Too good !

This place is great in its infrastucture with the tallest tower in the world, largest shopping mall,no income tax , with the only seven star hotel.etc.It is too good with an amusement park which would be ready in 2009 or so which will be the twice the of disney land,and better than it.I cant even imagine how the city will be by 2016.

Great for: Beaches, Nightlife, Budget Travel, Family Holidays

Last Visit: March 2008

23 September 2008 | A Yahoo! User

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Dubai was not at all what I thought it would be, too many cons and very disappointing!

You can often see pictures, brochures, displays and advertisments of Dubai of how spectacular and georgeous the place looked and I am the person who loves the shopping, rich arabic culture and mixing in with the arabic society despite it being cosmopolitan (in which I would tolerate), I thought this is definitely for me so I booked a hotel in Bur Dubai so I did not have to go far to reach the shops. When I got there, this is no exaggeration, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE!!! I barely saw a single arab on the street, the streets really smelt bad, the shops were grimy, run-down and dirty, the vending machines were very rusty and some of them did not work at all, there were constant sounds of car horns especially in Bur Dubai and Deira, I barely saw any arabic shops OR restaurants, it was mostly Indian shops selling saris, turbans, curries, Indian fabric, bollywood movies, in which I expected to be more arabic shops selling shisha, veils etc. I felt more like I was in DELHI than Dubai! Another con was that in Deira there was barely anything to eat at all. Me and my wife went to the gold souq to look around, my wife wanted something to eat and we had to walk all the way to McDonalds in Nasr Square. Another con was that if you go into the Burj Al Arab hotel, you can only really appreciate it from the outside. Firstly, you are only allowed to enter the hotel if you buy a buffet which was ridiculously expensive (about £80 each) and the food did not taste very nice, and we were told that we were only allowed to take two photographs at the entrance and we were not allowed to go up OR down the hotel. Another con was Jumeirah Beach. It was a lovely beach but it was so overcrowded, on the beach AND in the sea that I could barely move and I had to go far out in the sea TO breathe. However, the PRO's about dubai is the Jebel Ali beach - that was fantastic, beautiful soft white sands and warm water, not TOO overcrowed just pleasant. Al-Mamzar beach park IS A MUST, the perfect beach in the world! It was quiet, only a handful of people and you can swim where you like - it was wonderful. The Mall of the Emirates is ALSO a must and that IS the best shopping mall in the world. Also a must - is the Desert trip and that was fantastic! We went on a 4x4 car over the dunes and we had an arabic meal at the tent smoking shisha and skateboarding, and that was a dream come true! All in all, you are seeing Dubai by going to the Jebel Ali Beach, Mall of the Emirates, Al Mamzar Beach and the Desert excursion, and MAYBE the Burj Al Arab. But apart from that, go to Luxor (Egypt) instead, It was MUCH better!

Great for: Beaches

Last Visit: July 2007

29 July 2008 | A Yahoo! User

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amazing

dubai is a brilliant country. It was too amazing for words. If you are going then stay in the jumeria beach which is lovley. If you aren't going the you must be mental!

Last Visit: March 2007

2 July 2008 | A Yahoo! User

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Dubai

I have been 10 time that it is that good and I stay at the royal meridien hotel spa and resort. It is very kid friendy and peaceful. Amazing!! You must go

Last Visit: May 2008

25 June 2008 | A Yahoo! User

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Not my cup of tea

Definately not all it is made out to be. The city is no where near finished (scaffolding on every building) and what is completed seems to be a poorly imitated mixture of New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The malls that have been given such huge reviews are nothing out of the ordinary while the rest of the city looks far more impressive in pictures. And to top it all off, the people were extremely unfriendly. Overall, Dubai was unimpressive.

Last Visit: November 2007

24 December 2007 | A Yahoo! User

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Fascinating place!

Nice sandy beaches (no rocks at all!) and very calm sea. City is pretty chaotic and clearly growing and developing so, so quickly, but it all looks so exciting.

Last Visit: September 2007

23 September 2007 | A Yahoo! User

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Amazing Sand Dunes!!

This should form an unavoidable part of the trip for anyone who comes to Dubai. The off-road Arabian adventure carries you away from the regular hustle and bustle of Dubai City, to the desert of golden sand dunes. If you opt to travel to the desert from your pick-up location, in a luxury cruiser, you could reach there in about forty five minutes. Dune bashing, the Arabian roller coaster ride, will initiate shriek and laughter full of excitement, as the car moves up and down the dunes. The safari could go to extremes and you might even fear a flip over. Once the sun descends, you could take sunset photographs while standing still on top of the fading desert dunes. Thereafter you could head to the campsite that contains camel fleet, which awaits the arrival of visitors for short camel rides. On returning from the rides, you could relax on majlis (low cushions) in traditional Bedouin tents, glancing through some souvenirs purchased. Thereafter you can head right away to enjoy an Arabian barbecue buffet dinner with coffee and dates in a traditional manner, underneath the dark sky. You can also dress yourself in traditional garments, decorate your hands and feet with temporary tattoo (henna). Before heading back to Dubai, you will be amused by the enthralling dance of a belly dancer to the traditional Arabic music, and could join along, if you wish. Consider this routine, and you will enjoy, no doubt!! Check this website www.guide2dubai.com for more relevent information.

Great for: History/Culture, Budget Travel, Family Holidays

Last Visit: March 2007

25 July 2007 | A Yahoo! User

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Great Relaxation

Wow What a place, for relaxation....perfect and its so hot...

Great for: Scuba/Snorkeling, Hiking/Camping

Last Visit: May 2007

6 June 2007 | A Yahoo! User

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More than just resorts/sun/booze

I love Dubai and have been there many many times now. Only a couple of things bother me.....the first is the amount of sunburned tourists from the UK walking around like bloated lobsters in sloppy casual gear (usually with their swimwear underneath). This is acceptable in a resort, but not in glam shopping malls such as Mall of the Emirates, Wafi or BurJuman. Quite funny when the Emirati people (and other Arabs) strive to look so stylish, well groomed and elegant!! After reading a lot of these Yahoo Travel reviews it seems that lying by hotel pools and guzzling alcohol have become national obsessions. Sad really, because there is so much to do and see in the UAE. My complaint number 2.....is relating to Russians. A few of my family members work in Dubai, I have made plenty of friends who work in Dubai - and yet NONE of them work with any Russians or have met any Russians in business dealings. So what are they all doing there? Very sleazy indeed. Anyway.....if you are a tourist who wants to be immersed in the fascinating culture of Arabia, it is still possible to do so. There is still plenty of the 'old Dubai' remaining to explore and there are also emerging Emirati Art, Fashion and Music scenes. Drive 20 minutes past the airport (away from the coast) and you start seeing camels in the hundreds....keep driving and the desert becomes mountains....keep driving and the mountains meet clear blue waters (with no tourists in sight!). I could go on and on :-) Yes, ok Dubai is becoming plastic and disney-like......but scratch the surface and it is more than just resorts/sun/booze.

Great for: Beaches, Scuba/Snorkeling, History/Culture, Nightlife, Family Holidays

Last Visit: May 2007

3 June 2007 | A Yahoo! User

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A great family holiday

We have been 4 times and are off again on Wednesday. Its great, guaranteed weather, loads of shopping and fantastic hotels. Booze is rather expensive but we stay with family so dont have to worry too much about that. Try and take some time to see the historical sites and go into 'old' Dubai.

Great for: Beaches, History/Culture, Nightlife, Family Holidays

Last Visit: March 2007

9 March 2007 | A Yahoo! User

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