Hey
I am going to dubai for two days one night in transit.
I want to stay somewhere I can experience the place with such limited time and wouldnt mind splurging (a little) on something fancy but of value.
Anyone got any suggestions?
At the moment I can get a room in Atalnis Palm with terrace Palm view for $250USD a night, I think its normally $400…..but really is it worth it?
The Palm is quite a long distance away from anywhere else apart from the Marina. Unless you plan to sit by the pool for your 2 days I'd stay elsewhere.
Probably best to stay in Deira.. It's the old (80's/90's) part of the city but you can get to the newer parts (ie Dubai Mall) on the Metro.
Look for a place close to the metro line. It's the ONLY way to travel in Dubai.. Taxis are cheap, but the traffic is insane any time between 7am-10am and 4pm-11pm.
If you want to go up the Burj Khalifa, you have to book early.
Gold Souk is just awesome, Spice Souk is interesting, the old fort is pretty cool.
Water Taxi's are an experience, but 30 minutes is PLENTY.. I can't imagine sitting on one for much longer!
The Malls are just enormous versions of what we have here. That's where everything happens after business hours (malls are open every night till 11pm(?)). It's an experience to be in one at busy time.. completely jam packed, you can barely move!
Study up on where the bars are, it's the only place you'll be able to get a (alcoholic) drink and they're not exactly easy to find. The 360 bar at Jumeirah (next to the Burj Al Arab) is pretty cool.
Enjoy the Shawarma's and Shish Tawook's (they are seriously the best food I've ever eaten!)
Thanks I'm going there too .. any suggestion on tour ?
Really wanna go in 4x4 too
Sorry, no suggestions on tours, we had our own, personal expat tour guides :-)
Personally, I'd get out of the Emirates for anything like that..
Dubai is for the flashy stuff, for culture and "Arabian Nights" scenery, go to Oman instead, it's awesome!
I prefer to stay around the Media City/Mall of the Emirates area. Deira's a bit too old-fashioned for me and it's quite far from most of Dubai's key attractions. Yes, you can get there by Metro, but it's quite a long trek. I'd prefer to have my hotel close by in case I get tired or need to drop stuff off.
Depends what you want to do..
Shopping stay near one of the malls, tourist stuff, Deira.
I think it also depends on individual taste. Yes, some certainly may prefer Deira, the souks, dhows, etc. but that's only one aspect of Dubai. The Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai Mall/Dubai Mall Aquarium, Mall of the Emirates/Ski Dubai are also some of the key tourist attractions of the city, and it's a very long trek back and forth if you're staying in Deira.
So if you prefer a more traditional feel to the city, then yes, Deira is fine, but otherwise, I would stay closer to Media City/Mall of the Emirates.
Agreed.
The key is that Dubai is much bigger than you expect! It's not like an Australian City where "everything" is located in the one 2Km square (it's essentially a bunch of separate metropolis's spotted along the coast and each separated by a few Km's..)
So stay near where you think you want to spend your time and stay near the Metro for easy transport to/from airport and to places you want to visit.
Just back, had 2 nights at the Pullman at Diera centre, good value, next to massive shopping centre.
Take the half day city tour by Viator, goes to most city landmarks, inc. water taxi to old souk gold, electronics, fabric stall centres and its huge museum too, only about AUD$50.