Originally Posted by
ameliebrown
Has anybody taken a taxi from Dubai airport to hotel without pre-booking?
Yes. I never pre-booked a taxi in Dubai, since it's fairly easy to get one at malls, hotels, etc...
Originally Posted by
ameliebrown
If so, what was the cost and was it straightforward?
Dubai Airport to Jumeirah The Palm/Dubai Marina is around 120 AED. From the airport, it's a little more expensive due to a 25 AED surcharge. I don't think most hotels are going to be much further away than that.
Personally I think 110 to 120 AED (~30 USD) is a pretty fair price for a 25 mile ride. If that's too rich for you, you can always take the metro for the longer chunk of your journey and then switch to a taxi for the last part.
I can confirm that the people, staffing the taxi stands at the airport and at some malls, have more frequently tried to orient me to a limousines. Some drivers actually told me that they are "cab drivers". Telling them that you want a real taxi will do the trick though. (Compared to other countries, they aren't as persistent. In Egypt, a taxi once creeped alongside the sidewalk I was walking on for 4 miles or so. That fellow was eager to get customers
)
I enjoyed taking the taxi. They take the shortest/quickest route. The cars are clean. They know enough English to communicate with you (that's not given in certain countries). They accept any ride (I've noticed some drivers being really annoyed by my request to drive us from the hotel to the nearest Dubai metro station).