20 Hours in Dubai (Need Hotel & Activity Suggestions)
 

Layover in Dubai, arriving in the early afternoon and leaving in the morning.

Budget for Hotel: 1400 AED - Would like something that is very convenient to the airport & whatever activities I am doing in my 20 hours (i'm Gold at Hilton & SPG so I do lean towards them).

Activities: I've searched some of the other similar threads, and i'm not interesting in the Sky Dubai (although it does sound cool). I'd like to see dubai if possible and go out for a good traditional meal.


Alright Middle East forum, let me have it, and thanks in advance.

Le Meridien, by the airport, is a good choice and they recently joined SPG. They give Platinums upgrades to the Royal wing, in which the rooms and club lounge are surprisingly nice. Not sure about Golds, but you could probably buy a club room for your budget in August.

I can't recommend a great Arabic restaurant (there is one at the hotel but I have never been) unfortunately. Mazaj at Century Village, also close to the airport, is decent.

Thanks for the reply. I will be arriving on the final day of Ramadan (Monday). What type of impact (if any) will that have on travel and availability at restaurants?

I'm between the Le Meridien, Hilton Conrad, Hilton Dubai Creek. This budget of 1400 AED seems quite high now that I am looking at hotels and it seems like I will not need to spend nearly that much for a decent layover hotel.

Le Meridien from what I can tell is very close to the airport - but is it just an airport hotel or will I be able to experience a few hours of Dubai as well?

Hilton Dubai Creek - Seems to get great reviews and from reading on here seems to be close to the old souk. If I got to the hotel by 6 PM would that allow me to experience the souk or a water taxi?

I see in other threads suggestions for malls, but that's not really interesting to me. I have malls where I am from.

I'm looking at the Le Meridien but it doesn't have great reviews. I suppose it can't hurt to be close to the airport though. Will this allow me to see things like the Gold souk, creek, Dubai museum (or will these just not be possible on the final day of ramadan for the hours I am there)?

In general, everything is open during Ramadan after sunset (around 7:30 in Dubai). The places you mention are in Deira, so fairly close to the airport and Le Meridien. I don't think that anything will be different on the last day of Ramadan.

The Hilton Dubai Creek is indeed within walking distance of the gold souk and creek water taxis. I am not sure if they operate during the day (gold souk will probably be closed at that hour). You might have to wait til 7:30 or 8:00pm. I have stayed at the Hilton; it's a bit dated, smaller than LM, but perfectly fine and in a good neighborhood. The Conrad is new and lavish, but kind of lacking in character. In that category, I prefer the JM Marriott Marquis (though not the location), IC Festival City, or Shangri-La.

LM is not an airport hotel -- it's a five-minute drive away in a neighborhood called Garhoud. It's easy to get a taxi. I had my first stay there a couple of weeks ago, in the Royal wing, and had a very nice experience.

One other thing I could recommend is an iftar buffet at a five-star hotel. I am sure that the Conrad's would be nice; I didn't notice one at LM but I am sure that they have it also. Shangri-Las has been very good in past years. These are lavish affairs, with plenty of local specialties. I can imagine that in your one dinner in Dubai, you might prefer a fully Arabic restaurant, but the buffets are fun and can have legitimately good food -- due to their nature (they start at sundown sharp and only last an hour or so), the food is always fresh, so it's not like the typical buffet experience.

Thanks mecabq. Really appreciate your help and advice.

I cannot recommend highly enough a visit to the Bastakia Quarter of Old Dubai. A trip there on the Creek just adds to the magic. I discovered a Centre for Cultural Understanding there, which had many activities, including trips to the nearby mosques and even Arabic classes! If you could allow a few hours for a little of this, then you never know that you may end up spending so much time there, more than you expected!

http://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2...-of-old-dubai/

In addition, and on a complete opposite kind of price scale, a trip to the Dubai Marina afterwards will let you appreciate how much this place has changed over the past 30 years or so. Some fantastic restaurants for dinner around the Marina too, if you have the budget. ;)