Ahlaaaiin Dubai!!!

Ahlaaaain friends,

Welcome to Dubai. Jo wanted some info on what to do in Dubai, and I will be attempting to give Jo an insider's information on what to do where! Ok, so Dubai has recently been voted by a leading retail magazine as the leading destination for shopping, so I shall start there.

SHOPPING!!

1. City Center- This is the most central place to do your shopping. It includes the hypermarket as well, and you are bound to find something that will fit your budget. I like this mall because it has food courts and restaurants, a good bookshop (Magrudys) and movie theatres.

2. Sharjah Blue Souk- I love this place because if you go the second floor, you can find great bargains on those little artifacts and souvenirs you know you have been meaning to buy your grandmother back home! It's a great haunt, and bargain a lot with the shopkeepers. Don't buy anything like souvenirs from the malls. I bought a camel candle holder, which were being sold in the mall for dhs140, and I got it for dhs30 at the Blue Souk.

3. Ibn Battuta Mall- This is the latest mall to come up in Dubai. It's a nice place to stroll around as the shops are the same. Geant, another hypermarket is also there. This mall also has the imax, but no good movies are being shown on it. The regular cinemas are there. This mall is good for a casual visit. Be prepared to walk a lot though as you go through six different countries.

4. Souk Madinat Jumeirah- A re-creation of an ancient souk, this is nice to experience, but be aware that the prices are quite high for the unsuspecting tourists. Just go there for the experience of it.

(Note: There are other malls as well like Bur Juman and Wafi, but they are exclusive malls, with highly priced boutiques and designer shops. Al Ghurair is a disappointment so don't bother going there. Lamcy is all right- it's entirely Indian, and sometimes you can find good bargains. Other smaller malls are ok, like Reef mall on Murragabat street.)

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES!!!

1. Wadi Bashing- This is a must-do thing if you are in Dubai. Call any tour operator and they shall arrange it for you. This is the closest thing you will come to a roller coaster in Dubai. Riders are frisked away in 4-wheel jeeps out into the desert, where they embark on a dune bashing, whereby the jeeps go up and down on the dunes. It's an adrenaline filled ride. I remember when I went on it, I was screaming on it the whole time mainly because it's so unpredictable and scarily fun!

2. Dinner Creek- Book your dinner for a ride on the creek. I have been with them through Al-Boom Tourist Village, and a dinner on the creek in the evening is a great experience to witness Dubai's skyline and creek.

3. Abra rides- Abras are the water-taxis. You merely pay about 1dhs and you get a ride from Bur Dubai to Deira or the other way. All sorts of people go on this, and is an experience in itself.

4. Beach sports- There are loads of options to do beach-y stuff: diving, snorkelling, surfing, banana boat rides, jet skiing, or just lazying on the beach. Usually the beach front hotels will provide all these facilities though you have to pay an entrance fee. I like mamzar beach, as opposed to Jumeirah beach where you find more sleazy people.

5. Wild Wadi- Bit expensive, but a great day out. It's an awesome water park, with some of the coolest rides in there.

FOOD!!!

1. Automatic- The best lebanese food...nothing can beat this. Cheap, very efficient and always tasty and dee-licious!

2. Goodies- Another lebanese restaurant in Wafi Mall. Make sure you get to sit outside on the balcony for amazing views and experience. Sheesha is also great there.

3. Boardwalk- This is an outdoor restaurant, situated on the creek, opposite City Center mall. The menu is the usual, but its the experience of sitting outside on the creek.

4. Madinat Jumeirah- Several good restaurants. Don't try the Times of Arabia- highly over priced Lebanese. The Meat Co. is awesome.

HOTELS!!!

1. Madinat Jumeirah- Again, a great place to just hang out, have coffee, ice cream or dinner.

2. Grand Hyatt- A city hotel, there are some good restaurants here (Indochine is nice). It's a happening hotel and apparently has the best club in town (The MIX).

3. Royal Mirage- I like this hotel because its in its own world. Peace and serenity are the keywords here. If you want to relax and have a peaceful time, this is it.

EXTRAS!!!

There are loads of cinema multiplexes here, and they all show the same movies! Art galleries and museums are also here. There are areas in old Dubai where you can get good bargains on electronics. There is the Gold Souk. Lots of other smaller stuff. I don't go clubbing so I am not knowledgable on what clubs are nice or not. I only hear from other people.


All right, I hope I covered everything. If you have specific questions, let me know. If you have any particular interest, ask me and I can try to help you more. By the way, I only refer to Time Out Dubai as the essential guide. They are a great guide to what's happening in Dubai. There is another magazine What's On, but that's quite boring. Also, there is a book Dubai Explorer, which is all right too...more handy if you are living here for a longer time.

By the way, I extend out an invitation to you. I am not sure who you are coming with, but it would be awesome if we could meet up for coffee or something!

Mansur