csdf

You could try something like this, depending on how keen you are:
http://www.edi-uae.com/PageContents.aspx?pageid=26

westmideast

Depends on your interests. Dubai has much more to see, but Abu Dhabi has some distinctive things (Mosque, Ferrari World, Yas Waterpark, Formula One Circuit, etc). Dubai has skydiving, indoor skydiving, indoor skiing, a nice aquarium, tallest tower/skydeck, largest mall, Atlantis with its own aquarium and water park, plenty of other parks and amusements...

Ferrari World is a decent amusement park with the fastest roller coaster in the world. It also has its share of shows and rides, including a decent go cart track, some top quality simulators, alot of ferreri historical info, and enough ferraris to see/snap pictures of for a lifetime. If you will not ride the roller coasters, I would not recommend it unless you are a die hard ferrari fan. Also, the waterpark nearby in Yas is supposed to be better than all the water parks in Dubai.

eng3

I spent the afternoon looking into it some more. You can drive dune buggies although you're limited to around 40mph from what I read. However, I realize that you need to know how to drive manual (and have an intl license). Growing up in the US in my generation, I never got the opportunity to learn stick shift.

I may do one of those "morning" desert safaris. They seem cheaper, but you still do the dune bashing, camel. Thats all I really need. Just still doing my research. Many companies have websites but dont list prices. Most done even say the duration or what time pickup/dropoff is.

Don't like rollercoasters or water parks so I guess I'll skip that. I like car (or aviation) museums but not amusement parks.

sharp5flat9

>> I like car (or aviation) museums but not amusement parks.

http://www.enam.ae/

It's is bit of drive from AD or Dubai though.

eng3

Yes I did see that. It peaked my interest until I saw how far away it is. With no car, I don't think I'm going to make the trek

HKQT

I saw some groupon deals on desert tours and such for both dubai and abu dhabi...get that along with the occasional coupon code discounts!

eng3

Yeah I saw those. I searched each one on tripadvisor. All the ones I could find seemed to have pretty low ratings. Probably because they need groupon to get business.


Speaking of food, is there a "yelp" like site that is popular in dubai and abu dhabi? It would be nice to be able to zoom in on a map area and see the top reviewed eateries marked. I've found a few sites but they seem to specialize in the very fancy/expensive places where I will likely be eating cheaper food (ie shawarmas, shish kebab, etc) maybe splurge one night

onfo

Someone posted a site earlier, I think it was called zomato. I found it difficult to weed through the cheesecake factories and olive gardens.

Please edit the wiki if you find something that looks good.

michael63

I will be in Dubai in February and recently discovered some great savings with buy one get one free coupons for many of Dubai's attractions and dining using the "Entertainer Dubai 2015". It includes as many as 3 of these BOGO passes for a number of the major water and theme parks. I was wondering if anyone was interested in splitting one of these books or chipping in for whatever coupons you may need, their about $115 USD. PM me so we can discuss specifics.

eng3

Yes I saw that but had the same difficulties. The site "Time out dubai" seems to have lots of articles/blogs. for example, "best shawarma in town". However, alot of times that doesnt match the mass consensus.

Also, I've noticed that I often don't see addresses. Rather they say "behind mall of emirates" or something vague like that. Makes it hard to fine places precisely. I have a feeling my dining will be rather random and hit or miss.

oh BTW, my plans changed, I'll be in dubai 2/5-2/8 (excluding travel days) and in Abu Dhabi 2/7

Dustball

My sister and I will be spending four nights in Dubai and the final night in Abu Dhabi. Our flight leaves Abu Dhabi at 3:40 am April 8th. Rather than spend hours in the airport between the time we check out of our hotel and our flight, what is there to do/see in Abu Dhabi between 7 pm and midnight on a Monday night that are not nightclubs or bars?

eng3

There was earlier talk about desert safaris so I thought I'd report. In DXB waiting for my flight to go home, I ended up doing Rayna tours morning safari.

- 115AED for 3hrs. They said 45min of dune bashing
- They have online chat on their site which is nice for answering questions and setting up.
- I was told to be ready 9-9:30am. Got a call at 8am that I missed, then at 8:40 from the front desk saying he was there already.
- He then picked up a couple around 9:15. They were told that pickup was 8:30-9. Oh well.
- I was picked up first so sat in front so that was nice. Then only 2 other people so not packed at all.
- About an hour drive to the site including a stop at a gas station to fill up and lower the air pressure.
- As soon as we got in the desert, the first "hill" we went over, an oncoming car came zooming over it and we had to swerve. He got out to talk to them. They claimed they were "police" and we werent allowed to drive here. The drive said he's been going there for 5yrs. They pointed him in a different direction. This is the driving explaining to us since they were talking in arabic. Anyways, its a big desert so I have no idea where we went but there were tire tracks all over so its frequented.
- He dune bashed for about one hour including a 5min stop to take photos. He seemed to know what he was doing. I don't think a bad back would be a huge issue, as long as you were buckled in and had something to hang onto. I was in front and there was a handle. One time, I wasnt holding on and trying to take a photo. My head came about 1cm away from bashing onto the front column.
- He kept offering camel rides and quad biking but we all declined. Then one hours to drive back and drop off.

Overall a great short experience, just what I wanted. Ofcourse as always, YMMV

eng3

They Grand Mosque is a must see. Open til 10 I think
There's the marina mall, probably open, not sure
Emirates Palace which is right next to there. (check their hours or just look at it from outside.
You could also walk the Corniche, also right next to it.

That's basically everything I did when I went (during the day)

luv2fly4free

Anybody interested in doing a BOGO joint visit to either of those two places on the 13th or 14th (later this week)? PM me or reply to this thread if so.

MNSWEEps

anyone tried or doing http://www.toursbylocals.com/find_to...338&category=2 ? I wanted a dubaiprivatetour.com but they raised the prices like crazy when I asked for drop off in AUH hotel which was right next to tour I was taking...Not ethical and they are way too expensive.