Who'se been? Is it... 1) Safe 2) Fun at New Year 3) Super expensive? 4) A ridiculously long journey to/from? Thinking of taking a trip with a friend from 12/27 until 1/3 so I wouldnt have a ton of time there. Dont know how an American swilling beer and being American would go over Not that I'm impolite but don't many muslims *not* drink? So is there much of a party nightlife, especially during holidays?
I've been, several times. Just don't be a ignorant redneck and it should be okay. I wouldn't recommend showing "Viva Bush" stickers/t-shirts there either. Other than that.. it's a good place..especially Dubai. Sharjah is a fun place but has a more relaxed atmosphere. Dubai is the place to have fun--especially if you want to see exotics. About the party life thing.. I wouldn't really know.. I was in UAE when I was really young.
I was in Dubai for the first time this time last year; it was a great experience! The city is extremely safe; you can walk around all hours of the night without a worry. Dubai is party central, a very fun place to let loose. A large expat population ensures that there is a good mix of Euro / Western influence. A lot of things to do, it all depends on how much you can afford. The exchange rate is fixed at $1 USD at 3.67 AED. As far as prices go, the prices are all in line with the dollar. If you get a chance, fly on Emirates Air. By far the most attentive staff anywhere. The ammenities in coach were better than any first class domestic carrier. About a 15 to 18 hour flight. Hope this helps, PM me for more info. Cheers!
no drinking in Sharjah, cause they get money from Saudi, Dubai is cool.....drinking is allowed in bars that are attached to Hotels...Intercontinental has a nice bar really western.....don't stare if you see a local guy in his outfit and turban with a beer, it happens alot...P.S. all the bars and clubs are filled with hookers, the nice ones I mean Eastern European and tall.....I was surprised when I was there......I am not kidding..... stick to the ex pats.....never really hung with the locals....and only hit on women that come up to you, do not try to pick up women you don't know you will be in jail along time......visit Irish Village, the one hooked up to the tenis stadium, they have good food and beer...plus the waiters and waitresses are really irish they come on two month stints for interning..... the food in UAE, some of the best food I have ever had....very fresh, you got to try the arabic bakerys...... exotics cars are a dime a dozen, check out the Lorinser show room as well as the Hamann show room, Plus you have to have an Aftermarket Exhaust on your car, it's like having a CD player here...buy a raffle ticket at the airport for a chance to wina new ferrari or bentley.....the thing is not rigged, they are very strict about these things Burg al Arab is nice but very expensive, beer is $10 a bottle.....$50 just to enter the hotel, but it is a gift certificate you can use there, keeps the free loaders out...... all in all they HAVE HOOKERS IN THE BARS!@!!!@!@!@!
Been there recently and I have mixed feelings about that part of the world. It's suppose to be a safe heaven for terrorist and that's why you never hear anything concerning terrorist in that country. They don't act up there. Stay away from street gatherings especially around the Mosques. The cities are very modern and the people don't know how to drive. Watch out for pedestrians on the high speed highways. Crazy. They like to party like the rest of the world and have some very nice clubs and restaurants to go to. It can be very expensive but they have some first class stores there and some really beautiful malls. Where there's malls there's good looking women. Just watch out for M/Jackson going into the wrong bathroom. The flight over there takes forever but, what can you say. I personally don't like that part of the world and I'll try to avoid it for the rest of my life if I can. Did I mention they don't know how to drive?
Lived there (Dubai) for over seven years as a kid, recently visited in April. Dubai is the place to go to. I'd seriously recommend it. Lots of fun, great place to visit.... enjoy!
everything that has been said so far is true. Dubai, is the place if you are going to UAE. I stayed mostly at the Hilton creek, or at the Hilton beach resort. dont miss going to the "gold souk" (sp?) in the business district. you could buy all the gold and jewlery at good priceses. I have NEVER seen so much gold in one place at one time. you can even buy blocks of gold. all in all, it was an interesting trip. Some what expensive, lots of sand, and yes the bars have whores. but be carefull...
You will be fine. It's very safe (women can go around at 3am), it is not too expensive, it's a pretty long journey but I'm in SF so it's hard from here, and new years should be fine. Let me know if you're there, I'll likely be there then too. There are plenty of bars and some good clubs, so I wouldn't worry about night life. --Dan
UAE is nice. I've been there a few times. It's pretty safe. Dubai is more of a problem for americans than Abu Dhabi. Though most americans don't know that. The arabs in Abu Dhabi are pretty nice, and have a more educated outlook on americans then other arab countries. It's a European vacation spot, so it's pretty safe. You can drink in Abu Dhabi. But if you want to buy alcohol at a store you need a permit. Abu Dhabi is a huge city so you shouldn't be bored. You can go jet skiing for about 20 bucks. The persian gulf should still be pretty warm. Also there's a good waterpark up in Dubai next to the hotel that's in the shape of a sail boat. If forget the name of it. As far as the driving goes, it's a larger scale of New York city driving. The one thing you have to watch out for is the sweep. The sweep is where someone makes a left or right turn from the far right or far left lane. It can happen with no notice and cause a pile up. It usually happens on the freeway. Someone will decide to make an exit from the far left lane, and cut off 4 lanes of traffic in one instant. Also, If you drive on the freeway over there, be sure to watch out for the speed bumps, it's the reason why all 4 lanes of traffic will come to a screaching hault for what you think is no reason. You should probably get an international drivers license before you go over. It only cost about $20 and you can get it at any AAA. If you don't want to bring attention to yourself, you should dress in conservative clothes. Wear a collared shirt with no american logos, and wear pants. The locals prefer non arabs, or americans to dress like that. Unless you're in an appropriate place for other attire. Like a beach, or golf course. Then you can wear the proper attire.
That water park is called the Wild Wadi Water Park. Also, go check out the worlds only 6 star hotel. I think its fifty bucks to go in and look around but it looks pretty friggen cool.
It's actually 5-star. No such ranking as a 6-or-7 star. It is however consider best hotel in the world.
Unless you are a complete blithering idiot, you'll be completely fine in dubai. I would skip the burj as it's just a useless place that will make you sick. Also - quality of restaurants is pretty lame overall, so don't expect to find a wide variety of amazing foods. Further to that, traffic management in Dubai is NON EXISTANT. Literally. The place is a complete mess in this respect and it can take you 25 minutes to cover 2km at 2am. --Dan
godubai.com dubailook.com timeoutdubai.com mumtazz.com dubaiforums.com etc. and of course : dubaipropertylink.com I gonna be there february/march '06. Dubai is the place to be, believe me! JR
Lived there for 13 years, great city! By the way keep your camera ready when you are on the road, lots of exotics http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=276129
