Dubai Holidays - Compare Prices & Departure Dates

Dubai is one of the seven Emirates making up the United Arab Emirates. Originally a pearling village set on a Creek with a desert backdrop, Dubai has undergone an incredible transformation into a world-renowned destination for trade and tourism in the most opulent style.

The seven star Barj al-Arab hotel with its distinctive sail shape architecture has become an icon of Dubai -stylish, luxurious and glamorous.

Tourists are attracted to Dubai for the shopping, fine dining, beaches and full on entertainment, with the area a popular haunt of the rich and famous.

Despite its ultra-modern and liberal image, Dubai is still an Islamic country, with traditions, customs and ceremonies still playing a major part in daily lives. Old Dubai with its architecture and souks shows a very different side to the glamour of modern Dubai.

The local currency is the Dirham (AED) and the official language is Arabic, although in the very westernised areas English is widely spoken too. Dubai is four hours ahead of the UK. It’s also worth noting that the weekend in Dubai is Friday and Saturday.

A wide selection of international carriers fly to direct Dubai from the many airports throughout the UK. Flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick airports take around six hours and 45 minutes, from Manchester around six hours 55 minutes and flying from Glasgow increases the flight time to seven hours 10 minutes.

The nearest airport is Dubai International Airport (IATA code DXB), which is around 15 minutes away from the modern area of Dubai. The airport can get very congested and is spread out over three terminals.

Some airlines are now flying in to Sharjah International Airport (IATA code SHJ) which is a 30 minute drive away from central Dubai.

Traditionally known as a great place to buy duty free, there are even shops selling alcohol for inbound passengers. The current limits are four bottles or four six-packs per person and these rules are very strict.

UK nationals entering Dubai on holiday for up to 30 days will be granted a visa on arrival at the airport. You can also pay to extend this to 90 days without too much trouble.

If you’ve booked into one of the larger hotels, a car will most likely be arranged to collect you from the airport. However, if you’re taking a taxi make sure it’s metered, have plenty of small notes to pay with and discuss your destination before driving off. Most drivers are very affable and willing to point out sites along the way.

Hire cars are plentiful and reasonably priced in Dubai, but driving can be erratic to say the least and very congested during peak hours. There are also buses and worth bearing in mind is the Dubai Metro. Opened in September 2009, the Red line goes directly to Terminal 3 of the airport.

Once in resort, if you don’t have a hire car you can use taxis to get around (mostly parked outside hotels and shopping malls), as well as the bus with the number eight route goes from the Gold Souk, through a tunnel under the Creek to Jumeirah Beach area, up to Barj al-Arab, past Wild Wadi and to the Mall of Emirates. All day travel on the metro and buses costs 14AED.

This is an action packed city, so just plan ahead and enjoy the spirit of old and new.

Old Dubai is definitely worth a visit with museums, old buildings and mosque. Bastakiya and Shingdagh are popular districts to visit.

Modern Dubai offers a plethora of shopping malls, deluxe hotels, restaurants and leisure facilities. If you can’t afford to stay at the Barj al-Arab hotel, but want to take a look inside, you’ll have to make a reservation for a meal or at least afternoon tea if you’re not resident at the hotel.

The Burj-Dubai is the world’s tallest building at 818m over 160 floors. Opened in October 2009, the complexe includes nine hotels. Just in front of this building is the Dubai Fountain which is the world’s largest fountain and making your way to Burj Lake in the evening will reward you with a spectacular water show.

The Dubai Marina is another good area to explore, again with many hotels, shops and restaurants spread along two walkways. You can also hire yachts here for trips up and down the Creek or further afield.

Beaches galore around the Jumeirah area, as well as the Palm Islands, which is a cluster of artifical islands.

Watersports are big news in Dubai, with jet skis, water skiing, parasailing, powerboating and wakeboarding all offered. Throughout the year the water temperature ranges from an agreable 22 to bath-like 35 degrees. The water is known for being very salty, so you may prefer to swim in your hotel pool, or visit Wild Wadi water park at Jumeirah.

If the beach gets too hot for you, head to the second largest shopping mall (Mall of the Emirates) for the indoor snow centre. All you need is a hat and gloves, as you can hire skis, boards, boots, poles and clothing to hit these indoor slopes with real snow. A two hour pass costs around 180AED.

For the adventurous, a sunset, off-road drive over the steep dunes in an SUV is a must. You can also take to the skies in a hot air balloon to get the bird’s eye view of Dubai. Nad Al Sheba racecourse offers meetings during the day and night, from autumn through to spring. The Arabs take this sport seriously and encourage tourists to participate by offering racing tips. The atmosphere is contagious, so only take what you wish to bet.

Despite the sand and heat, golf is very popular in Dubai too, with a small fortune being spent on tending the greens to keep them in championship condition – or you can even try sand golf.

Dubai offers city or beach hotels. City hotels are slightly cheaper (although the idea of a budget hotel is lost in Dubai), whereas those on the beach hotel are primarily five star.

If you have a fondness for the beach these hotels offer the best of both worlds, with a quick regular courtesy drop and collect service to the major shopping malls. However, if shopping is a priority select a cheaper hotel in the Deira region. They can be noisy and crowded, but within five minutes you could be enjoying an Arabic coffee in the local souk.

The best deals are usually found by booking a package holiday online with a major tour operator, with flights included.

Dubai is all about shopping – duty free. The world’s biggest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall, opened in 2009 boasting over 900 shops, restaurants and an indoor ice rink. Every possible western brand name is here and in general, prices are 20 to 30% cheaper than back in the UK.

You’ll even find familiar names like Marks and Spencer, Boots and Waitrose in some of the shopping centres around Dubai, but if it’s out and out designer gear you want then head to the Town Centre shopping centre in Jumeirah.

Visit Sharjah for cheaply priced, traditional Arabian souvenirs and be prepared to haggle for you wares. A ‘must do’ is a wander around the Gold Souk, where gold is weighed out on scales in front of your eyes. If you’re thinking of buying, be wise as the price changes constantly. There is also the Spice Souk for a more traditional Arabian market feel too.

Take a visit to Karama and Al-Satwa for the imitation Gucci, Dior, Chanel and Yves St Laurent, designer bags, sunglasses and watches. Most of them are displayed behind the main shops and upstairs, but the selections are amazing and well worth the search.

Being the International playground that it is, you can find every type of American fast food restaurant possible in Dubai, but if you want to go cheap and local, try the Arabian equivalents of fast food – a Shawarma, which is a kebab, or Felafel served in pitta bread.

Food is very multi-cultural in Dubai with Indian, Japanese, Lebanese and Iranian restaurants offering meals from around 20AED. Traditional Arabian dishes include pelmini, a boiled meat dumpling served with sour cream, or chelow kebabs topped with chopped salad leaves glistening with vinaigrette and finely chopped coriander.

Dining in any of the luxury hotels will guarantee you fine International cuisine and even a la carte restaurants specialising in French or Italian gastronomic cuisine.

Before eating, try out the bar and cocktail scene. A caipairinha, a drink made from sugar cane, relaxes the mind from a busy day, and most bars offer a selection of tapas; Arabic breads with pates and chutneys.

The main thing to remember about eating and drinking in Dubai is that it is tolerated in hotels and their bars, but drinking in public is strictly forbidden and is off-limits on religious holidays and during the daylight hours of Ramadam. Eating in public during the daytime is also stopped during this important religious festival month (usually August).

The clubs (which are all attached to international hotels) attract many big-name DJs, so expect to be able to dance the night away all over Dubai.

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The main tourist season in Dubai is September to May, as temperatures are more bearable (around 20 to 30 degrees during the day and then cool at night). Within this season you may get some rain between December and April, but not much.

The hottest time of year is between May and September, when temperatures can soar to 45 degrees, making lazing on the beach or being active outdoors virtually impossible during the middle of the day, hence why this is the low-season in Dubai.

If you’re wanting to experience desert adventures avoid December, this is the time when Arabian winds can travel in creating sandstorms.

• Luxury short breaks
• Serious shopping
• Fine dining, clubbing and leisure

• People who want to openly party in the street or on the beach – it’s not allowed
• Families with young children – it’s very hot and many of the activities are for six year olds or over

Dubai Tourism – the official website for Dubai for tourist information
Dubai Travel Guide – an interesting guide to Dubai with online traveller reviews

Dubai boasts deluxe hotels, bustling souks, opulent shopping malls and gastronomic delights, all surrounded by the shifting desert sands and beaches making for a fantastic Arabian adventure.