Now there are 2 reasons people come to Dubai -
a. Shopping + Holiday
b. Work
First
For Shoppers and Holiday makers -
You don’t want to be in Dubai during summer. Period. Avoid visiting Dubai (and this applies to much of the middle-east) anytime between May and September. The CDs inside the player in the car have been known to warp!
Shopping
Dubai is a shopper’s paradise. Especially for Gold and electronics. Maximum value and mind-boggling choices.
Supposedly, the best time for shopping is during the annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) when the whole city becomes one big Discount Alley, not to mention the awesome raffles that giveaway everything from Lexus cars to a Million Dirhams (Approx 270, 000 USD) (Note to Punters - The odds are extremely tempting).
Although much is made of the DSF, the best discounts by far are during the month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of prayer and fasting. But then you cannot do much else during Ramadan. As anybody who has visited a Muslim country during this period knows, if you are a non-Muslim you are not supposed to eat, drink, smoke in public during the fasting period.
Therefore plan your trip so that you catch the end of Ramadan, which is when you get the best rates, to finish your shopping, and then once Ramadan is over, Post Eid you can really let your hair down in this city.
(Ramadan ends in late December, though you should check the exact dates, the year you are traveling)
Getting there & the Duty Free
Getting to Dubai is fairly simple what with it being a trading hub of the Middle-East, though it is better to travel Emirates. Not only because it is supposedly the best airline in the world but also because as any traveler knows, it is always better to travel to a country in its national carrier. You get preferred landing and docking and so on. What you should not miss is the Dubai Duty free, which I can vouch, is one of the best Duty Free outlets in the world.
Now if you have friends in Dubai your best bet would be to buy a few crates of beer or bottles of liquor from the duty free. The cost of a can of beer from the duty free works out to 2.5 Dirhams whereas in a regular bar in Dubai a Pint of beer costs at least 18 Dirhams! Not to mention the fact that you are not allowed to stock any liquor in your house unless its from the duty free.
So bottomline - Your friends in Dubai will appreciate it if you get them a few bottles of liquor from the duty free.
First Impressions
If this is your first trip to the Middle East you will be surprised at how normal things look. Where are those minarets, those sand dunes and women in black? Instead you see tall glass edifices, modern architecture all around, and 4-lane roads flanked by long strips of grass. And lo behold! - A woman in a halter-top and shorts!
Yes, Dubai is by far the most progressive and open city in the Arabian Peninsula. And it is so by design. Unlike the other Emirates in the UAE (which will happily fall in with your stereotypes) Dubai is an oasis of western values. Or as some old-timer Pakistani cabbie will tell you - It is a ’’Haram da shahar’’ roughly translated that goes - ’’A city of Sin’’.
Mall Junkies
Mall-lovers, you have reached wonderland. Take off your hats because Dubai is nothing if not for its extensive array of shopping malls.
For labelhounds the best places are Bur Juman, Wafi Center and Ghurair City. But if your are looking for value-for-money there is no better place than City Center (Carrefour) and Lamcy Plaza.
Party time!!!
Nightlife is pretty staid, when you compare it with the discos in Turkey. But they try, and anyways this is the Arabian Peninsula. Most hotels have some kind of do happening every weekend and the discos are passably do-able.
For the tipplers, here’s your ready reckoner -
The Irish Village (boisterous Irish community gathering) (Cheat - You get good pork here!!)
Dubai Creek and Boat Club (Quiet and propah)
Seville (Laid back atmosphere with an open air thing happening)
Long John (crowded and noisy)
Dubai is also known for its other kind of nightlife. The reason randy sheikhs drive all the way over from other Emirates and also from Saudi Arabia. If you go pub-hopping you are bound to land up in one that doubles up as a pickup joint infested with prostitutes of all nationalities. From Russian, Filipino, Chinese, Turkish, Moroccan to British and American.
The fact that Dubai is a truly cosmopolitan city has endowed it with one more irresistible feature - authentic cuisine from all over the world. You will find restaurants catering dishes from the Orient to Glamorgan, from Madras to Mexico and from Cairo to Kentucky (shudder!). Though for a taste of the local food there is nothing better than a shawarma (meat rolled in traditional Arabic bread). Try one and you will come back for more.
The best time to be here is of course between October and April. Make that November and March if you really want to avoid the heat.
(Dubai for people intending to work here to follow soon...)