Dubai do's and don'ts

[Riley]

My wife and I are off to Dubai for four days for my 50th in a few weeks, any do or don'ts from regular visitors? Mrs R is particularly stressing about her wardrobe. Obviously short skirts and low tops are a no-no, but shoulders? We want to respect the culture but it's going to be hot so some female clothing advice would be good.
We are in a group of four and plan to go on a desert safari and I'll need to get out on the water so some sailing or jet skiing probably. Some nice restaurant recommendations for all price ranges would be nice too along with shopping advice and any info to help us enjoy our time there.
Thanks in advance.

[Ray Amon]

I have been twice. First time in 1998 - when Dubai was very different and again in 2007.

The first time i was on honey moon with my wife and happened to hold her hand in the Gold Souk. I was quickly pulled aside by two locals and told that this was unaceptable as this was a muslim country.

Second time was much more tollerant, even though I was not with my wife ;-).

I would advice of linen trousers and tops. Dont wear too short skirts/shorts and dont reveal too much of the top half. You will be just fine.

Why not by her a large shawl/wrap to keep with her. She can wrap it around her in more conservative areas or just use it as a scarf other wise.

[alanm_3]

My wife and I have been visiting Dubai since 2003 and the whole notion about western women not being able to dress in anything other than long, loose fitting clothes is a fallacy as far as I can see.
I've seen "ladies" dressed in a way that would be considered inappropriate in the UK, let alone in a muslim country and nothing happens to them.
The bottom line is, there are rules but most of the time they're largely ignored if it suits the authorities to do so.

[steptoe]

I first went in 1978 :D. Nothing but a two camel town.

The skydiving has improved 1000%

From jumping over desert in 1978.



To the much different modern Dubai (not my picture).

[NIGE UK]

Restaurant wise we went to Ossiano a few years ago which is in the Atlantis hotel. Have a Google.

My wife and I are off to Dubai for four days for my 50th in a few weeks, any do or don'ts from regular visitors? Mrs R is particularly stressing about her wardrobe. Obviously short skirts and low tops are a no-no, but shoulders? We want to respect the culture but it's going to be hot so some female clothing advice would be good.
We are in a group of four and plan to go on a desert safari and I'll need to get out on the water so some sailing or jet skiing probably. Some nice restaurant recommendations for all price ranges would be nice too along with shopping advice and any info to help us enjoy our time there.
Thanks in advance.

[alanm_3]

For a romantic meal, especially if you like seafood, Pier Chic is lovely and Bice in the Hilton JBR is superb for modern Italian.

[afcneal]

Dress sensibly in public, anything goes inside the hotel grounds.

Thursday night is race night.......no betting.........but free entry and a 30 min cab ride for the city. A good laugh for a free night out - not much in the way of food or refreshment when I went.

The Grand Mosque is open to the public (of any/no faith) on a certain day - I think it was also Thursday. It's not very exciting but worth an hour e even if, like us, you have zero interest in Islam or religion at all.

The desert safari is tourist kack....but great fun and not to be missed. We 'tipped' the driver to do us a nighttime tour of Dubai afterwards.........

The hotel concierge is the man to talk to!

[IdiotAbroad]

I've lived in Dubai for 2yrs. No worries on wardrobe at all, except if you plan to visit mosques (Jumeirah Mosque, as it happens runs a tour which is quite fascinating). Even in that instance she'd be offered full cover if she turned up in shorts and t-shirt. Just wait until you see the Russians in the Mall and you'll know what I mean! It will still be warm, but unless you're planning to be outside, dress normally because you'll be in air conditioning. There are very few pavements, cabs will drop you close to doors, etc. Eating outside can still be warm, many patios have outdoor A/C.

Where are you staying? There are so many great places to eat. For a relaxed evening, we liked la Veranda at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Right under the Burj al Arab, nice food, and you can take the lifts to the rooftop bar for a cocktail after dinner to take in the view.

The Madinat (Souk Madinat Jumeirah) also had loads of great restaurants. You could get a cab to Al Qasr hotel (which is a bit of bling!), then take an electric dhow to the Madinat for dinner. Several lovely spots there, we liked the Meat Company for some of the best steaks in town.

You should also definitely eat near the fountains at Burj Khalifa one night (the tallest one, Downtown, nr Dubai Mall, Armani Hotel). The bar atop the Burj Khalifa is fun, but you'll need a reservation and minimum spend. Ditto the restaurant. Best fountain views where you can get an alcoholic drink are from Souk Al Bahar, across the walkway from Dubai Mall. Look for one with Fountain views. Rivington Grill and the Thai place (can't remember the name) were always good. You can also get tremendous fountain views from some of the restaurants in Dubai Mall, but none of these will serve alcohol. The music does get a bit monotonous after a while, but a definite wow factor.

The national expat pastime on a Friday (remember weekends are Fri-Sat in UAE) is brunch. Contrary to the name, it's effectively a whole day eating/ drinking. Some are very rowdy; think boozed up Brits vomiting in to ice buckets. Others are really quite lovely. Not our scene but worth doing once, some inc free flowing Moet for 4hrs, very dangerous!

Drinks are pricey (£10 for a beer in many places), but on Tuesday and Wednesday many places will do a Ladies Night which might be free drinks all night, or at least couple of cocktails, champagnes etc. Just research ladies nights and there are many websites. Your wife will think you're most generous!

Sailing and jet skiing will be from the Marina most likely. It's quite nice down there on The Walk at JBR. Lot's of motor yachts for charter and always popular with our friends.

Number one money saving tip: Download the App or physical book called The Entertainer Dubai. It has hundreds of 241 offers, accepted pretty much everywhere. They do a general one which has loads of restaurants, attractions (inc boat hire IIRC) and another which is Fine Dining where you'll find some of the top restaurants. I think they're about £70, but that might be very easily saved on the first day. Worth looking in to for sure.

Oh and if you want a real authentic experience.. A pavement curry at Ravi's is a tonne of fun and guaranteed your cheapest night out. It's a bit of an institution, plastic tables next to the road, cheap eats, but a lot of fun. Our bill for four was usually around £20! You'll think you're in a different country.. Every cabbie will know where it is!

Hope that helps! Loads of other recommendations available, welcome to PM me.

Oh and final thing, depending on what time you land and what class you're flying, the Marhaba welcome service can save a lot of time. DXB is quite rammed around Midnight, Marhaba will whisk you straight through to your taxi.

- - - Updated - - -

For a romantic meal, especially if you like seafood, Pier Chic is lovely and Bice in the Hilton JBR is superb for modern Italian.

Yep Pier Chic is a great spot, I always preferred it for lunch due to the views (in both directions).

[mhocking]

We have just returned on tues after 6 nights to celebrate my wife's 50th. Be respectful of their culture and wear appropriate clothing but there is no need to go OTT covering shoulders etc unless of course you are visiting a mosque etc. Shorts are fine, a lot of the nicer hotels insist on smart casual but again not really a problem - albeit it was 48c there for a few days during our trip and it doesn't cool down much at night.

Recommend a boat around the Palm, Burj etc - cheap and good food. Plenty of choice from the Marina. Burj Khalifa was over rated and expensive the sky lounge is ludicrously expensive for an extra 20 floors and a glass of orange juice. The fountains are good though, especially at night. Dubai Mall is worth a visit - magnificent collection of watch shops, not many bargains though.

A mooch around the Walk at JBR is good, if only to admire the cars on show.

We stayed at the Royal Meridien which I can thoroughly recommend.

Enjoy your trip.


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[Riley]

Thanks for all of the replies especially Idiot, some great info there, much appreciated.
We are staying at the Jumeirah Beach and will use some of the recommendations.

[Argee1977]

Get a couple of these before heading out as well

[Chukas]

Just back after a couple of weeks in Dubai, we stayed in Jumeirah Al Naseem, beside Jumeriah beach.
There is an Indian restaurant in your hotel that is excellent, me and the wife thoroughly enjoyed it.

The aquarium in the Dubai mall is worth a visit, we went with a 6 year old but really enjoyed it ourselves.

On the eating side, we could eat in any of the 40 restaurants in the Jumeriah group hotels, there is golf buggys that take you to where ever you want.

The drink is pricey, we paid before we went to use the private lounge, basically free food and drink between 18:00 and 20:00.

Enjoy yourself it's a cracking Place 😀

[alanm_3]

The drink is pricey, we paid before we went to use the private lounge, basically free food and drink between 18:00 and 20:00.

Enjoy yourself it's a cracking Place 

Or as my wife says, it's factored into the price :-)

[Riley]

Just back after a couple of weeks in Dubai, we stayed in Jumeirah Al Naseem, beside Jumeriah beach.
There is an Indian restaurant in your hotel that is excellent, me and the wife thoroughly enjoyed it.

The aquarium in the Dubai mall is worth a visit, we went with a 6 year old but really enjoyed it ourselves.

On the eating side, we could eat in any of the 40 restaurants in the Jumeriah group hotels, there is golf buggys that take you to where ever you want.

The drink is pricey, we paid before we went to use the private lounge, basically free food and drink between 18:00 and 20:00.

Enjoy yourself it's a cracking Place 

Thanks, this is all good info.
Did the price of the private lounge pay for itself in the end?

[alanm_3]

If you drink alcohol on any quality, the lounge will almost always work out better value.
I'm lucky to have Hilton Diaomd status that gives me complimentary Lounge access and we work that out to worth a small fortune on a longer stay.

One useful tip if you do drink is to buy your duty free on the way in to Dubai.

[Qatar-wol]

Get a couple of these before heading out as well

lol

[RajLondon]

The restaurants in Madinat Jumeriah are really good, particularly liked the Italian and the Indian. Be sure to visit the Souk Madinat, but be warned the prices are high. Breakfast where we stayed (Mina A' Salam) was excellent. Drinks in Madinat are expensive, a can of soft drink was £5 which will be more now given the £ has fallen. Take the water bottles from your hotel room!

Dubai fountains, going to the top of the Burj are worth the visit as is Dubai Mall.

Highly recommend The Entertainer as suggested by IdiotAbrpad. Have a look on their website if they have vouchers for the things you're thinking about doing. I used it for a desert safari, speed boat around Burj, the marina and Madinat (highly recommend this) and a night hop on hop off bus tour. Then sold the book on eBay once I was back. Also got a 50% discount code from Trip Advisor.

The Grand Mosque is in Abu Dhabi and if you're going that way it's worth a visit.

We also visited the Gold Souk and the bazaar but it's not for everyone.

[Chukas]

Thanks, this is all good info.
Did the price of the private lounge pay for itself in the end?

The private lounge pays for its self after a few days, we went every night then went for dinner.
Not sure what package you are on but we only ate at the buffet once and went out all the other nights.
There is a supplement for some of the resturants, but the food was first class.

[Carlton-Browne]

My first piece of advice is don't go. My second piece of advice is, if you do go, this was probably my favourite restaurant:

http://www.saravanabhavan.com/restau...=Dubai&rid=37#

There are several other branches in Dubai.

[Wolfie]

If you drink alcohol on any quality, the lounge will almost always work out better value.
I'm lucky to have Hilton Diaomd status that gives me complimentary Lounge access and we work that out to worth a small fortune on a longer stay.

One useful tip if you do drink is to buy your duty free on the way in to Dubai.

At the Dubai airport or for the U.K. Duty free?

My sister wants me to pick her up 5 bottles of wine

[mtagrant]

At the Dubai airport or for the U.K. Duty free?

My sister wants me to pick her up 5 bottles of wine

At Dubai airport. You can take in a certain amount of units of which one equates to a bottle of spirits, crate of beer, bottle of wine. I think it is 4 units per person.

[Riley]

At Dubai airport. You can take in a certain amount of units of which one equates to a bottle of spirits, crate of beer, bottle of wine. I think it is 4 units per person.

Surely buying in the UK airport would be cheaper and easier, you'd just have to make room in your hand luggage or could this cause problems at immigration?

[IdiotAbroad]

Dubai Duty Free was always cheaper than UK, buying bottles locally is very expensive for residents. We even had an alcohol license (seriously!)


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[Riley]

So to be clear, there is a DF shop between baggage reclaim and the exit?

[IdiotAbroad]

Yep, can't miss it/ them. Worth it for a bottle of champagne (or 4) for the room, they'll be happy to send up an ice bucket and 2 glasses any time! (Cheapest Möet is usually c.£100 per bottle in a hotel). It was useful for our friends visiting who could pick up a bottle of gin on the way through, most who stay in hotels just accept the cost of drinking. Ladies nights really saves a few dirhams!


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[Wolfie]

Yep, can't miss it/ them. Worth it for a bottle of champagne (or 4) for the room, they'll be happy to send up an ice bucket and 2 glasses any time! (Cheapest Möet is usually c.£100 per bottle in a hotel). It was useful for our friends visiting who could pick up a bottle of gin on the way through, most who stay in hotels just accept the cost of drinking. Ladies nights really saves a few dirhams!


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Perfect thanks...

My sister said you can get 5 bottles of wine per person, so, between my wife and I, we shall pick up 10!

She is putting 5 of us for the week after all

[Nicholas]

I've been 3 times (2008,2009 & 2015) and a number of friends have moved out there.

Worthwhile getting a local SIM from the kiosk as you enter the main Arrivals Hall. Sorry I can't remember the details but recall it wasn't expensive and am sure details can be found by a Google search.

Enjoy. It's certainly an experience.

[Wolfie]

I've been 3 times (2008,2009 & 2015) and a number of friends have moved out there.

Worthwhile getting a local SIM from the kiosk as you enter the main Arrivals Hall. Sorry I can't remember the details but recall it wasn't expensive and am sure details can be found by a Google search.

Enjoy. It's certainly an experience.

Du was one Eltisat is the other (I think???)

I would do the same, but, my current phone is locked to EE... I brought them before and it was really simple...

Will pay the £5 a day for 500gb and do voice calls as 4G is pretty good

A bit of pain, but, there we go

[ryanb741]

Surely you can forego the booze for a week or so? All this hassle to get a drink, surely it's not worth it. Plenty of fun to be had without alcohol.

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[alanm_3]

Surely you can forego the booze for a week or so? All this hassle to get a drink, surely it's not worth it. Plenty of fun to be had without alcohol.

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It's no hassle at all Ryan. You go through immigration, collect your cases, go to the duty feee shop before going through customs, so it really is no hassle at all.
The allowance is huge. Can't remember exactky how much but it's more than you can carry!

[Riley]

Surely you can forego the booze for a week or so? All this hassle to get a drink, surely it's not worth it. Plenty of fun to be had without alcohol.

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As Alan said it doesn't seem to be any hassle, I was asking lots of questions to avoid faff at the airport.

TBH I'm not going to go away with my wife and friends to a completely dry country, I don't think many people would consider that unless you were teetotal. I also wouldn't choose Dubai if I wanted to be on the drink all day.

[Tony]

Plenty of fun to be had without alcohol.

What a novel idea. Tell me more.

[Longblackcoat]

It's no hassle at all Ryan. You go through immigration, collect your cases, go to the duty feee shop before going through customs, so it really is no hassle at all.
The allowance is huge. Can't remember exactky how much but it's more than you can carry!

It's really very similar to Iceland; the booze there is eye-wateringly expensive, so the number 1 thing to do after clearing immigration at Keflavik is to wander into the bottle shop, strap a whole load of beers/spirits to a trolley, and go outside to your minibus pickup. Silly, really, but when you're paying £10 for a beer in a pub you really notice the difference.

[Cyclone]

I've got a mate who lives over there, and only the other day he was telling me about how women are now seen wearing low cut tank tops in the malls etc, just like they do in the UK. I wouldn't worry about it too much, times have changed.

[farquare]

As a reasonably new resident in the gulf (in a much more conservative country than uae ) id say just use your common sense. The rumors you hear are so far from the truth in my experience.
If youd like a glass of wine in the hotel the limit is 4 bottles per person at duty free last time I flew in. Can be worth it as prices are highish although the brunches and happy hours can take the edge off somewhat.

Lots of nice little cafes around jumeria lake towers, other side of sheikh Zayed highway that do cheap eats.

If you want to go and spend lots of money and time in malls and fancy hotels ten it's definitely the place to be. My impression of it was it's a see and be seen place. That's not to say it's not without its charms. I actually enjoyed it much more than I thought.

I'd recommend getting a hire car, it's so big and while trains/Uber/careem are good it just gives a bit more flexibility.


Have a great time

[IdiotAbroad]

I'd disagree on the hire car unless you want to leave town to places like the Outlet Mall or Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, etc. Taxis are cheap and driving is mayhem. Jumeirah Beach Hotel is central, 10-15mins to Marina, 20mins to Downtown.


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[farquare]

You are right, the trains are frequent and cheap. But try stop at about 11, so you'll be needing a taxi after that.
I just liked the convenience of having a cheap hire car.
The roads are fine, you want to try ksa!

[IdiotAbroad]

Having lived in UAE for 2yrs I'll be happy to never drive in KSA! I forgot about the new trams in the Marina too, but as you say cabs are definitely easier at night. I never used the Metro once we had a car and we used to drive to RAK etc and snorkel in Oman. But most visitors don't have time for this!


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[alanm_3]

Personally, I would avoid a hire car at all costs and I've experienced both UAE and KSA driving.

The big issue with Dubai is two fold, traffic congestion and parking. Unless you only drive outwith the peak times (let's say 8am to 7pm) and you only go to shopping malls, you'll be ok. Most other times you'll end up very hot, irritated and downright angry.

This leads me on to my next issue - you're Johnny Foreigner and if you're involved in an accident with an Emerati driver, it's your fault, no point in disputing it!

Next issue, it they have a ZERO tolerance to drinking and driving, so if you've enjoyed some of your duty free the night before and think you're good to go and get caught with ANY reading other than zero, you will go to jail, spend time in Arab jail and then be deported, never to darken their borders again!

I hope I've made my point clear enough! Taxis are cheap. Sure, some of them are lunatic, but the alternative isn't worth the worry.

[Tony]

I've driven in the UAE before and it's not something I would dream of doing on holiday. Simply not worth the aggro and risk.

[IdiotAbroad]

For sure. Me wife hated driving the entire time we lived there. It is very fast chaos! We bought the biggest quickest car we could to give ourselves a sporting chance!


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[farquare]

Wimps! Its really not that bad. Although all alanm_3 points are valid and apply to most "foreign" lands.

[Jeremy67]

Eating outside can still be warm, many patios have outdoor A/C.

Good grief, god help the planet.

[KavKav]

I would not even consider car hire as taxis in Dubai are VERY cheap!

[Wolfie]

£77 to hire a car for 9 days… can't be any worse than Italy! I am sure I will be fine and gives us a bit more flexibility as a family of 5.

[Wolfie]

Good grief, god help the planet.

Truly disgusting…. Creating a bloody snow park in the middle of a desert is equally atrocious…

Would imagine one of those 'per capita' models on environmental footprint models would not look great for Dubai!

I visit to see my sister and niece and nephews, but, there are elements of this country that make the mind boggle…

[Tony]

The whole place is an assault on the environment. I'm not preaching about whether that should bother anyone, but it's a fact. It's not a natural environment that can support humans in any great numbers.

As for driving, the difference with somewhere like Italy is the sheer speed and the fact that you have drivers from countless nations all driving to their own rules. You really do have to have your wits about you - it's dangerous. On top of that, if anything goes wrong you could be in a lot of bother, whether it's your fault or not.

[FK77]

Apologies to OP for thread hijack. Been there for extremely short periods of time before but in December we are off to Dubai for a proper holiday for the first time. Wife is insisting on hiring a car while we're there because that's what she's been told by her friends is the most convenient option. I take my own car from London to many places in Europe but not too keen on driving in a very different part of the world with undoubtedly quite different rules. I am aware of atrocious traffic but been told parking is not a big issue. When people say taxis are very cheap over there, could someone please quantify that for me? For example how much would a journey of, say, 5 or 10 km cost us? I suppose I am gathering reasons to justify using taxis over hiring a car. I believe taxis will always be more expensive than hiring a car plus fuel (which is practically free there) for a week but I am happy to pay a bit more to avoid hassle. Numbers will help me in presenting my case better

[IdiotAbroad]

Tell her that an ex- Resident strongly advised against renting a car if that helps! Airport to Downtown: £10. Airport to mid-town: £15. Airport to Marina £20. Taxi the length of town (Marina to Downtown) about £10-£20 depending on traffic. Don't try it at 4-6pm on Sheikh Zayed road. Unless you're driving to neighboring Emirates you really needn't bother with a car.


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[FK77]

Tell her that an ex- Resident strongly advised against renting a car if that helps! Airport to Downtown: £10. Airport to mid-town: £15. Airport to Marina £20. Taxi the length of town (Marina to Downtown) about £10-£20 depending on traffic. Don't try it at 4-6pm on Sheikh Zayed road. Unless you're driving to neighboring Emirates you really needn't bother with a car.

Thanks .. this helps I also considered telling her if she was keen on renting a car perhaps she could take the driving seat and deal with all the associated stress for a change while I sit quietly as a carefree passenger