the excursions are cheaper as they have added in the price of taking you from Jumeirah beach.

P.S. you can stay in the 4* Best Western Grand for £280 per room B+B with https://www.alpharooms.com

cleopatra_2

Check page 185 on teletext, its the Dubai page and there are some really good prices. If you stay at a city hotel there is often a free shuttle bus to the beach and no charge for beds, towels, etc. Try the Metropolitan City or Metropolitan Deira, although the pool at the Deira is closed for renovation for a few weeks and there is a free shuttle to the Palace which takes about 2 minutes.

Joe_Millionaire

I could not stand paying out and then finding out the hotels pool is closed.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo !

khizman

well how is this for an idea
book 1 or 2ights in a hotel and when you get there checkout the reservations desk and see what they got if you dont like it extend your stay at the hotel you booked in the first place.