Middle East: UAE

Dubai, United Arab Emirates by Gautam Khattak

Last updated: May 11, 2015

Disclaimer: These are notes I’ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide.

General Tips

Currency: UAE Dirhams (AED) also written as Dhs

Conversion Tool: https://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=100+USD+to+AED&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=active (Update for current rates)

$100 USD = 367.30 AED

$1 USD = 3.673 AED

100 AED = $27.23 USD

100 AED = $0.27 USD

Tipping:

In Dubai, restaurants, hotels and bars apply a service charge. That service charge is said to be pooled amongst the staff and split accordingly. Some believe that it is unlikely to end up with the waiter or waitress at some other places. So you don’t have to give more, but if you do, give in cash. If no service charge is included at a restaurant, add 10 to 15% per cent of the total to the bill. If the service or meal was good, you should tip more.

You can tip bellboys 5 or 10 Dirhams or so, as you might do so for valet parkers or porters. Taxi drivers don’t expect a tip, but perhaps you should round up to the next 5 Dirhams, especially if you take a short journey in Abu Dhabi. Tipping in bars is not usually expected but can get you speedier service. It might be worthwhile to do so if you actually have table service. The bag packers at supermarkets don’t demand anything, but anything from a few coins to 5 Dirhams is worth giving. Places giving personal services such as salons or barbers do not expect a tip.

Be careful where you tip. Some bills already contain a service charge – and any additional amount may not go to the person that served you.
If you do want to tip, try and do it in cash, and up to 10% – more if you are generous
Tipping earlier during your stay will ensure consistent service from the concierge or bellboy for example
5Dhs tip to a bellboy is always appreciated
If you want to tip cleaners of rooms, leave 20 or 30 Dhs in your bedroom at the end of your stay
Tipping in bars is not always expected, but if received will ensure prompt service with a smile for the next round
Be aware of the staff who are probably paid very close to nothing – and live on tips
Not all hotel staff receives the tips you give them. If you are unsure, then ask!
Tipping in Dubai is a fine art. Tipping in Abu Dhabi is art. Tip with style.

Local Customs:

Transportation

Lodging

Tourist Destinations

Beaches and sea:

There are endless water-sport opportunities as Dubai has some of the whitest and sandiest beaches in the world. Ocean temperatures range from 22°C in winter up to 35°C in summer, there are few wave breaks and the strong winds can make swimming difficult. The water is also very salty so many prefer to use their hotel swimming pool. Diving activities have been severely affected by offshore construction work for the The Palms and The World; consequently, long boat trips are necessary to reach wreck sites.

Alternatively, one can make the 90 minute road journey to the East coast Emirate of Fujairah or the Sharjah enclave, Khor Fakkan, for top class diving on coral reefs supporting extensive marine life.

Al Safa Park is one of the oldest in Dubai. It’s a favorite for sports enthusiasts, and many visitors enjoy playing tennis, volleyball, and soccer. Children love playing games in the video arcade, or riding the ferris wheel and bumper cars. The park even has a maze to wander through. Barbeques and picnic areas are available for those who want to make a day of it.

The Camel Race Track is one of the more unusual attractions, with races being held on Thursday and Friday in the winter. Not only can you watch the races, but you’ll have the opportunity to visit the paddocks. Vendors sell everything from beads to rugs and blankets, so you can purchase souvenirs.

👍Madinat Jumeirah is also known as Jumeirah City, and is a complex of residential neighborhoods, two luxury hotels, and a shopping mall.

👍Spice and Gold Souks:

Spice Souk:

Old Souk is a traditional market (or souk) in Dubai. The Spice Souk is located in eastern Dubai, in Deira and is adjacent to the Dubai Gold Souk. The Spice Souk, situated on Sikkat Al Khail Road, is in the locality of Al Ras. The souk comprises several narrow lanes which are lined with open and closed-roof stores. Stores in the Spice Souk sell a variety of fragrances and spices from frankincense and shisha to the many herbs used in Arabic and South Asian food. In addition, several textiles, incense, rugs and artifacts are also sold in the Spice Souk. A majority of the trading occurs through haggling. The quantity of trade as well as the number of stores trading spices in the Spice Souk have been significantly reduced in recent years due to the growth larger stores and supermarkets.

Gold Souk:

Designs can be traditional, modern, conservative, old, delicate or robust and can be in various gold colors such as white, yellow and even pink. There are more than 300 jewelers situated in the strip and in the afternoon and early evening the streets are alive with people from all over the world visiting the city of gold.

Of course you should never buy without haggling as this is a tradition. Most shops are open until 10pm so take your time and choose wisely. Gold is a very serious business in this part of the world and it is a truly dazzling site when you see the windows full of every possible piece of jewelry you can imagine.

To get there board an Abra (water taxi) costing only Dhs1, ask to be taken to the Spice Souk station across the Creek, which is less than a 5 minute walk from the Gold Souk. This form of transport is much quicker and cheaper than taking a taxi all the way to the Gold Souk and the experience is fantastic.

GK Editorial: Not as good as the Spice Market in Istanbul but still something worth checking out to get that Old Dubai feeling.

👍Desert Safari or Dune Bashing:

Head out to the desert in an SUV with specialist Desert Drivers. The drivers will take you for a roller-coaster ride over sand dunes, show you the sunset from a strategic vantage point and then take you to a lavish dinner with music and dance to complete the atmosphere. You may want to stay clear of the dune-bashing if you know that you get carsick easily. They have recently added a Hummer H3 to the roster, which costs a bit more but is worth the money. Another option would be renting/buying a 4×4 and joining the many growing 4×4 clubs in the UAE. Most popular off them is the Dubai 4×4 off-road club AKA AD4x4 that offers a free learning experience for all newcomers. The club consists of all nationalities and is currently active with over 2000 members and schedule trips weekly to suit all levels of driving skills.

Ski Dubai: Dubai now has its own snow skiing centre. Located in the new Mall of the Emirates (MOE), on the Sheikh Zayed Road, it offers both skiing and snowboarding. The slope is quite large for an indoor area. All equipment is available for hire. Although it is -4°C inside, you don’t need to bring a jacket because they supply pretty much everything except gloves and a hat (which you can buy right there). A 2 hour pass costs Dhs180 plus Dhs20 for a locker.

GK Editorial: Pretty cool to see but I watched from the glass outside rather than paying to just walk in.

Dinner in the sky – Have dinner from a platform suspended from a crane. Pretty wild!

Wild Wadi Park – Wild Wadi Park is the perfect place for the entire family to spend a day as well as being a great way to beat the heat and enjoy the day away from the bustle of the city. Located close to the hotels and resorts of Jumeriah Beach, the park has water rides, slides, and a lagoon that’s hidden away. You’ll enjoy waterfalls, out of the way swimming holes, and a tidal pool.

GK Editorial: Did not do this

Dubai Creek Cruise/Ride – The Dubai creek is the foundation from which Dubai grew. It originally served as a port for trading vessels plying to and from India, Africa and the Middle East. Today a bit of the old shipping culture still remains. In and around the creek one can see some of the original buildings that have served as customs houses and defense structures. You can book a ride on the creek with a dinner cruise or even rent a private boat to take you on a hour long ride up and down the creek.

GK Editorial: Did not do this

Golf – It may be a desert, but a lot of money and water is spent on irrigating opulent golf courses. Alternatively, for a more local flavor, try sand golf!

👍Hot Air Balloon – I went with Balloon Adventures Emirates. The cost was $260 + tip. Our guide was named Attila and he was great! Very entertaining. See the desert with an eerie mist covering the dunes. It’s definitely worth the early morning wake-up call!

GK Editorial: Great time, don’t forget your camera and a light jacket if its winter time.

Dubai Zoo, Jumeirah Road. An outdoor zoo near to the beach. Considering the extreme temperatures during the summer months, there are plans bring the zoo indoors. The zoo is not worth visiting as the number and variety of animals are few, and housing conditions are also appalling. Animals are trapped in cages too small for them to take more than a few steps, and are frustrated and bored. Admission 3AED.

Global Village – Happens annually and is operated by Dubai Land, this usually happens during winter; from Late November to late February. Countries around the world gather and set up a small village in the outskirts of Dubai, each country/region has its own pavilion with a unique replica of their famous landmark(s). This is usually like a flea market where you can get souvenirs from almost every corner of the earth for a bargained price and experience as if you’re in that certain country for at least 10 minutes of your life even if you’re 10,000km away. Raffles for cars and gold bars also happen. You’d see the hieroglyphics of Egypt, temples of Thailand, Forbidden city of Beijing, the Eiffel tower and many more. Admission is usually 5AED.

👎 Dubai Museum – An Ancient Fort built around 1787 which has been renovated to be the museum. Most of the exhibits are underground where you can walk through Dubai of yester-year.

GK Editorial: Not worth it!

Meydan Racecourse – Horseracing is big in Dubai. There is no gambling but it is still fun.

GK Editorial: Went here to check it out. It was a great building but not that exciting since there was no gambling. We watched a few races and then took off.

Burj Al Arab – The Burj Al Arab is the world’s most luxurious hotel and the only 7 star hotel (not my rating!). I did not actually go inside the hotel as I heard it’s just overdone and gaudy. You can go in but you have to pay for entry.

GK Editorial: Saw this from the beach and went to a lounge club next door (Jumeirah Beach Hotel) one night. I did not pay to go into it.

👍Atlantis Hotel –Located on the Palm. The Atlantis is a beautiful hotel. There is a Chihuly sculpture in the lobby. Great restaurants and a shisha bar. There is plenty to do at the hotel such as visit the giant aquarium, Dolphin Bay and Water park. You can even pay to go scuba diving in the tank.

GK Editorial: It’s nice to walk around the aquarium here. If you need validation, get a drink/snack and some shisha

👍Burj Khalifa – The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and is beautiful. Going to the top requires advance reservations because it does sell out and the price at the door is 4x higher because probably only the VIP tickets are available (for an even higher floor) than if you purchase a ticket for a specific timeslot. Plan for at least an hour but you’re better off with 1.5 to go through the observatory and the museum. The Burj is also next to the Dubai Mall so there is stuff to do while you wait and great restaurants in the vicinity. There is also a Water show (think Bellagio) in front of the Burj.

GK Editorial: Do not get a ticket to the last time-slot for the tour because you won’t see the water show from above because they turn it off an hour before the last tour (lame!). Having done both the Burj at night and in the daytime, I definitely recommend the day time because you can see the Ocean and the Palm Islands.

👍Bab Al Shams – A 30-45 minute drive outside the city. This resort is a great place to find yourself if you want to watch a beautiful sun setting over the desert. Have some shisha, food and drinks.

Things to do in Abu Dhabi (1.5 hours from Dubai)

👍👍Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – It is in Abu Dhabi so about 1-1.5 hours from Dubai. This Mosque is also arguably one of the most important architectural treasures of contemporary UAE society – and one of the most beautiful in the world.

Dress and Behavior Code – Visitors are asked to respect the religion and place of prayer by following these requests: Visitors must be dressed appropriately on arrival; if not, entry will be denied.

Modest, conservative, loose fitting clothing; long sleeves, long skirts and trousers
No transparent (see-through) clothing
No shorts and skirts must be ankle length
No tight clothing, no swimwear and no beachwear.
Shoes will be removed before entering the mosque, so we recommend slip off shoes
Headscarf for ladies is essential (these can be provided when you arrive)
Intimate behavior; i.e. holding hands or kissing is not acceptable in a Muslim place of worship
For safety and respect to worshippers, visitors should stay within the areas of the mosque that are permitted and not roam freely around. Smoking and food are not allowed in the mosque area
Visitors are requested not to touch the Holy Quran (Holy Book) and other architectural elements inside the main prayer hall

GK Editorial: Well worth the trip! This Mosque was beautiful both inside and outside.

Emirates Palace Hotel – Beautiful hotel and national landmark. Emirates Palace, located on 1.3 km of private white sandy beach and surrounded by 85 hectares of beautifully landscaped gardens, is only 30 min drive from Abu Dhabi airport and 1.5 hours drive from Dubai airport.

GK Editorial: There was an event when I was there so we couldn’t go in. If you want entry, make reservations for coffee or lunch in advance.

Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi

GK Editorial: Did not do it.

Itinerary I followed

Thursday:

Lunch at Madinat Jumeirah Resort
then off to Jumeirah Beach to see the Burj Al Arab from afar.
Then to the Spice Souk and then Gold Souk (Market)
Water taxi to Old Dubai
Checked out the Dubai Museum – Don’t bother!!
Then went to see the Ski slopes at the Mall of Emirates (they have Dunkin Donuts J)
Dinner and Shisha at Qd’s – Quarter Deck at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (Awesome, chill place)

Friday:

Drove down to Al Ain (About an 1 hour from Dubai) to see the Air show.
👍Came back to Dubai and went to the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm to check it out and have some shisha.
Drinks at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Great view and great music but it was really windy and therefore cold in February.

Saturday:

Drove to Abu Dhabi to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Checked out the Emirates Palace Hotel but there was an event so we couldn’t go in. If you want entry, make reservations for coffee or lunch in advance.
Checked out the Meydan Race track for a few horse races
Dubai Mall to see the aquarium
Dinner at Urbano at Souk Al Bahar (across the bridge of Dubai Mall)
Cand then went to the top of the Burj Khalifa

Sunday:

Some shopping for Arabic Geometry art at Gallery One
👍Desert Safari and Dune bashing for the afternoon & dinner time.

Monday:

👍Hot air balloon ride with Balloon Adventures Emirates
Then some shopping for my Arabic Art
Finally some Duty Free purchases and flew back

Dining & Nightlife

Dubai has some great restaurants. It is wise to make reservations in advance

Dinner in the sky – Have dinner from a platform suspended from a crane.
Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Urbano at Souk Al Bahar (across the bridge of Dubai Mall)

Madinat Jumeirah Resort (really any mall has plenty of options)
👍 Quarter Deck at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
👍Dubai Marina Walk – Has a lot of nice restaurants and a nice boardwalk to walk around
Burj Boulevard – Another good place to explore for food and shops, in downtown

Shopping

Dubai is practically synonymous with shopping. The huge amounts of cargo passing through its port and the low tariffs ensure that practically anything is available at fairly competitive rates, although the appreciation of the Dirham, and the plentiful supply of shoppers means that Dubai is no longer a bargain basement shopping city. You’ll also find products in western chain stores, still with the original tags quoting euro or sterling prices, being sold with a 20-30% mark-up once converted to Dirhams.

The best things to buy in Dubai is textiles, electronics and gold, electronics is believed to be much cheaper while textiles and gold offer a wide range of selection.

Even in the mega-malls, Dubai shops suffer from the standard developing world shopping phenomenon of having no storeroom and no stocks in reserve – and for clothes shopping this may mean that you may struggle to find the style you want in the size you want. Shops open as early as 9AM and stay open to 10PM and on weekends to 12AM and some stay to 1AM.

Remember to haggle in the souks, as discounts are almost always available and even in situations where the item will not become much cheaper, the customer is always expected to “play the game” of haggling. A simple question of “what’s your best price?” will often result in a shop-keeper going to extraordinary lengths to sell his stock.

Prices in the malls and other Western shops tend not to be negotiable. Far from being a bad thing, this allows the canny visitor to work out comparative prices for common souvenirs – an invaluable aid when a shop-keeper in a souk is asking for a higher price.

Dubai Shopping Festival has been the biggest shopping event in the Middle East since 1996. Almost every shop has a sale, starting in January and ending February. There’s also a very similar Dubai Summer Surprises trying to pull in punters during the summer low season.

Dubai Mall – Downtown by the Burj Khalifa, has an aquarium.

Mall of the Emirates – Ski Dubai is located here.

Located in most of the malls is Gallery One which has some great pieces and prints. I especially liked their Arabic Geometry which I picked up 3 large picture boxes of. Their desertscapes and photographs are excellent as well.

Helpful Links

Local Phrases

English will get you everywhere just fine, but it is very helpful to know Hindi for when you are taking taxis.