Middle East - Dubai - Worth a visit?

Like many travelers, I'm intrigued the idea of visiting Dubai; just wondering if the hype outweighs the reality and if there truly is any compelling reason to visit outside of adding it to a list of places seen?

I was thinking of a 4-5 night stay - and am curious if there are non-business reasons to go? FYI: I'm not a shopper; so that really isn't much of an attraction for me.

Like many travelers, I'm intrigued the idea of visiting Dubai; just wondering if the hype outweighs the reality and if there truly is any compelling reason to visit outside of adding it to a list of places seen?

I was thinking of a 4-5 night stay - and am curious if there are non-business reasons to go? FYI: I'm not a shopper; so that really isn't much of an attraction for me.

Personally, I love Dubai. However, if you are looking for something outstanding (a la Pyramids at Giza, Eiffel Tower, Great Barrier Reef etc) you won't find it in Dubai. It is more like vegas, lots of attractions, theme parks, shopping, and now: an indoor ski park http://www.skidubai.ae/.

The beaches are nice, and it is a very pleasant place to be in general :)

Cheers

2 or 3 days may be enough if you are not a shopper..

2 or 3 days may be enough if you are not a shopper..

For me, two or three minutes is too much. I'm not a shopper. Dubai seems to me just a huge waste of life - ostentatious wastes of money. Worse far than Las |Vegas. Hey, one man's opinion.

If you live in Europe, the Dubai is a good destination for a winter sun break. If you live in the US, stick to your own back yard.

Too bad some of you are not shoppers, as the month-long Dubai Shopping Festival begins on 4 Jan 2006, making a trip to DXB a plus if you have an expensive item in mind....

Dubai looks like paradise to me! I want to go there extremly bad.....I just need to get a few people together for a trip. I have heard Emirates is the way to go out of JFK

Like many travelers, I'm intrigued the idea of visiting Dubai; just wondering if the hype outweighs the reality and if there truly is any compelling reason to visit outside of adding it to a list of places seen?

I went through Dubai over a dozen times last year, and had my family meet me there for a couple weeks once. Personally, I don't like the city much. It has a "phoney" feel to it, with all the construction. It's lots of malls and shopping. The restaurants are OK. My family enjoyed the trip though, as it's the farthest from the USA they've been, and it's quite modern. Wouldn't recommend going late spring to early fall -- way to hot.

A strange sight is the 30 or so high rise apartments being built all at the same time, without a resident yet.

There are plans to build a the world's largest airport that will have the capacity of ORD and LHR combined. The current Terminal 1 is nice. If you have a Diner's Card, you can access the First Class lounge for no cost. It's pleasant and has a full buffet at all times. By far the best Diner's lounge I've encountered.

Personally, I love Dubai. However, if you are looking for something outstanding (a la Pyramids at Giza, Eiffel Tower, Great Barrier Reef etc) you won't find it in Dubai. It is more like vegas, lots of attractions, theme parks, shopping, and now: an indoor ski park http://www.skidubai.ae/.

The beaches are nice, and it is a very pleasant place to be in general :)

Cheers

Vegas without the noise: that's an improvement. :D

Dubai, no doubt is a paradise. It is a mix of a big city life and a great holiday destination. However suddenly the hotel prices have risen many fold, which makes dubai expensive for staying. But all in all it is a good value for money as it offers cheap and efficient travel (within dubai), very nice food and ofcourse if you like to shop, there is no place like it.

If anybody is around DXB in the next three days and would like to meet for a dinnder or drinks just PM me. I am stopping in Dubai for three nights on my way from IST to SIN on SQ. I will be staying at the Park Hyatt.

holtju2, a pleasure meeting you here in Beirut. Hope your travels bring you back to my city :) . Enjoy the rest of your RTW trip, especially that SQ portion ^ .

holtju2, a pleasure meeting you here in Beirut. Hope your travels bring you back to my city :) . Enjoy the rest of your RTW trip, especially that SQ portion ^ .

I was going to send you a PM and thank the wondeful lunch.

Just arrived to Dubai and checked in to my very modern Park Suite at the Park Hyatt. Will report my findings later on the Hyatt forum.

Like many travelers, I'm intrigued the idea of visiting Dubai; just wondering if the hype outweighs the reality and if there truly is any compelling reason to visit outside of adding it to a list of places seen?

I was thinking of a 4-5 night stay - and am curious if there are non-business reasons to go? FYI: I'm not a shopper; so that really isn't much of an attraction for me.

If you want to see what a Middle East Las Vegas is like (minus the gambling, though there are some casinos I believe), then Dubai is a great place.

If you want to experience true Middle East culture, history, architecture, etc. then I would suggest Beirut, Lebanon or Cairo, Egypt or maybe Amman, Jordan. Damascus, Syria is another good option which can be done from Beirut.

Many people I know go to Dubai expecting to learn a lot about the Middle East, Middle East culture, etc. and get disappointed by how internationalized and westernized it has become.

Keep in mind that the local population of Dubai is only 25%. The rest is made up of foreigners.

It's a very commercialized city, so you will be disappointed if you are curious to learn and experience Middle East culture and history.

If you are looking for a commercialized bustling international city, then by all means, go to Dubai.

But if you want to learn about real Middle East history, culture, and hospitality, then I would seriously recommend Beirut or Cairo.

Beirut has that Mediterranean feel that cities along the Mediterranean Sea (Nice, Naples, Athens, etc.) have and this adds a really nice touch to it. Afterall, it was called the Paris of the Middle East prior to the civil war, and now that it's come back, it's gotten a new title, Pearl of the Orient.

So like I said, it depends what you are looking for.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Regards

You can always fly into Beirut and then take ME or EK on to DXB. There is a lot to see and do in Beirut, so come on over...

You can always fly into Beirut and then take ME or EK on to DXB. There is a lot to see and do in Beirut, so come on over...

And soon enough with ME, earning DL miles or redeeming them for ME flights should work. ^^ Should make doing both DXB and BEY on the same trip a lot better. :)

Like many travelers, I'm intrigued the idea of visiting Dubai; just wondering if the hype outweighs the reality and if there truly is any compelling reason to visit outside of adding it to a list of places seen?

I was thinking of a 4-5 night stay - and am curious if there are non-business reasons to go? FYI: I'm not a shopper; so that really isn't much of an attraction for me.

You can have the Dubai in two days. For me it was rather hell than a paradise.

The reason to visit is to see the unbelievable amount of construction that is going there at this time.

I wonder if there is a property bubble going in Dubai as well?

Which month is the best to visit?

Which month is the best to visit?

winter (early jan)

If you are into shopping, you should go during the shopping festival which occurs in February IIRC.

Cheers

I've been to Cairo several times and was always a little intrigued with Dubai (you know, The Travel Channel seems to be in love with it) but I am not sure if "Vegas of the Middle East" does anything for me (especially since Vegas is only a 5 hour drive from my home and I go "maybe" once a year). So, thank you FT and everyone's respective opinion.