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Where to stay in Dubai & What to do

Amit Mitbawkar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:05:30 +0000

So, you have decided to visit Dubai and don’t know where to stay. Dubai with all of its heritage and sight-seeing activities makes this a very tough decision. The saying ‘Dubai has too many hotels’ is very appropriate for a city built around tourism activities.

At this time you may be wondering which activities would be the most accessible to the hotel where you would be staying in without too much commuting. For me the choice is simple.

There is no shortage of budget hotels in Bur Dubai, but the hotel I would recommend is the ‘Regent Palace’ located across Burjuman shopping mall in Bur Dubai.

Click here for more details on the Regent Palace hotel. Other hotels in Dubai.

This hotel is very strategically placed and puts all the following activities within walking distance of the hotel:

Shopping in Dubai

For the guys – there is no place better for computers and electronics shopping than Al Ain Plaza and Al Khaleej Centre which are located around 10 minutes away from the hotel.

For the girls – Just across these two plazas, is the famous Meena Bazaar which has all types of clothing and jewelry shops to keep the ladies occupied throughout their stay.

If you are not comfortable with street shopping, there is one of the oldest and best shopping mall – ‘The Burjuman Centre’ which has all the leading retail brands with ample parking, just across the Regent Hotel.

You can cross the creek into Deira in about 15 minutes by boarding the ‘traditional mini-dhows’ called ‘Abras’ in local slang. These ferry you across the creek for less than a dollar.

Sight-seeing in Dubai

The area behind Meena Bazaar houses the “The Fahidi Fort, which now houses the Dubai Museum, and is the oldest fort dating to 1799. This area is very popular with western tourists as it offers good opportunities to buy souvenirs. clothing and jewelry.

The Dubai Creek (Bur Dubai side) is within walking distance of the hotel and offers activities such as 2 hour Dinner cruises and Al Fresco dining at the water front.

Desert Safaris and wadi-bashing activities are albeit an hour’s drive from the hotel but they pick you up from the hotel making these fun activities much accessible and recommended. Contact the travel desk of the hotel for more details.

Just across the Dubai Creek is the ‘Historic Bastakiya’. The old Bastakiya district with its narrow lanes and tall wind-towers gives a tantalizing glimpse of old Dubai. Immediately to the east of Al Fahidi Fort is the largest concentration of traditional courtyard houses with wind towers. In the past, the city was famous for a mass of wind towers that lined the Creek on either side. These wind towers were not just decorative. They were the only means of cooling houses in the days before mains electricity.

Bastakiya is a bustling market and cultural center of Dubai. The original, old city of Dubai is just one per cent of the modern city we see today. The district is filled with traditional courtyard houses and classic wind towers, which offer a charming glimpse of how Dubai once looked. Bastakiya is a district you will not want to miss, especially if you are interested in learning what Dubai is all about.

Wining and Dining in Dubai

For more details about the culinary delights of Dubai, read my blog post called ‘Food in Dubai’

Getting around in Dubai and other activities

Taxis in Dubai are relatively cheap depending on which part of the world you come from, but these were the only mode of transport until recently when the Dubai Metro was launched. The Dubai Metro now connects you with ‘New Dubai’ with the main station being below the junction of Burjuman and the Regent Palace. Although I haven’t travelled by the Metro yet, I know that it is largely based on the London tube, but runs above ground like a sky-train.

The Metro puts most of ‘New Dubai’ and other fun activities within reach of the guests of the hotel. You can see the ‘Emirates towers’ and ‘Burj Khalifa’ (the tallest building in the world) on the way to the ‘Mall of the Emirates’ (another fantastic shopping destination).

The Mall of the Emirates houses the world’s largest indoor ski-slope making Dubai the only place in the world where you can do both Desert Safaris and skiing in the same place on the same day.

The beaches of Dubai are some of the best in the world and you must checkout the famous Jumeirah beach if you have time.

Another iconic landmark you must visit is the ‘Burj Al Arab’ which is the ‘hotel in the shape of a sail’ in western parlance. Next to the Burj al Arab is the best designed mall in UAE called the ‘Souq Madinat Jumeirah’ which has an ethnic Arab theme to all of its shopping and Dining outlets. The Madinat Jumeirah also has the best pubs and artificial water-fronts, money can put within your reach.

Night life in Dubai

The Regent Palace has a happening disco right in its premises and I can write hundreds of pages on the night-life and clubbing scene in Dubai but I leave that to your imagination and the world famous ‘Google Baba’. Google it.

As you can see, you need at least two weeks to cover all these activities in detail, so choose wisely if you are here just for a couple of days.

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Food in Dubai

Amit Mitbawkar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:24:51 +0000

The best way to experience Dubai is through your stomach. In my 12 years of stay in Dubai, I have come across food of almost all nationalities in Dubai. Dubai is a melting pot of literally hundreds of nationalities and hence hundreds of cuisines as well. Depending on your budget, likes and dislikes you can get the best of Cheap eats and/or fine dining in Dubai without compromising on quality.

Cheap eats and Fine dining:

At the top end is five-star cuisine of the highest order. British chefs Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay have culinary outposts in the Grosvenor House Hotel and the Hilton Dubai Creek, respectively, both offering Michelin star–courting cuisine. They are joined at the top of the tree by the excellent Chinese restaurant Noble House in the Raffles Hotel. In any one of these gilt-edged places you’ll sample sensational fare in a high-end setting surrounded by Emiratis and those who have benefited most from Dubai’s economic boom, all paying about AED 500 ($140) per person for the privilege.

On the other end of the social spectrum lies Al Dhiyafah Road, Dubai’s cheap-eats street. Here restaurants catering to the city’s less affluent residents spill out onto the sidewalk so you can people-watch while feasting on food from Lebanon, Iran and the Indian subcontinent. On the northern end of the street lies Sidra, with zesty salads and a gut-busting mixed grill that gives you a taste of the Levant. On the other end of Al Dhiyafah Road, Pars Iranian Kitchen dishes out succulent lamb and fresh seafood straight from its outdoor grill. Opposite Pars (although you’ll have to navigate six lanes of highway traffic to get there) is Pakistani spice-peddler Ravi Restaurant, one of the city’s best regarded, if least presentable, curry houses.

Due to licensing laws, restaurants outside hotels can’t serve alcohol, but if you’re paying less than $25 for a meal for two it’s hard to quibble.

My Recommendation for Food in Dubai

When you are in Dubai, eat as the arabs eat, i.e. the amazing Arabic food. Checkout anyone of these arabic restaurants in the order they are listed:

Best of all is the ‘Aroos Damascus’ in Deira Dubai, at the end of Muraggabat Street, across Marks and Spencer. They have mostly Syrian cuisine.
‘Al Mallah restaurant’ on Al Diyafah street – Lebanese cuisine.
‘Automatic Bakery’ on the old Jumeirah road, just before Safa Park on your right – Lebanese cuisine.

None of the ‘cheap eats’ restaurants serve alcohol, but you will only find the best local flavors in non-alcoholic restaurants in UAE.