dubai
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The best way to spend a few days in Dubai!
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Travel Tips
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1. backpacker - $100-$150
2. Comfortable- $200-$250
3. Luxury- $400+
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The most common way of getting around Dubai, and probably the most expensive, is by taxi. There is also Uber.
The fastest way to travel between big cities in Dubai is to use the metro (purchase a red NOL card)
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To avoid extreme hot weather one should visit between the months of November and March when the weather is quite moderate. But if you want to travel to Dubai on a budget then Ramaddan month and months with high temperatures e.g. May, June, July might be a good option.
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Dubai has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Its strict laws kept its crime to a minimum and tourists feel more safe here than other parts of the world.
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Hotels and B&Bs. Use Agoda and Booking.com to make your reservations
There are blurred lines as to whether Airbnb is allowed in Dubai, and where Airbnb is allowed. To avoid confusion, just use the above sites instead.
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Dubai's official language is Arabic but there are many variations prevalent in the city. Although Arabic is the official language of the UAE, English is the most spoken language in Dubai.
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Dune safari tour
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Booking.com and Agoda are great options for finding accommodations and cheap flights to and from Dubai
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Dress conservative – Dubai is a Muslim country and this calls for modest attire for women.
‘Modest’ is a rather lose concept and, as a general rule, it means to skip anything overly short (skirts and shorts), avoid revealing tops with plunging necklines, see through attire and anything too form fitting. Below the knee skirts, linen trousers, maxi dresses, T-shirts and blouses all work well.
Light and breathable clothing – Dubai is hot pretty much all year round and even in winter you want to have clothes that are light and breathable. Also, pack a Shawl for air conditioning/ chillier days / extra coverage when needed.
Pack a dress-up outfit or two, for more formal evenings at dinner. In the evening, you will find it hard to be overdressed.
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Eating out in Dubai is expensive, but there’s foods from all over the world. Some foods you wouldnt have even tasted before so we do suggest eating out often. Some dubai dishes include: Luqaimat, Knafeh, Camel, Turkish cocktails, Samboosa, Arabic coffee and dates, Margoogat, Machboos
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WHAT WENT WRONG - Dubai Dune Bashing Tour
Finally! Time for Dubai! After dipping their toes in the unfamiliar city of Istanbul, Dubai represents a place completely unfamiliar to both of the Diemers. The only knowledge they have going in is that there is a really tall building and it’s super hot there.
Turns out, Dubai has been built from the sand-up to be a tourist destination of the next century. Endless clean beaches, desert sun, shopping malls that are attractions in themselves, Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, Old Dubai, Dubai Fountain, Mall of the Emirates, water parks like Wild Wadi, Boat rides across the Dubai Creek…..the list goes on and on.
The Diemers spend a week in Dubai and still don’t have enough time to do half the things on the Must Do List for Dubai. They quickly fall in love with Kite Beach and find they have to tear themselves away in order to do anything else while in town. Kite Beach is incredibly well kept and the cleanest sand they’ll visit in most of the world. The water, while not Philippines clear, is clean and bathwater warm.
Dubai is home to world renowned architecture, but it’s some of the smaller hidden treasures of the city that hold the most charm. A day spent walking around Old Dubai can be a cheap adventure- great food and lots of interesting shops to poke your head around in. Additionally, a quick walk through Deira Fish Market will have you questioning just how many sharks one city can eat.
Tim, a simple man at best, was most impressed with the food that can be found in Dubai. The Diemers went to Ravi Restaurant once a day for a week, and on one day, three separate occasions. Ravi Restaurant serves up Pakistani food, which Tim didn’t even know was it’s own special thing. Turns out, Pakistani food is awesome-spicy enough to make your nose sweat.
The Diemers wrap things up with a desert safari that sets a tone of disappointing tours for the rest of the trip. What was promised? Dune bashing, sandboarding, camel rides, dinner and a show. What was delivered? Apathy and sadness. (The dune bashing part was pretty sweet though.)