For all those of you who are toying with the idea of a trip to Dubai, I would wholeheartedly tell you to go for it. A trip to Dubai is a fantastic experience. Try & make it during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) in the month of March. There are many added attractions at that time, not to mention the shopping which is at throwaway prices ! In fact the shopping is just a small part of the total ’’Dubai’’ experience.
I studied in Dubai till 1988 & have made at least 10 trips there after that - the most recent ones being in Oct ’96 & Mar ’01. Believe me, the way that the place has developed in the last 5 years is nothing short of amazing. Its just like a magician has waved his magic wand to turn Dubai into a Paradise City! One would never imagine that 40 years ago the place was a desert!
The weather from December to Feb is really lovely. Its very pleasant & can get quite chilly too. March is when the weather starts to change - but its still pleasant enough. May-Sept are the months to be avoided as the heat at that time is terrible.
To check out all the places of interest in Dubai (which are in plenty) would take a minimum of 2 weeks to cover. There are numerous shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants, 5 star hotels (which should be seen to be believed), the theme parks, the multiplex theatres...the list goes on & on. As you enter Dubai, the first thing that would stun you is the airport -which could give other famous International airports a run for their money !
During the DSF, two major attractions are the Global Village (it’s a fair with stalls from 25-30 different countries where excellent & exotic wares are sold) & the Heritage Village (which depicts life in Dubai before it started to develop into an urban city viz, Bedouin, traditional Arab weddings, etc). The laser & fountain show is another must-see during the DSF.
Some malls not to be missed is the Deira City Center (Carrefour), the Wafi Shopping Mall & Wafi Pyramids, and all the malls at Jumeirah - not forgetting visits to The Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood & Dubai’s very own skyscraper, Emirates Towers, standing tall at 50 odd floors with a pub at the rooftop with a breathtaking view. The shopping options are endless.
Dont miss the beaches which are a pleasure to behold, the abra (a small dhow) which takes you across the creek for as little as 50 fils, the gold souq (the entire place just glitters & shimmers), etc. There are also ’’2 Dirham shops’’ where everything & anything is Dh.2. There are also Dh5 & Dh.10 shops ... all in an area called Karama. You can get some lovely curios etc at these shops.
The clothes are quite expensive, but shoes, household items, etc are pretty reasonable. The cost of certain CDs, Cassettes & Electronic items during the DSF are just too good.
The food options are plentiful - food items from every part of the world is available in the ’n’ number of supermarkets. As for the restaurants & food courts... everything from Fastfood to Indian to Continental to Chinese/Thai to Arabic is available. ’Burger King’ has the best burgers that I’ve ever tasted. Also, for all you non-veggies - dont miss the original ’’Shawarma’’ in Dubai, which is available for as little as Dh.3.
I could go on & on. But I’ll let you check it out for yourself. Be prepared to return with excess luggage!... and if you are a real foodie you would also probably return with an added few pounds of your own. ; -)