Any Tips whilst holidaying in Dubai?

[jill891]

Does anyone have any do's or donts whilst holidayling in Dubai Any useful tips would be appreciated.

[billearly]

We were in dubai in March and I thought it was more English than England.It is the usual thing when holidaying in the middle east respect for their culture i.e. don't wear revealing clothing ,although Dubai is pretty open minded more than some of the other Emirates the people are lovely and we were treated very well,they do frown on mini skirts in some places its more the looks you get from locals I think in souks etc. Have a lovely time.

[vehelpfulguy]

I went there on a busines trip about 5 years ago.

They are a muslim country, but far more relaxed than countries like Saudi Arabia. Alcohol is sold, but I would not get drunk as that is probably frowned upon.

They kept saying how they were the duty free capital but I found that things were more expensive than at the local airport on the way out.

Note many places close for an afternoon siesta. I went out for a walk one lunchtime (I skipped the business presentation) and it got very hot. When I tried to find a place to get a drink many places were shut.

They do have a lot of shops selling gold (they have a gold market) and I believe you can get it at a good price (bracelets, jewelry etc) but I did not take advantage of this so have no idea if it is good value or not.

Not sure what you plan to do there but there is almost no history to visit in Dubai. Until the 1950s it was a small village in a dessert oasis so there are few old buildings.

Because they realise their oil is running out they have tried to attract tourists and modern businesses, so the place is full of building sites and loads of sky scrapers.

I did not go to the beach area so have no idea how good that is, but I have to say overall I was not impressed, particularly with the centre of Dubia city.

The main thing they have going for them is sun and sea, and if you want that then it should be fine.

[vehelpfulguy]

Some pictures of Dubai

Harbour and town

http://www.am.joneslanglasalle.com/NEWS/2002/1 1nov/Dubai.jpg

Cranes everywhere

http://www.almosteffortless.com/files/dubai.jp eg

[missmoore]

much as everyone else has said - visit the spice and gold souks and be respectful to the local culture.

one thing that could save you some money - you'll be drinking a lot of water as it is so hot, but the hotels tend to over charge. On our first day, I paid equivalent �4 for less than 1 litre of evian... So, go to a supermarket and stock up!

[filthiestfis]

Water is very very cheap if you buy in supermarkets, as locals do. For all your shopping needs visit the Carrefour supermarket. There are a couple of them around.
Cigarettes are also very cheap.

[Dee Sa]

I lived there for 14 years, here goes :_
never walk in front of anyone who is praying in the street, they loose their contact with Mecca & have to start again, its very disrepectful.
Dont sit with your feet up, so they can see the soles of your feet/shoes, also disrespectful.
Price of gold is set in the gold market each day, all shops use this pricing, you choose your item i.e.bracelet earrings and they weigh it, then calculate the price, so if you go next day the price could be more or even less depending on the price fixed that day. They will take old gold in p/x for something nes but not, I'm afraid 9ct as they consider that impure[ quite true] sh*t gold they call it and wont touch it, makes you laugh when you come back to UK and womeb are proudly wearing tons of it round their necks !.
Try using the abbra [ water taxi] to cross the Dubai Creek, its fun and cheap or you can have one to yourself for a little more. My old dad at 78 yrs young used to love the abbra , he would go with the flow and the locals used to help him on and off.Cover up when out shopping, or expect to be oogled as their femaled are coverd up.
I will continue on a seperate posting as I tried to post altogether and Answerbank said too many words.

[Dee Sa]

Dubai cont
Try visiting Fujerah & Khorfor Khan together [ opposite coast to Dubai] for a complete contrast.
Abu Dhabi the capital is worth a visit, especially their corniche.
Hatta Fort and the waterfalls [ if done together] are good, nice hotel & pool at Hatta Fort or swim in the waterfalls area.
Another great day, I know all this depends on the tours available, we used to go "whadi bashing", whadi being a dried up river bed [ theres not much rain out there] and you go in a convoy of 4 wheel drives along the river beds to Khorfor Khan, its quite tricky to negotiate in parts and lots of fun, ending up on the beach at Fujeirah.
Dont go in Ramadan, all booze banned for the Holy month, it is availble if you know where to go, but not for holiday makers.Most Brits living there stock up for the month and drink at home.
Buy alcohol on flight or at airport and take in, you need an alcohol permit to buy in Dubai , they dont have off licenses
like we do.
Happy hols.

[jill891]

Thanks to all who has contributed to my questions. Really helpful.