Help! Dubai for a week with children
 

I'm going with my wife, 2 children (4 and 2 years old) and mother-in-law (don't ask!) to Dubai for a week in May. I appreciate it will be getting hotter but it was the earliest we could do. I'd really appreciate any experiences that could help with the following:

1) Where to stay? We were thinking about an apart-hotel as we need 2 bedrooms and a space for the children to play. Any suggestions about where in Dubai to stay and which particular property we should stay in? I'm a Hilton Gold so would have a slight preference for a Hilton property, but can be persuaded otherwise...

2) What to do? The children will, I assume, be too young for the waterparks, and I guess we'll want to be at home over the lunchtime period anyway given the heat. The acquarium looks like somewhere you could spend a day but what other activities would you suggest for children that age? They are happy doing pretty much anything (although maybe a day in the mall may prove a bit too much for them!).

3) How to get about? Taxis appear cheap but will they take 3 adults and 2 children? My wife is paranoid about safety so she will be lugging a full size car seat around with us :rolleyes:. I would be happy with a trunki instead.....

4) Anything else we should be aware of? We've travelled quite extensively, but have never been to this part of the world before, so although we'll be reading the guidebooks over Christmas, any practical advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Jumeirah Beach would be fun for the kids. There is a small admission fee. Also, while I'm not a fan of malls, Dubai Mall has some play areas for little kids. And, of course, that would be air conditioned (a big plus in May). Outside they have the Belligio-like water show -- that'd be good in combination with an early evening dinner.

Then again, maybe you should find a hotel with its own beach. Others here might have ideas on that. One more idea: boat ride on The Creek.

This isn't a great place for kids, but you can make it tolerable for a week.

All my friends with children rave about Kidzania as the best thing since sliced bread. I've no idea if they're bigging things up too much though. May will be pretty hot (mid to upper 30s) so be prepared...
Actually, if I were you I'd hire a 4x4 for a day and drive over to Dibba or Fujeirah where it's a few degrees cooler, the mountain scenery is beautiful and the sea has turtles.

Thanks both - Kidzania looks fun (so long as LA Jr doesn't want to be a pilot by the time she leaves and wants to fly the plane back!

Would be interested to know what you decided in the end! Got a four day stay in Abu Dhabi coming up but considering whether it's better to stay in Dubai instead - got a 2 year old so trying to work out which is most child friendly!