Holy smokes, I’m visiting our facilities in Dubai on the company’s dime. I’m so excited I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what hotel I’ll be staying at but I’m flying Emirates Airlines out of NYC.
Yea me.
Any advice?
It’s always been a dream of mine to go to Dubai just to stay at the Burj-al-Arab.
You must. And then post all about it. In minute detail.
Safe trip! 
Congrats! I’ve been to Dubai twice, and I think it’s fantastic. How long do you get to stay? Any time to yourself?
Whatever happens, make sure you visit the Dubai museum in the centre of the city. It’s small and interesting - about an hour.
There’s lots of modern stuff to see - malls and restaurants - and touristy stuff like the Gold Soukh - but if you have the chance, take one of the foot ferries over the river for like 5c to the old part of town, which is fascinating, especially if you’ve been to the museum already. A few years ago, three of us went walking around there, and went to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch, ate solidly for an hour, and got charged $2 for everything, including several bottles of Coke!
The street food is great - sharwarma kebabs are particularly tasty.
If you fancy a drink, there’s a good Irish pub with a beer garden, and you can also drink alcohol in the hotel bars, or buy it in the supermarket.
Another thing I’ve done there is rent a car and drive to other of the Emirates - Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and even across the border into Oman (which is way more Islamically primitive).
I highly recommend you read a bit about Islamic countries before you go - not to avoid trouble, but to try to understand what’s going on around you. There are many simple primers available. And get a good guidebook: I use Lonely Planet, which are very good for historical background as well as street-level stuff.
My sister’s family is in Dubai for a few years - they’re just getting moved now. I’m going to visit as often as I can, since they have spare rooms. It’s an amazing place.
It will be hotter than a very very hot place, and more humid than than a very hot and humid place. It is difficult not to curse when describing Dubai in August.
Emirates is a great airline.
Check to see if your hotel has pick up arranged for you, otherwise get some dihrams at the exchange counter just outside the doors after customs, then head towards the taxi rank, ignore everyone asking you if you need a lift (well politely say no thanks). The taxi rank is well organised and safe. 20-30 dihrams to most hotel unless you are way up at jumeriah beach in which case it will be 80-100. 3.4 to the dollar
Things will be pretty quite this time of year, most expat families run awy home to escape the heat, (did I mention it would be hotter than a err, yes I did.)
All hotels have bars and clubs, and there are some independent clubs, although they are mostly populated by ladies of negotiable affection.
If you do end up having a few for the road, keep a low profile. Technically it is illegal to be drunk, but the only trouble I have ever heard of is people being load and obnoxious and basically getting themselves in the crap. A nice quite orderly taxi home is the way to do it.
Personally been heavily trashed in dubai on many occasions and never had any trouble.
Clothing wise, it will be hot but everywhere is air conditioned, however shorts are not acceptable outside, or anywhere except the hotel pool. I am told people just think it look stupid rather than causing any offense.
resterants - personally I think Teatro in the Rotana Towers is great, Longs Bar downstair is good for a beer. The resteraunts in the Emirates towers hotel are very good, as is the fish and sushi place in the grand hyatt.
If you are staying in any of the emirates hotels (emirates towers, the wave) you can go to burj el arab and get across the causeway and look inside, supposed to be impressive, wear resonable clothes or they wont let you in.
Shopping, lots of shoping places, but the cheap shopping that dubai was famed for seams to be a thing of the past.
Other things to do, go to the souk buy some gold (that is still cheep, dont be in a rush, go to the old port, marvel atr the shear total bloddy number of tower cranes in use.
Sorry not much more cultural info, I was mostly in and out on business or just escaping nastier places to lie on a beach.
enjoy.
I thought it would be cool to take Mrs. RickJay to the Burj al Arab. Regrettably, at $2000 a night for their very best rate in the smallest room, maybe not THAT cool.
A few years ago, my wife’s ex CEO did so much business with the company travel agent that he got a comp gift from them: 3 nights in the fucking penthouse suite of the Burj, with first class Emirates travel from London each way. The suite had something like four bedrooms, all with plate glass ceiling-to-floor windows looking over the desert and the gulf. There were five phone lines and a fax machine, and two phone lines in the bathroom alone. There was a 24-hour butler service, with a dude standing outside the room at all times to provide whatever he wanted.
(Did he take his wife? No, he took his suspiciously attractive PA. :dubious: )
Check out SkyscraperCity’s pages on Dubai. The world’s tallest building–over 800 metres–is being built there. And there’s an instant skyline appearing around it. Dubai has hundreds of tower cranes in use.
No word on the transit system that, one presumes, is supposed to join all these buildings. I hear the road congestion is horrendous.
Well, you can go skiing.
If you had more time (and got the needed visa), you could do what my mum did a few weeks back, and take a side trip to Yemen; conditions a little primitive, but she enjoyed it immensely–people very, very friendly and welcoming (likewise in Iran, as my mum’s friend found out last year); folks coming out to have their photo taken with the Europeans, etc, women welcome to tour mosques (with the required burka, of course).
Read the paper before you go to be up on local matters:
http://www.khaleejtimes.co.ae/
Don’t miss the robot camel jockeys. No, really.
Enjoy Dubai - shopping is about all there is to do, unless you can arrange an overnight desert safari. If you have never been to the Arabian Gulf before, you will really enjoy it. And don’t plan on walking anywhere - temperatures in the middle of the day will be over 130F (50C)!
And stay AWAY from Yemen - scary, nasty place!
BMalion, I’m currently living in Dubai right now… rather, Ras al Khaimah, about 60kms outside of Dubai. But I am in Dubai frequently enough on work, and RAK is too much to explain each time :smack:
Not much to add to what the other posters have said, except that shorts are indeed perfectly acceptable. And the irish pub jjimm refers to is indeed excellent - it’s called the Irish Village. Probably not the best time of year to sit in their beer garden, but ymmv.
Feel free to mail me if you need any info about this place. And maybe we can meet up for a few beers sometime. Heck, if you get the time for a drive down to RAK, there’s this rather neat little sailing club here…
My email address is in my profile.
I second (third?) the great, and cheap, food. Try to find a company that will take you out dunes racing - literally just racing around in the desert in 4x4s. I went with a group of people, and it was a lot of fun - most will take you out after for an Arabian nights style camp meal complete with belly dancing, which was fairly cheesy, but still a good time.
Thank you all for the great responses!
My transfers are all arranged, in fact I suspect that we’ll be treated to quite a lot of tours and dinners, so how much free time I’ll have is still a mystery.
I hope I can find a souk that sells all that cool tourist stuff like scarves, daggers and chests, maybe even a jezail rifle!
I wasn’t planning on any heavy drinking so that should not be a problem, I assume that cigars are acceptable?
Gouda, as soon as I know my hotel I’ll send you an email, having a dopefest in Dubai just has to be done.
I’m figuring on wearing coat and tie everywhere, I’ll have to pick up a nice white linen suit this week.
Thanks again for all the advice!
Update:
I fly out Monday the 2nd. returning Friday the 6th.
I sent Gouda an email with my hotel information.
Woo-Hoo! First class on Emirates Airlines!
Dubai, Dubai – Do!
Damn! That’s worth a thread just on its own.