dubai

[mini 55]

dubai is paradise. you will never find a place like it and only 6 and half hours from london. 5 star hotels. Fantastic weather guaranteed. My second home but would likme to make it my first!

[durhammaini]

Dubai sounds fantastic. I love reading people's comments/experiences about the area. It's on my short list of places I still need to travel to. I would love to hear more stories people have to share!

[mary-j]

kris_zen,

Hi, if you go on to the Dubai Forum of "trip advisor" thereare lots of Dubai lovers on there and there is always a good banter going on with everyone. You will find anything you want to know about Dubai and if you cannot find what you are looking for, then just ask because I Eguarantee someone on the forum will knowthe answer to your query. Everyone who contributes to the forum has either been to Dubai many times or is about to just go. There are lots of trip reports on there and if you are not that familiar with Dubai when you first go on the forum, by the time you come off, you will be an expert like all the others. A crowd of us from the forum all met up in England last weekend and we had such a brilliant time. I flew down from Scotland and another from Ireland and the rest from England. It was so nice to finally put names to faces. We are already making plans for the next one. We are noticing on the forum that there are more and more people from The States coming on and asking about holidays in Dubai. It certainly is getting very popular, not just with Europeans but from people all over the world.

[mary-j]

I am back in Dubai in September, staying 3 nights at the Burj Al Arab then 5 nights at Al Maha desert resort and spa. As we are going during Ramadan, we will not be doing much during the day except chilling out by the pool, but have just booked to go to a show which opens in September. It is called Jumana and is in anamphitheatre in a purpose built resort in the desert called Al Sahra. From the details on the website it sounds really spectacular, especially as it is against the backdrop of the desert. it is a light, laser, water and pyrotechnic show. I just thoughtI would mention it incase any of you are gong to be in Dubai in September.

[jashermd]

Hello Mary-J,

I've always wondered what it would be like to travel in Dubai (or any other Muslim country) during Ramadan. On one hand, it would be great not to constantly be breathing in the smoke from thousands of stinking cheroots, but your post indicates that there might not be much to see / do. What sorts of things are open during the day? Is it easy to find places where you can eat and drink if you're not observing the fast? Are Westerners welcome during the holy month?

Cheers,
Julian

[mary-j]

Actually Julian, we hardly noticed any difference beingthere during Ramadan. The hotels we stayed in hardly had any restrictions. The only visible restriction we saw at the Burj Al Arab, was that they have afternoon tea which is on the second floor and another area on the first floor and these areas are normally visible to the public, but during Ramadan, they were in one of the restaurants instead. We didn't notice anything else different from our previous visits. They still served drinks and food around the pool and beach, but only soft drinks until around 7pm. There is no live music in the evenings either and the shopping malls and restaurants are all open very late, some until 02.00 am. hotels are quieter and the prices are considerably cheaper too. I would not hesitste going again at that time. The thing you have to be wary of though, is that if you are out and about, just make sure you do not forget and drink when you are in public. It is still very hot at that time and most people would normally carry a bottle of water around with them. The secret is to keep it hidden away and go into a toilet in one of the malls and have a drink out of view.

[jashermd]

Hello Mary-J,

Thanks for your reply. Specifically in regards to smoking, was there less of it during Ramadan? I'm asthmatic and the number of smokers in some countries has made visiting them unpleasant at times (Egypt comes to mind).

Cheers,
Julian

[mary-j]

actually Julian, smoking is something we have hardly seen in Dubai. We are both non-smokers and certainly have never had any problems at all.....obviously lots of people smoking the sheisha pipes though!!!