Dubai trip for family of 3, Flights & where to stay?
 

Thinking of doing a trip for family of 3 with a young child to Dubai. Heard it has lots for families to see and child to see and do. What area should we stay for about 6 days? We don't mind having to take short train/uber/taxi rides to get around. We would prefer western smaller chains that has breakfast included (free). Any chains with free breakfast like Hyatt place or Club Carlson hotels? Are the attractions affordable? What attractions can you recommend for families? We will eat at small restaurants and cheaper indian or local restaurants and Mcdonalds, etc We will also eat at the Pei Wei if it is not too far.

I have United & Aadvantage milesf for the flights, what airline would you recommend with good business class seats from ORD?

Thank you!

I've moved this to our Middle East destination forum.

chgoeditor
​​​​​​​co-mod, Info Desk

Emirates has excellent business class. If you're not price-sensitive, just book 'em nonstop out of ORD. If you are price-sensitive, look for J tickets ex-YYZ and ex-JFK. I've bought my Emirates tickets out of YYZ in the past...the cheap positioning flight was worth it (and I don't mind having most of a day to visit a couple friends in Toronto).

If you can afford 3 J seats, you'll find most of Dubai reasonable. There are lots of very good quality hotels (Hilton resort quality, for example) that are cheaper than you'd find in Chicago, and then there are some of the best luxury hotels in the world that are quite a bit higher. I don't know anything about what kids do there other than I've seen various ads for waterparks, theme parks, the various gigantic malls, etc. I've stayed in a Hilton near the airport where as a Diamond member I got a very large suite upgrade and breakfast/lounge included. Whole thing was a little over $100/nt. But I don't know what a regular room looks like, whether it'd be comfortable for a family, or what breakfast costs. (Probably not a lot.) I remember my search result showing a Hilton Garden Inn for about $50/nt., but didn't feel the need to go *that* cheap. (The reviews of the HGI weren't bad...I just decided to do the Hilton instead.)

If you're there that long, you should probably plan a day or two in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking of Abu Dhabi, Etihad also has a well-regarded J class and might be worth adding to your search list.

Hello

I travel on a regular basis to DXB - you won't be disappointed.

As already mentioned, the is a wide range of hotels providing extraordinary service for a much - really much - cheaper rate than in the US.

I prefer to stay in JBR - Jumeirah Beach Residence - with plenty of smaller food outlets around. You will find the Ritz Carlton there, a Hilton, a Four Seasons, etc etc.
From there you have direct access to the Palm with further nice hotels (like the Five, the One-and-Only).

I stay mostly at the Ritz Carlton which has a nice beach area (not the fanciest pool though) but provides the best value for around USD220 per night (w/o club access). Top end in Dubai is the one and only on the palm for about 1000 a night. I don't like hotels like the Atlantis (very famous but too large) or the Burj al Arab (too tacky).

You could also stay around the financial distirict, where the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa are - but I think in Dubai you should stay around the sea and not downtown. Visit the Dubai Mall for an afternoon. Skip hotels at the airport area (too far away from the nice places).

Taxi will take you about 40min from DXB to JBR (if not in a rush hour).

I would definitely visit the Aquapark of the Atlantis (quite fun to float around :)

Any questions let me know.
D

My suggestion
 

I'm not going to get into the flights department as I would be partial to Qatar Airways. So, I'll get to the next part of the question: If you are set on western hotel chains, than I read some very good advice above. However, I stayed in many places in Dubai and only once in one of those hotels. It;s true that it's not my style. I prefer smaller hotels, as close to local traditions as possible: In that idea, I would recommend Comfort Inn Deira. It's a nice hotel, close to the metro station (it's much better than taxi or uber, especially during rush hours). There are several supermarkets in the area and they offer free shuttle to Al Mamzar beach (a great place for families). If you really want a hotel chain, I'd go for Ibis - much better prices and excellent services. There are lots of Ibis hotels in Dubai for you to choose from (I stayed at Al Rigga). Since you mentioned small restaurants, let me recommend you a place in the Al Rigga district (very close to Ibis Al Rigga Hotel) - Sandwich Club. It's a medium size terrace on the sidewalk serving cheap and delicious traditional Arabic food with awesome lemon mint (mint lemonade). I ate there several times and brought friends. Every time, it was great.
The attractions aren't expensive... of course, depending on what you want to do. Burj Khalifa can be visited for approx 150 USD pp I think, the aquapark at Atlantis the Palm in approx 60-70 USD pp... I don't think there are attractions much more expensive. For your kid, don't forget about the kids area in the Dubai Mall and Mall of The Emirates...it's fantastic (not even for children)...In both malls, the kids areas are on the last floor.
As far as getting to the Palm area, there is the nice option of taking the Hop on Hop off bus or public transport (but you have to change metro, bus, tram and the monorail), but if you want a more direct approach take a taxi... it's easier if it's not rush hour.
If you want more about Dubai, I have lots more info on my blog. victorjitaru.com/dubai
All the best and, if you want to know more, either check my blog or ask away.
Happy trails!

Dumb question: is this really a local (nice) hotel? I only ask because it shares a name with a lower-tier chain of American roadside motels. (I mean, they're okay as a roadtripping stop goes but aren't really a "local flavor" or boutique kind of brand.)

OP - What is your budget for hotel & food? It is really hard to calibrate what to recommend without with a ballpark of what you can spend.

It's local. It does not resemble the American or the uk version and has no reference to the chain. It's a nice clean hotel with good location. Unless you are looking for luxury at which point I can't make any recommendations. I did stay at Rove Downtown Dubai for 3 nights, which is in a totally different league, but it's a bit difficult with children as there is a lot to walk until you reach the first public transport station and you would depend on taxis.

That's good then. I almost wonder if that brand association indirectly hurts them because people perceive it to be associated with the chain. But perhaps not if they have an established local clientele that knows them well...

The hotel is full of Germans and Russians, some I heard come every year. As for us, after staying there, we will probably return. I don't think it hurts them in any way... I don't even think they care too much. 😁

Here's Dubai's official website and the kind of places for kids and families, mainly theme parks. The last time I've been to Dubai was in 2003, so I don't have first-hand info, but hopefully some of the members can say if these places are trappy or if they're worth it.

The other big attraction that opened up last year is Warner Brothers World, but it's in Abu Dhabi, which is a bit out of the way, but it looks real promising as far as family activities and rides for kids and stuff.

I don't understand why people go to Dubai for these things. Similar things exist in the US and are likely cheaper, before even thinking about flying halfway across the world. It perhaps makes a bit more sense if you're coming from European winter.

Emirates and Millenium

Just because and want to would be good enough for me. In 2 weeks time we are flying off to Dubai with 2 grandsons so they can say they had been to the top of the tallest building in the world and stayed at The Atlantis the Palm Hotel and only reason is just because..:)

Those attractions probably get a ton of business from people on short stopovers. I can't see taking my family just to Dubai, but I can totally see using it as a stopover point on the way to Asia and letting the kiddos splash around in a water park while we're there.

I *could* see doing a 1-week Dubai / Oman / Abu Dhabi trip someday, but there are still a lot of things higher on our list, both with and without the kids.

There are three Hyatt Places in Deira, the older part of the city. The Al Wasl location is a very attractive new building with a full free breakfast. (You might have to be enrolled in World of Hyatt to get the breakfast.) The area is not where most tourist attractions are, and can experience traffic in the last mile to the hotel, but there are tons of taxis and there are two metro stops a few blocks away, plus a mid-level mall across the street. There are lots of local Indian and Arabic restaurants. Ditto for the Al Rigga location. These are both a longish, but doable, walk from the Deira waterfront, which is a must-see with the boats and souks. The Al Wasl location has a small but nice rooftop pool which is heated and offers decent views. Almost all hotels in Dubai have a pool anyway.

Another option might be Al Barsha/Mall of the Emirates. There is a new Hilton Garden Inn with a breakfast a bit less substantial. Also a handful of restaurants, plenty of taxis, and a Metro a few blocks away. This area is slightly farther from the Dubai Mall/fountain, which you will probably want to visit, but closer to the amusement parks and Jumeirah Beach.

There's another HGI in Al Mina, close to the beach and some pedestrian shopping areas. I am not as crazy about this location, but it's more suburban and more upscale than Deira.

Stay somewhere in Deira. Preferably close to Al Riga street. Right there you have metro stop, shopping mall and hundreds of restaurants. During my visits to Dubai I stay at HGI Muraqabat in Deira 30+ stays. During my first visit I've stayed at the private apartment, but it was over kill for 1 person. Had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room.
HGI provides free shuttle to the metro (if you can't walk 2 blocks) and shopping mall (it runs on schedule). You can also buy in the lobby tickets to Khalifa tower. That way you will skip long lines in the mall.
This HGI is across the street from huge supermarket Al Kabayel, next to 3 banks with ATMs. It has a pool on the roof, restaurant and a bar downstairs and even hair salon.
In summer you can get rooms for as cheap as $40 a night, and in winter average price is around $110 per night. That's my go to hotel while I'm in Dubai.

Dubai—A city of dreams
 

Dubai—A city of dreams and the ideal world of the Middle East. Fantastically tall and magnificent structures rise overwhelmingly out of the desert sands and glimmer next to the shimmering blue Persian Gulf. Including the world's tallest structures; ATM's apportioning gold bars; biggest strip malls on the planet; cooled transport stops; most significant moving wellspring and so forth. With all the first class and world class things stuffed in one tiny emirate, Dubai has everything travellers searches for in their last most loved Fiesta. In any case, past every one of the sparkles and golds, there are some incense-wreathed vividly decorated mosques that keep it's social and customary eccentricities alive. It appears as though all the Arabian night characters and area has woken up.

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