Thanks Guys :)

definitely meat company (madinat jumeirah)

and spicy shawarma at al-safeer in ibn battuta.. best shawarma around ;)

I'm a very big fan of the sushi from Haru. One in JBR and one in the Green Community. Not expensive, and much fresher than most of the cheap sushi places.

from dusk till dawn...
 

Hi everyone... have been reading on flyertalk for a while in different forums.

Unfortunately I couldnt find a convincing answer to a situation I am going to face in february, and so decided to ask myself :) ...

I'll be travelling ZRH - KUL on EK and have a layover from around 00:00 til around 10 o'clock in the am, thats becaus I didnt want to afford the extra 400 CHF for the direct connection...

Basically I am now looking for any advice what you 'd suggest to do during this layover. Is there anything worth seeing/happening around this time of the night to even consider leaving the Airport? I have never been in Dubai before but I have got the feeling its mainly about shopping and enjoying ones hotel room? I dont really consider taking a hotel, but please do tell me if there is something of good value nearby. The transit hotel in the concourse seems quite expensive I think.

Hope you can help me a little, besides no free lounge access for me ;( but is there maybe one with entrance charge and shower or similar?

Anyway, I'd be grateful for any ideads etc.

Thanks!

Marhaba services and lounge are your best bet. Here is the website, take a look at the lounge info and citystop features:-

http://www.marhabaservices.com/source/index.aspx

I think EK will take you to the Millenium Hotel during your layover. With that rigmarole, your 10 hour stay will yield you about 55 minutes in bed. The rest of the time you will be waiting in lines at the airport, waiting for buses or standing at the hotel desk.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the following two places, which were definitely on my favourite list when I went to Dubai

- Festival City - lots of great shopping and dining....a gold souk should also be opening soon/already opened. Great place (imo) for a coffee in the afternoon, great views of Dubai skyline.

- Burjuman - for those with expensive tastes, all your prestigious brand names are located here

Also, for those willing to make the trip.....

- Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi - the golden cappuccino was great, and they do great burgers/steak sandwiches too (can't remember the actual name of the place). Never seen so much gold in a building my life, and quite often there are cultural exhibitions there.

For those of us living on the european mainland: buying TimTams in Spinneys.

Dinner at Al Mahara (don't forget the dinner jacket though) seated next to the whacky aquarium. Much better than TV!

Cheers
Hansie

I live in Abu Dhabi and agree that a night at or even a visit to the Emirates Palace is worth it- it is a beautiful (if not completely over the top) spot that is unlike anything I had seen anywhere - covered in Gold. You can pass the gates just by mentioning that you are headed to the cafe for a coffee, else make a reservation at one of the many restaurants inside. If you are up for a "scene" Etiole is one of the most popular nightclubs in the city. Now they are running exhibitions on 1) Emirati Artists, 2) Abu Dhabi Cultural Development (Guggenheim, Louvre, etc)

In Dubai:

Food:

I really liked my dinner at Nobu in the Atlantis. While not unique or quintessentially Dubai, I had a great meal with wonderful service and lots of fun.

I had an amazing time at Tea at the Burj Al Arab- as other's mentioned above, it is worth reserving well in advance. It was a truly unique and special experience, and is actually one of the least expensive ways to get access to the Burj al Arab complex. Here are some thoughts: http://diary.thepurplepassport.com/2...j-al-arab.html


Sites:

If you want to get a flavor of "Old Dubai" (it's all relative here- we are talking 1950s-ish), you can head to the Gold and Spice Souks, then take an Abra ride across the creek. I posted some pics and recs in my blog- here is that article specifically: http://diary.thepurplepassport.com/2...-in-souks.html

For Malls, the Dubai Mall is my favorite so far- it is extremely large and overwhelming, but with features like an olympic sized hockey rink, a two story acquarium, water falls, and a close-up view of the Burj Dubai (soon to be tallest building in the world) right out the back door, it should not be missed.

Thanks all for the great recs above. Really looking forward to trying them out.

Can someone tell me what I can do at in terminal 3 at Dubai Aiport, which shops and which restaurants there are. I am flying in economy class.

Dubai General Advice
 

The one cool thing I did (in all senses of the word) was to go skiing (for the 1st time in my life) at Ski Dubai - gorgeous instructor and big fun for not so much money (you do have to supply your own gloves but you can buy them for not very much at the shop near the Ski Dubai entrance and they say 'Ski Dubai' in Roman and Arabic characters).

Oh we did also go riding on the dunes and that was big fun.

One tip - I stupidly assumed that I could check in for my flight and go to the lounge (I was flying on SQ in First) hours ahead of my flight (which left at 0410 and I needed to let my friend who lives there get some sleep) - but I firstly found nobody at the SQ counter until just about 4 1/2 hours before the flight, and then had a very hard time convincing them to let me check in without waiting until exactly 4 hours prior. And hanging out by the checkin desks is no fun because all the nice stuff happens AFTER you pass security with your boarding pass - no place to sit and have coffee, soda, snacks, nothing until you get airside.

Not that the LH lounge that *A uses at Dubai was such a prize but compared to the hours I'd spent before, it was the height of luxury (anyone who's been there will know that is really sad...)

Please go by the Port Rashid Cruise Terminal and see if the QE2 is still there.

Some rumors are that they have put her in dry dock. Some of us ex-QE2 passengers on her last and final cruise to Dubai are very concerned about her fate.

We need to know.

Also you get to see what was the greatest cruise ship in the 20th Century.

She is easy to spot from several parts of town, even hotels like the Hyatt if your room is high up enough.

Feel free to answer me by PM not to clutter the thread.

Thanks a Million Times. ;)

QE2
 

NOT in dry dock in early March - I did see her but would not have recognized her without Brits pointing her out (her name has been painted out).

Dude! We are talking Dubai! There is no telling what the QEII will look like a few weeks from now. It's probably going to have a Hypermarket in it, a landing strip hung off the side and a couple of office blocks rising up off the top deck. Sorry.

.....