Middle East - Trip to middle east

Hi, I've bought a plane ticket to Dubai in early November. I got 4 complete days there and then I'm leaving in the morning the 5th. day. I got a stopover in Doha for 20 hours, so I'm also going to see Doha on the way home.

I'm travelling alone and on a budget. I'm mainly interested in seeing things, maybe I'll spend one day on the beach/pool area (if I find a cheap hotel with a pool). So any suggestions to what I should do? And where I should live? I've found one hostel in Dubai, is it any good? A cheap hotel is no problem, then only thing I really need is air condition. And either a good location or close to the subway. Taxis are usually so expensive that I'm going to try to use it as little as possible.

A thing I'm considering doing is travel to Muscat for a day. The best thing would be to take the bus during the night, stay there for a day and then take the bus back in the night. That way I will save 2 nights in a hotel and see Muscat. Is that possible?

And I'm young and healthy, so travelling a bit intensive is no problem. I prefer that to staying on the beach every day!

Any tips regarding what to do in Doha, Dubai and Muscat is appreciated. Thanks in advance for any tips! :)

A good place to start your planning is the Thorntree forum on the Lonely Planet site. There is lots of good information for young and budget minded travelers and it's quite an active forum.

Although Dubai isn't usually considered a budget destination, there are plenty of free or cheap things to do. The temperature will be starting to cool down so you can at least spend some time outside ... but still be careful of the sun !

- Jumeirah public beach - free
- abra (ferry) ride across the creek - 1Dh (approx 20 euro cents)
- walk around the souks - free
- Jumeirah mosque - 10Dh (approx 2 euro)
- malls are free to enter & walk around

There are 420+ hotels listed on tripadvisor, so you should be able to find something to match your budget. Decide the things you want to do and choose a location that minimises the need to travel around.

As much as I love Oman, you seem to be trying to fit a lot in ! See previous posts in this forum about Oman and Muscat. It is not cheap there however.

Dubai has a reputation as a party town but do please respect the Arab culture and Islamic sensibilities :)

Yeah, I'm realizing that Dubai really isn't a budget destination. I think being close to the metro is priority 1, since then I can probably take the metro and walk to all the destinations I want to see. I love just walking around in a city, and 30 kilometers a day shouldn't be a problem, if it's not too hot of course.

I'm thinking maybe: Novotel World Trade Centre
Which is really close to a metro station and got a pool. It's approximately 380 dollars for 4 nights for a room (3 persons room, which is kind of a waste, but the price isn't too bad). So does that sound good or do you have any other better suggestions?

Also about Oman, I'm always trying to fit a lot in and I love that way of travelling :)

Do anybody know about a night bus to Muscat?

Yeah, I'm realizing that Dubai really isn't a budget destination. I think being close to the metro is priority 1, since then I can probably take the metro and walk to all the destinations I want to see. I love just walking around in a city, and 30 kilometers a day shouldn't be a problem, if it's not too hot of course.

I'm thinking maybe: Novotel World Trade Centre
Which is really close to a metro station and got a pool. It's approximately 380 dollars for 4 nights for a room (3 persons room, which is kind of a waste, but the price isn't too bad). So does that sound good or do you have any other better suggestions?

Also about Oman, I'm always trying to fit a lot in and I love that way of travelling :)

Do anybody know about a night bus to Muscat?

$95 a night is a good rate. There is also an Ibis hotel at the World Trade Centre which may be cheaper. Alternatively, there are decent hotels at the other end of Dubai, look around Tecom (e.g. Byblos hotel) or Al Barsha (Cassells, Seven Sands, Ibis Al Barsha) which are close to metro stops.

Dubai to Muscat buses can be found here (http://www.omanet.om/english/useful/transport.asp), note it's only a 4 or 5 hour journey and they don't seem to run overnight, latest arriving is midnight. These are the official buses, you may find unofficial ones which do visa runs at odd times.

Inter-emirate bus routes from Dubai are here (http://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/wps/portal/!ut/p/c5/jY_BCoJAFEW_KObN-Ebcjqbj2KCRaeZGXEgMpLaIvj9DIjAt71seDvddUpLhuvphLvX d9F19JQUp7QqApzpPQyXAYzqLAlfAmIGf7UpLf59AYFPpRwhKI 2fyEFFAusYeubNztgPPY8rQevNV9nzEP_v02vrdHvJP-xyXE_5r-5yPuOAnseuB4kduCaqW-xlO_1vcH4d925C06citzbICjDJqI563mrO4/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfMDA1U0xWOEs4RDBDMlZOMVA1Mz AwMDAwMDA!/)

Okey, I'm arriving at Dubai airport at 03.20 Wednesday, so I think my plan will be to take the bus from Dubai to Muscat at 07:30 and then arrive in Muscat around 13:40. I'll stay in Musct for a day (trying to find a good hotel, recommendations would be appreciated!) and then take the bus back 13.30 Thursday, arriving in Dubai 19.15. Then I'll stay at the hotel in Dubai from Thursday evening to Sunday Morning, where I'm taking the flight at 11.20.

So a couple of things with this plan. Where is the bus station in Dubai? Is it reachable by the Metro? Do the Metro run in the morning? As far as I've understood you don't need a visa to Oman if you arrive by road from Dubai? I'm from Norway.

I've decided to go with the plan posted in the previous post. I ended up with booking Versailles Hotel ( http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g295424-d497315-Reviews-Versailles_Hotel-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html) in Dubai from Thursday to Saturday.

I've tried to look up all the info I could on the bus service, but I still got a lot of questions. Do I need to book the ticket in advance or can I do it before the first bus? And could somebody tell me the exact location of the bus station (and ticket office) in Dubai and Muscat?'

I would also like tips on where to stay in Muscat!