# What is there to do in Dubai? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029 "2003-04-16T05:46:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/1 "2003-04-16T05:46:45Z")
I’m heading home from Afghanistan soon and have a two day layover in Dubai. Anyone know something fun and relaxing to do? It should not involve earthquakes, bombs, mines, rockets, throwing rocks at me, or shooting expats. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/2 "2003-04-16T12:09:14Z")
Waterskiing, beach fun, snorkling, windsurfing…(Or maybe that was Abu Dabi). Check into one of the beach hotels. I took the Creek boat tour, gorgeous architecture on the east back, old stuff on the west. Oh, and gold shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/3 "2003-04-16T12:32:46Z")
Well, you can have a legal drink at a 5-Star hotel (only), excellent shopping. They got a Hard Rock Cafe (out of town, rent a car) to sell you a pin for your collection. ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/4 "2003-04-16T13:03:53Z")
i spent a couple weeks there last year, and this is what i think you could do… 1. shop till your arms fall off and your brain turns into a peanut from disuse. 2. if you’re in a beachfront hotel, the beach-y type stuff. 3. DUNE RIDING!!! yay! go visit the desert in a 4-wheel drive vehicle and surf the dunes. beautiful beautiful absolutely beautiful! some tour oerators have a whole day planned out, involving barbeques and whatnot. 4. observe the local architecture…very pretty houses. 5. watch a belly dancer do her stuff (happened to be there with my father…he was \*definitely[/] pleased 😉 ) 6. eat…superb variety in cuisines. and do make it a point to at from roadside vendors…their stuff rocks! (yes, i hogged at their stall, and no, i did not fall ill.) 7. amuse yourself with the fact that every single street in dubai will have atleast two mens hairdressing saloons. the men there must be real narcissists! 8. there’s this place called the Gold Suk (or something to that effect)…the displays of gold there border on the vulgar. i came away blinded. that should be enough for atleast a week or so. but, primarily, i think it is a shopping paradise. (too bad i’m a lousy window-shopper…:rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/5 "2003-04-16T13:20:20Z")
Hope you packed your golf clubs, if that’s your bag? Watch out for those hairdessers, though, you’ll end up with a complimentary shave, a nose hair trim :eek: and a scalp massage if you’re not careful. They’ll fleece you for around $5 for this. At least this was the price in Qatar three yeas ago. I think there’s a cricket tournament going in Sharjah, but I think it might be too late for the camel racing season. ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/6 "2003-04-16T13:24:43Z")
gah! must remember…preview is my friend. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/7 "2003-04-16T13:37:22Z")
Hey thanks guys. That desert safari sounds awesome. I have to stay in the hotel my company has an account with, so no beach front lodging for me. Are the desert safari and creek tour something I can book at most hotels? It’s going to be hot eh? I can’t wait. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/8 "2003-04-16T18:32:36Z")
Huh. I’m the only one who came into this thread humming _“Dubai dooby do”_ ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/9 "2003-04-16T19:06:12Z")
The beach hotel had a “Day Access” rate, I was not staying there either. It was just to use their facilities. 1991/92 timeframe. Pretty cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/10 "2003-04-16T19:10:05Z")
Drunk Go-Cart Racing. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/11 "2003-04-16T19:33:22Z")
Visit (or, if you’re immensely wealthy, stay in) the [Burj Al-Arab hotel](http://www.burj-al-arab-dubai.de/), the world’s tallest and dare I say most opulent hotel. A recent special I saw about the hotel referred to it as a “seven star” hotel. Poke around on the site and you’ll see why. Anyway, if you can’t afford to stay there (and who the hell can?), perhaps you can dine in one of their restaurants, or just look around; they have systems of really cool fountains, some with fire. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/12 "2003-04-29T23:49:46Z")
All this talk of shopping is depressing me. It’s obvious that the shopping consists of buying obscenely expensive items that I can’t afford. Are there discount stores such as Target or Walmart in Dubai? What’s the middle class like? ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-there-to-do-in-dubai/169029/13 "2003-04-30T03:55:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\*Visit (or, if you’re immensely wealthy, stay in) the [Burj Al-Arab hotel](http://www.burj-al-arab-dubai.de/), the world’s tallest and dare I say most opulent hotel. A recent special I saw about the hotel referred to it as a “seven star” hotel. Poke around on the site and you’ll see why. > > Anyway, if you can’t afford to stay there (and who the hell can?), perhaps you can dine in one of their restaurants, or just look around; they have systems of really cool fountains, some with fire. \*\* I’ll second that. The Burj is one of the tallest hotels in the world and it’s built on a man-made island off the coast of a beach (can’t remember the name :smack: ). It has it’s own fleet of helicopters to pick you up from the airport or drop you off, I think that they have an entrance fee of US$150, or something like that. Which means if you wanna go have a looksee inside you gotta pay up 😉 Each room has two floors as well.