ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by dinosaur_poo

Dubai isn't really about oil anymore (and neither is the rest of the UAE). Tourism is actually one of the biggest points of the economy, as is service.

But I agree that it's shit. The 'holy shit that's big' factor wears off pretty quickly and it soon becomes a hot stuffy place where everybody is rude to you.

As usual you spout tripe.

Some of the comments above could be straight out of the Daily Mail. Having lived in Dubai for six years, here is my opinion:

The main sources of economic wealth in Dubai are Trade/ Tourism and Oil, in that order.
There are a large number of first class hotels in Dubai. These are used by tourists from both the GCC and the rest of the world, so get used to the idea of meeting different cultures.
The average price per room in five star is between AED 600-750 per room per night.
For winter sun, as specified by the OP, avoid the summer. I turn off my aircon around the end of September, and I turn it on around mid April. The climate during this six month period is extremely pleasant. December/Jan is seldom above mid 20s and seldom below 12/13 at night. Avoid visiting in June, July and August - it's roasters.
The cost of a beer, in a hotel/bar is typically between AED25-30. Best to buy a slab at duty free on the way in and put it in your hotel minibar. You are also allowed five bottles of wine/ spirits.
As a tourist, you will not usually come into contact with Emiratis. If you do so, in the main you will find them to be pleasant, decent people who keep themselves to themselves. Not to be confused with Saudis and Kuwaitis, who stay in the hotels, who can be very arrogant. Omanis are generally top blokes.

The shopping is good if that's your thing.
There are plentiful day trips to the desert for 4x4, camping experiences, hiking in the mountains, also Rugby 7s, Dubai World Cup etc
The diving and sea fishing off Musandam is world class.
Don't show too much flesh outside the hotel and no drunkenness or snogging in public and you'll have no problems.

Personally, I would stay at the following:
Grosvenor House
Habtoor Grand (likely to be kids here)
Westin Marina
The One & Only (Marina and Palm)
Al Qasr
Jumierah Beach Hotel.
Mina Al Salam
Madinat
Le Meridian Mina Siyahi.

All the above have beach access. For non beach access I'd recommend the following:

The Address Dubai Mall
The Address Downtown
The Palace Old Town
Al Manzil Downtown
Grand Hyatt

Out of town ultra luxury:
Al Maha (couples only, 45 mins into the desert)
Two hour dirive from DXB - Six Senses Zighy Bay (actually in Musandam which is a detached bit of Oman). Just went there at the weekend and seriously good but pricey.

Dubai is a big air hub. You could consider going on to Muscat, Salalah, Beirut, Amman etc etc.

I'd avoid Abu Dhabi as it is far more conservative, and it does not have the choice of hotels, restaurants or activities that you will find in Dubai. Personally, I holiday in Africa or the Far East, which is easy to do from Dubai.

OP, feel free to PM me.

Gents,

A very large thank you to everyone who has helped in this thread - there have been some really useful pointers on what to do.

From my take, my first preference would be Jordan (culture, history, and I'd love to go back). The problem is that my Mrs is not 100% certain she wants to be in that area while Syria is kicking off, and its not worth the hassle to try to persuade to the contrary. We've got a big far east trip planned for 2014, so I don't want to jump the gun and go early - also we've only got 6-7 days. We're getting married in late 2013, so have a honeymoon planned in somewhere suitably exotic too.

For us, we're not remotely active party animals - we're fairly quiet, allergic to kids and loud chavtastic types. Our thinking with UAE or the region is to see somewhere like Vegas just once, just to see what it is like. I've been to almost all the countries in the region on work business, but have never actually had a holiday out there. It would be fascinating to see what its like. From my take, I'm looking for a quiet week of doing very little ahead of a very busy year, and which has a very active honeymoon (and likely Stag weekend) planned. Hence, thinking sun, tackiness, and generally a 'oh my gosh I can't believe they did this' moment. She wants to see it once, just to convince her never to go back!

I think Oman looks far more tempting, and I'm going to try working on that as an idea - failing that, there's always a nile cruise in Egypt (never get engaged to an ancient historian unless you like poking about dusty ruins!).

Originally Posted by jarrod248

As usual you spout tripe.

As usual you're quick to start screaming but your corrections are nowhere to be seen.

How much time do you spend in the UAE? Answer: None. You're a nurse so your idea of a holiday is a weekend in Skegness every 7 years.

Originally Posted by dinosaur_poo

How much time do you spend in the UAE? Answer: None. You're a nurse so your idea of a holiday is a weekend in Skegness every 7 years.

How much time have you spent in the Army?

Yet you've amassed hundreds of posts here attempting to appear as an authority on all things green.

You bucket of fibbing phlegm

Originally Posted by Cabana

I see that their World Islands is a major failure and is actually starting to sink.

I was speaking to an Engineer at the Sevens a few years back who was involved in designing the thing. He repeatedly told them it was unfeasible & couldn't be made to work, the locals insisted it would. Eventually the sheer amount of cash they were giving him won out, but he had an empty look in his eyes to know that the major project of his career was doomed to failure before it began.

It's fairly academic, now, as with MasterPlume around we are destined for family holidays only but the only thing which would get me near the place again is the Sevens.

The engineering is not the issue. The islands have been created, and no, they are not sinking. It is the financial viability of the end product that is flawed.

Originally Posted by exXIX

The engineering is not the issue. The islands have been created, and no, they are not sinking. It is the financial viability of the end product that is flawed.

Might have been the Palm, then. His considered professional opinion was that he would not invest a brass farthing in the thing because the sea would reclaim it.

I appreciate you live there & like it & therefore have more right to comment than I do as someone who used to come over for about four days a year. I'm afraid I just found the place tacky & unpleasant, full of Brit expats who were big fish in a small pond, but only a step up from those on the Costa del Dole/Crime, & hypocritical to the extreme in the way they treated their poor co-religionists.

I did really enjoy walking out to the end of the creek & looking at what historic bits there were and loved the food in the creek-side restaurants & a shisha afterwards. It's just if I want a beach holiday I'll go somewhere which has more soul to it & which is not about endless conspicuous consumption.