Dubai 2007

I went to Dubai on 18 August 2007 on my delayed honeymoon, and having last been there in 1996, I noticed a huge change. In my opinion they have rebuilt the city and it is now fab. I highly recommend it if you want a few days doing nothing but sunning yourself by the pool or sea. The beaches are fantastic, there are not many public beaches as most of the hotels are resorts and have their own. The currency is the Dirham.

We stayed at the 5 * Mina A Salam Hotel in the Madinat Resort at Jumeirah Beach. The resort has its own private beach and there are 27 restaurants and bars to choose from including night clubs. There is also the 5 * Al Qasar Hotel in the same complex. This resort is surrounded by water and you get around by Abra (water taxi) or by golf buggy. The hotel is next to the Burj Al Arab the self proclaimed 7 * hotel, which if you are staying at either of the madinat hotels above, you are allowed to have a nosey round the reception area at certain times of the day.

We actually booked afternoon tea, which I highly recommend on the 27th floor of the Burj in the Sky Bar, which has excellent views of the beach and city of Dubai. The sandwiches and cakes just kept coming and they had various types of tea on offer. It is just something that should be done, they also have an underwater restaurant which I believe is a fish restaurant but again you have to book in advance. If you are not staying at any of the Jumeirah hotels then afternoon tea or a table in the restaurant is the only way you can get into the Burj Al Arab Hotel for a nosey!!!!

We booked a table at the Hilton Dubai Creek Glasshouse Brasserie and had a meal there. This is owned by Gordon Ramsay, he has the Glasshouse Brasserie and Verre Restaurant next door. We had originally booked Verre but decided that it may be a bit to fussy for us so changed to the Brasserie which is also run by Gordon Ramsay but is a but less formal. Dubai Creek is a good 20 mins in a taxi (depending on traffic!!!!) but is worth it. The restaurant is close to the Gold and Spice Souks which are a must see but get very busy and are open until late at night.

We also went to Wild Wadi water park which was fab and if you are staying at any of the Jumeirah hotels (including the Burj obviously!!!!!) then its free to get in. It is really good fun and has loads of slides including an uphill water slide and wave pool. Just bear in mind if you visit Wild Wadi that you will be covered in bruises when you come out!!!!! I presume the skinnier you are the worse it will be!!!!

We wanted to go to the Camel or Horse Racing but they do not run in August as it is so hot and some days it was over 115 degrees when we were there. If you want to cool off while in Dubai you can go to Ski Dubai which has the worlds only indoor black run!!!!! or you can just play in the snow or go sledging or snow ball fighting if you can not be bothered skiing. The desert safari is also good fun, but as it was so hot we decided to give it a miss!!!!

This is in the Mall of the Emirates which is a huge mall with hundreds of shops and is about 10 mins away from Jumeirah Beach. It has every shop you can imagine from designer to high street. They also have a Tiffany!!! Everybody had told us that Dubai was the place to go to buy cheap electrical goods. This is not the case. Everything like ipods, cameras, video Cameras and DVD's are pretty much the same price as here in the UK. The only thing that is cheaper is the 105" T.V!!! Yes really 105". It was about £5,000 which here you just about get a 70" for that. We were going to buy one but first it would not fit in the case and secondly it would have had to replace my windows in my living room as my house really is not that big!!!!!!!

If you want designer gear but can not afford the designer prices you can go to 18b Street in the Karama shopping district which is in Bur Dubai. It looks like a dodgy area but you can get any designer you want in sunglasses, watches, handbags even Victoria Beckham Jeans!!!, and if you can not see what you want, you tell the guys and they will go away and get you what you want. This is true as I wanted a Hermes Birkin bag, but did not want to wait for 2 years and pay the £600 tag.

Getting round in Dubai, I would say the only option is by taxi unless you are brave enough to drive!!!! You take your life in your hands even in a taxi although this is the cheapest and safest way to travel. They are very cheap.

July and August are considered low season so you can get better deals on hotels and flights. We flew with Air France via Paris and the flights were very good with plenty of room in economy. The only drawback is that the airport is very disorganised and nobody seemed to know what was going on. We had to go through security again at Paris CDG and the queue was huge. We actually thought we would miss the flight. Emirates are the main airline into Dubai and Etihad is a good alternative to Abhu Dhabi as they offer transport to Dubai (a bus if travelling economy) and Limos if you are lucky enough to travel in first or business class.
I will definitely go back to Dubai, but would like to go back in April ish when it is a bit cooler and I can be bothered doing more stuff.

There is a lot of construction going on in Dubai and new properties are being built constantly. I am sure that the next time I go to Dubai. I will not recognise it again.