Experience Dubai Hospitality Burj Al Arab

Cost of staying at the hotel: Cheapest Suite: Aprox. US$ 2000 per night.
Royal Suite: Starting at US$ 28000 per night.

Burj Al Arab has become an iconic symbol of Dubai. It is one of the regions most famous tourist landmarks, and as a hotel it has set new standards for excellence in Arabian hospitality. The hotel, which was inaugurated in 1999, established its presence with its futuristic and magnificent exterior.

In its relatively short tenure on the Dubai coastline this legendary and symbolic hotel has attracted international attention and awe, ensuring its place as one of the most photographed structures in the world. Designed to resemble a billowing sail, Burj Al Arab soars to a height of 321 metres, dominating the Dubai skyline. Illuminated at night by choreographed lighting representing water and fire – Burj Al Arab is simply individual, inspired, impressive.

This all-suite hotel reflects the very finest that the world has to offer. With a discreet in-suite check-in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers, you can be assured of the ultimate in personal service throughout your stay. Upgrade your experience with your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce.

Unless you are staying there, the only way to get inside is to pre-book a visit to one of the hotel's bars or restaurants. As you can imagine, dining doesn't come cheap here, so one of the more economical options is to go for afternoon tea. you have too book well in advance to get a slot to be able to have coffee at the ultra exclusive hotel. You can also book yourself for luch or dinner in one of the exclusive restaurants at the hotel and I can assure you it will be an experience you will never forget.

Call +971 4 3017600 for advanced booking at the cafe, bar or one of the restaurants at the Burj al Arab.

Dubai a Vibrant Night Life

Dubai has a lively night life. Hotel bars range from sophisticated cocktail lounges to typically informal British and Irish pubs and Western-style lounges. Most of them serve food and many feature pianists, guitarists, duos and bands nightly.

After-dinner revellers can enjoy the latest sounds in a number of hotel nightclubs, each with its own ambience.

For a more exotic experience, there are several excellent Middle Eastern nightclubs featuring Arab singers and dancers.

Elsewhere, talented acts from all over the world provide lively international entertainment at many venues.

Dubai increasingly attracts top names from the world of entertainment. These include popular singers and entertainers from both West and East. Concerts and performances are widely advertised in the leading newspapers as well as tourist guides and tickets are available for people to buy at hotels and well as shops.

Stage plays from London tour regularly, as do major dance groups from Europe and Asia, while ballet and opera companies from around the world are regular visitors to the emirate. You can enjoy a wide variety of international performers like disney on ice, cirque du Soleil etc.

Dubai Museum

Location: Al Fahidi Fort - Dubai
Al Ibn Abi Talib Road
Contact Information: phone +971 (4) 353 1862 & +971 (4) 393 7151
Cost: Adult AED 3, Child AED 1
Timings: Saturday to Thursday : 08:30 am -20:30 pm, Friday: 14:30 -20:30 pm
Open during Public Holidays.

Al Fahidi Fort, which houses the Dubai Museum, was built around 1787, and once guarded the landward approaches to the town.Renovated in 1971 for use as a museum, its colourful life size dioramas vividly depict everyday life in the days before the discovery of oil. Galleries recreate scenes from the Creek, traditional Arab houses, mosques, the souk, date farms and desert and marine life. One of the more spectacular exhibits portrays pearl diving, including sets of pearl merchants’ weights, scales and sieves. Also on display, are artefacts from several excavations in the emirate, recovered from graves that date back to the third millennium BC.

A must-see for anyone interested in the social history of the Emirate (and indeed the country). A visit starts at the al-Fahidi fort, which has a few examples of the traditional reed houses and other artifacts, but isn't much to look at. The more interesting part is the modern extension built underneath the fort, showcasing Dubai's history using the latest technology and culminating in a reconstructed souq from the pearling days, complete with authentic sights and sounds. It is quite fascinating to see the speed at which the transition from poor pearling village to modern metropolis occurred.

Try the Arabic foods Part 1 (Arab Mezze)

Dubai is a metropolitan city with people from all over the world and thus you will find all types of foods in Dubai from all over the world. You will find franchises for all the major fast foods, diners and restaurant of the world as well as a large assortment of South Asian and South East Asian restaurants. But I would suggest when you are visiting Arabia, try some Arabic food, you wont be disappointed.

Shawarma:
By far one of the most popular foods in the Arab world, the shawarma is a substitute of a wrap, it is made of grilled lamb or chicken rolled into an Arabic bread, sprinkled with tomatoes, garlic sauce and Arabic pickle. There are many "Cafeteria's" in Dubai offering the shawarma the taste varies from restaurant to restaurant but is very nice.
Price: $1-$3

Falafel:
Falafel is the Arabic French fry. It looks like a cutlet. They are made out of mixing chickpeas and different spices. Then deep-fry and served as a side

dish. Falafel is also available at every "cafeteria" basically on every street in dubai you will be able to find them.
Price: $1-$2

Mandi:
Mandi is by far my favourite foods in Dubai, served in special "Mandi Restuarants" all over Dubai. Usually the seating at these restaurants is on carpeted floors where you have cushions, you also get your own private cubicle inside the restaurant so people can not see you sitting on the floor and eating. Mandi also comes in Lamb and Chicken, in servings of 1-3-6-10 people, Traditionally the serving you ask for is served in one big tray and all the diners eat from the same tray, but you can order seperately too. The mandi is a dish of arabic rice served with steamed chicken in arabic herbs, with soup and an assortemnt of sauces, A must try not to be missed. The most famous mandi restaurant is "Bait al Mandi" or the House of Mandi, situated on Diyafah street in Deira Dubai.

Wild Wadi Water Park Dubai

The wild wadi water park situated on jumeirah beach next to the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai is one of the best water parks in the world. It is very disney like with a touch of alladin. The water park is very popular in Dubai because summers in Dubai get very hot and the cool water park can be a welcome respite. For tourists to Dubai, the wild wadi is a whole days activity, and if you are traveling with kids and family this is a place not to be missed.

The park is a bit pricy about $50 for Adults and $40 for children. Although if you are staying at the Burj Al Arab or the Jumeirah beach hotel access to the park is free. Inquire at your hotel or with a tour operator, you also might be able to get a cheaper rate from one of these.

When you go to the park you are given a wrist band which magneticaly activates your locker, you can also add any amount of money onto the wristband's magnetic strip to use at eating areas and refreshments kiosks, you can also utelize this money at the amazing gift shop located inside the park, when you leave you have to return the wristband and whatever money you have left will be refunded to you.

There is an endless list of rides, a huge wave pool and a wading stream, the best thing about the wild wadi water park is that like most water parks you dont have to climb to the different rides in the heat, you can ride the master blaster an uphill water roller coaster that you can ride on a single or a double ring, high speed jets of spray will take you to different pools where attendants will guide you to the ride of your choice.It's very easy to get to Wild Wadi. All the taxi drivers know it - and most hotels can call you a club car if you want to go that way. It's basically right at the entrance to the road bridge over to the Burj Al Arab, and is also near the Madinat so you could spend the day at Wild Wadi and move to the Madinat for shopping and dinner in the evening!

It's a great place, grown ups and kids alike will have loads of fun, and it's a must do in Dubai.

Mall of The Emirates Dubai

The mall of the emirates is located on the Sheikh Zaiyed road in Dubai, while driving from Dubai towards Abu Dhabi, you will notice the opulent mall on the left side of the road. This is not your regular shopping mall, it is a dream come true for shoppers and tourists to Dubai. The biggest mall in the UAE and one of the biggest in the world.

This shopping mall in dubai is host to almost every brand imaginable from all over the world. If you want to shop this is the place for you, women before planning on shopping here be sure to bring extra luggage, if not no problem, you can buy all sorts of luggage from samsonite to Louis Vuitton everything is available at the mall of the emirates. when you get tired of shopping you can take a break and have lunch or dinner at one of the hundreds of cafe's, fast food chains or fine dining restaurants located inside the mall.

The emirates mall in Dubai also offers for your enjoyment a Cineplex showing the latest movies year round, this cineplex also hosts showings of the Dubai International Film festival movies.
For the adventurer there is a complete three level indoor ski slope with a ski lift so you can forget about the hot weather outside and enjoy a winter all year round, for the desert people this is a blessing like no other.

The best thing about this amazing shopping mall in dubai is that it boats a hotel inside with "Alpine suites" from where residents have a view of the snowy ski slopes. By far one of the best shopping malls in the world, Mall of the Emirates leads in making Dubai the shopping destination of the world.

Sheikh Zayed Rd.
Al Barsha
Tel: 04 4099000
www.malloftheemirates.com

Dubai heritage Village

Dubai heritage village is part of an area which consists of three important historic landmarks of old Dubai, the heritage village, the diving village and Shekh Saeed Ak Maktoum's house. These three historic places are situated in an area called Shindigah in the Bur Dubai area of Dubai.

The Dubai heritage village consists of some old buildings and a museum which houses artifacts from as far back as 550, if you are interested in history and culture of Dubai this is a must stop for you, you will see what construction was like in the olden days in Dubai, you will also see some of Dubai's rich cultural heritage.

The village also consists of a small shopping area with traditional shops selling antiques, handicrafts and local goods you will also see stalls being run by local people in traditional garb selling various edible goods. Be sure to try the local green tea called the Kahva, some local bread and sweet meats.

During winter evenings as well as on special occasions and festivals the Dubai tourism department arranges performances of traditional dances and other activities to give insight into life in Dubai.

Link to Map and tourist information,

Scuba Diving in Dubai

Being one of the premiere tourist destinations in the world, with amazing year round weather, Dubai is Ideal for scuba diving. Enthusiasts and adventurers from all over the world can dive at numerous dive sites in Dubai if they are certified, if they are not diving schools offer short as well as long diving certification courses at very reasonable rates.

Diving in Dubai is fun because the water temperature is ideal year round as well as there is ample marine life to admire when you go on diving trips. The most popular diving outfit in Dubai is Al Boom diving with branches in Dubai as well as Fujaira.

Al Boom diving will do everything for you to make it a memorable dive trip, they arrange dives everyday, and have several dive sites you can go to depending on your certification level, they also offer snorkeling trips every day.

The best dive sites to dive in Dubai are an hours drive away in a place called Khor Fakhan, the reefs and fish variety is just amazing and you can be sure to have a diving trip that will excite and relax you at the same time. There are also some wrecks off Fujaira that the diving club can arrange for you to visit.

For the adventure diver, Al Boom diving can arrange dive trips to Oman depending on your dive qualification, here you will get more dive sites which will offer an unforgettable trip to the experienced diver. I have enjoyed diving in Dubai and I'm sure you will too.

Al Boom offers an introductry course for beginners called "discover scuba" with one as well as two ocean dives. Discover suba with one ocean dive costs $150, with two ocean dives it costs $200 this includes instruction as well as equipment rental. A more comprehensive "PADI open water diver" certification with equipment rental costs $635. The open water certification can be done in 5 days on a fast track, they also offer ways to do the theory part online in the form of e-learning so if you are coming to dubai for a short time you can do the dives conviniently. The rates for snorkeling are roughly $80 depending on the location of the trip.

Dubai offers diving oppertunities to both experts and beginners be sure to try the scuba dive experience on your next trip to Dubai. Al Boom diving can be contacted at
Tel No: + (9714) 342 - 2993
Fax No: + (9714) 342 - 2995
Email: abdiving@emirates.net.ae

Have a fun and safe diving trip in Dubai.

Dubai as a shopping destination

Dubai located in the middle east and one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the premier shopping destinations of the world.Not only do you find the best choice in shopping, the best products and the best brands from all over the world, but also all of this great shopping is duty free because Dubai is a duty free zone. There are no taxes on shopping at all in Dubai.

Dubai boasts some of the worlds best and largest shopping malls in the world, with shopping outlets and brands from every region in the world. You will be able to find anything your heart desires in the numerous malls and shopping complexes of the country. Weather it is clothes, perfumes, crystal, electronics, rugs, handicrafts or Gold jewelry. You will find that there are specialty souks and malls for everything.

5 years back Dubai boasted a few good shopping malls of international standards, the most famous being the city center in Deira and the Bur Juman shopping mall in Bur Dubai. Today Dubai is home to the biggest shopping mall in the world in the form of mall of Arabia. another shopping mall the mall of the emirates boasts an indoor ski resort in the middle of the desert kingdom. By far one of the best shopping destinations is Madinat Jumeira a complex consisting of hotels, resorts, restaurants and an amazing shopping complex by the sea, with water channels and canals running throughout it giving it a venetian look.

Dubai is a shopping paradise not to be missed, a one stop shopping destination for all your needs.