DESTINATIONS MIDDLE EAST |DUBAI
TOP TIPS FOR DUBAI STOPOVERS
A third of the world’s population lives within four hours of Dubai, and it is one of the key stopover hubs between the UK and Asia and Oceania. Plus, Dubai’s airport is only a 15-minute cab ride from Downtown, so clients could be gazing up at the Burj Khalifa within an hour or so of landing.
12 HOURS If your client has a 12-hour stopover, they can still get a sense of Dubai. Suggest they hop in a cab and head straight to Downtown, and prebook tickets to the Burj Khalifa to get their bearings from up high. Back at sea level, cross over the street to Dubai Mall, where they can shop, wave at the sharks in the Dubai Aquarium, have dinner and catch a performance by the Dubai Fountain, before whizzing back to the airport.
24 HOURS With a 24-hour stopover, clients can see a little more of the emirate. Book a Downtown hotel with a pool. Hop on the metro to Bur Dubai, cross Dubai Creek in an abra (boat) and visit Bastakiya, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city. With dusty sandstone buildings, mosques and wind towers, it’s the complete antithesis to dazzling Downtown.
48 HOURS A 48-hour stopover will feel like a mini-break. Book a hotel on the Palm Jumeirah and relax overlooking the Arabian Sea. After ticking off the main sights on day one, clients can try one of Dubai’s giant water parks, such as Wild Wadi, or a four-hour desert excursion and go dune-bashing in a 4x4 on the second day.
It also has three bars hosting live music and DJs, as well as a wraparound terrace overlooking the Dubai Fountain and the Burj.
MYTHS AND LEGENDS Dubai is renowned for its fantastical hotels. The matriarch, of course, is Atlantis, The Palm, the dazzling pink palace on Palm Jumeirah. It’s worth noting that guests have free access to the Aquaventure Waterpark – officially the world’s largest – and Lost Chambers Aquarium. Friday brunch is a Dubai institution. To celebrate
the start of the weekend, hotels and restaurants put on lavish spreads fit for royalty. Reassure clients concerned Dubai might be dry, like other parts of the UAE, that this isn’t the case. Alcohol flows freely in hotels, restaurants and nightclubs – bottomless champagne brunches are popular – although it’s illegal to drink in public areas, including the beach. Dubai is largely made up of expats, and therefore cosmopolitan, so the dress code varies. Skirts, shorts and T-shirts are acceptable in most places, but the UAE is an Islamic nation with modest local dress, so it’s respectful to cover your shoulders and knees when visiting malls, mosques and souks. However, there's no need to cover up on the beach or by the pool.
42 8 FEBRUARY 2024 To celebrate the start of
the weekend, hotels and restaurants put on lavish spreads fit for royalty
Naturally, you can’t come to Dubai and not hit the beach. Blessed with Persil-white sands and aquamarine seas, many of Dubai’s waterfront hotels have private beaches. There are also several public beaches within easy reach of Downtown, including Palm West Beach, where I spend my last afternoon. Wandering along the mile-long boardwalk lined with palm trees, restaurants and beach bars, I watch as the sun melts into the Dubai skyline – which may well have grown once more by the next time I visit.
BOOK IT
Classic Package Holidays offers four nights’ half-board at the Al Seef Heritage Hotel Dubai, Curio Collection by Hilton from £1,948 for two people, including flights with Emirates in May.
classic-package.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Dubai’s skyline; Dubai Frame; Sheikh Mohammed Centre
for Cultural Understanding; dune-bashing PICTURES: Unsplash/Ahmed Aldaie, Shutterstock/phoelixDE
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