Dubai

This was an educational visit to Dubai organised by Travel Counsellors and the Dubai Tourist board. The itinerary was designed to show us the best hotels in Dubai to suit couples. Our flights had been organised by Etihad Airways between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi which is only about 1 hour away from Dubai city centre and even less to the beaches of Jebel Ali and Jumeirah. Etihad organise free luxury coach transfers between Abu Dhabi airport and central Dubai for all passengers on these flights. They drop you off at their city centre office which is where you can also check-in early on the day of your return flight home. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to business class on the outbound flight which was amazing. The in-flight entertainment system was fantastic with individual touch screen controls allowing Sky Plus style features and a large 23” personal TV. The food was delicious and its service and presentation was faultless. The return flight in economy was on a par to most major airlines with the exception of their in-flight entertainment. Here, the personal TV screens were large 10.4” and also had the same touch screen controls as found in business class.

During our 4 night stay, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and visited 8 others. These were The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach, One&Only Royal Mirage, Ritz-Carlton Dubai, The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, The Palace Downtown Burj Dubai, Desert Palm Resort, Madinat Jumeirah and Atlantis The Palm.

All of these hotels are classified as 5* properties and I would have to say that they were all, without exception, fabulous hotels. Each bedroom was furnished to the highest of standards with large flat screen TV’s, luxurious bathrooms and rich fabrics. They also have the most fantastic restaurants all serving high quality food ranging from buffet service to fine dining a la Carte. And if you are looking to spend some time being pampered then each hotel featured their own amazing Spa’s.

Of all the properties we visited I have 3 particular favourites and these were One&Only Royal Mirage, The Address and Madinat Jumeirah; The Address for its uber chic design and location overlooking the world’s tallest building, The Burj Dubai, and also for Neos Bar on the 63rd floor which is listed as one of the best bars in the world. The One&Only and Madinat Jumeirah are located on the beach and are both elegant and sophisticated and hugely popular, especially with couples. Choosing what area in Dubai to stay in is quite important. The popular beach area known as Jumeirah is approximately 30-45 minutes drive away from Dubai airport. The Creek area is good if you like to explore old Dubai with its souks and historical sites. Our visit coincided with Ramadan. During this period rules are stricter when it comes to entertainment, smoking, food and beverages. Most hotels will allow consumption of food and beverages within the hotel grounds but the areas are sometimes screened. However, outside of the hotels it is offensive to Muslims to be seen smoking, eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset and most public restaurants will be closed during these times. Women should also cover excessive amounts of bare skin in public places.

The time of year when you travel is also very important. The ideal time is between November and March when the weather is comfortable and warm. There is also the famous Dubai Shopping Festival between December and February when huge discounts are offered. During my stay in September the temperatures got up to 41 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) and the humidity was unbearable. Apparently, the temperatures get to the low 50’s in high summer (125 Fahrenheit). The hotels even cool the water in the swimming pools to around 28 degrees Celsius but I still did not find it refreshing enough to sunbathe.

I had heard about the large amount of building work all over Dubai and was keen to see how this would affect tourists. Yes, there are large areas of development with new towers springing up all over the place, but with regards to the hotels we saw, there was absolutely no disturbance. I think there will be building work on a large scale for several years to come as Dubai has grand plans for the future. But I can only see this as an exciting future as Dubai is a destination where you should expect the unimaginable.