Holidays in Dubai

A holiday in Dubai is no longer the hidden secret of the lucky few. As more airlines serve the Emirate and hotel developments have continued, Dubai has earnt itself the rightful reputation of the premier holiday resort of the Middle East.

It isn't just the top class hotels, all of which feature excellent facilities and quality service, but the whole infra-structure of Dubai that make it such an enjoyable holiday destination. Excellent shopping, local culture, good transport, exquisite dining, friendly people and quality attractions all gel to deliver a superb holiday experience.

Wild-Wadi Water Park

Don't miss the family fun of the Wild-Wadi water park. There  is no climbing steps and queing here - you just float around a series of inter-connecting lagoons and powerful jets of water literally blast you up to the starting point of each water flume - it's as much fun going up as coming down. The Wild-Wadi also features an artificial lagoon with beach and wave machine and there are plenty of other water-themed areas for younger children to enjoy. Wild-Wadi can be found adjacent to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (residents of Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Burj Al Arab have complimentary access to the water park).

Dubai Holiday Excursions

The hotels and holiday reps usually offer a range of excursions to make your holiday in Dubai more than just a beach and pool experience. Coach excursions take you to shopping centres, souks, mosques and neighbouring Emirates to investigate further the culture of the region. Try also a desert barbecue which features traditional cuisine, dance and a camel ride. For the thrill seeker book a Wadi-bashing desert drive. These four-wheel-drive excursions in air-conditioned jeeps take you into the desert, over the dunes and hurtle along the wadis (dried up river beds) and back up among the dunes. It is a thrill experience not to be missed.

The Souks

Dubai has been a Middle East trading centre for commodities for centuries. The markets, or souks, are usually clustered together by type. One area will be gold souks, another spice souks, another carpet souks. Whatever you are looking for, whther exotic spices or a good buy for gold jewellery, you will find it in Dubai. Gold jewellery is sold by weight, not just the craftsmanship - typically a 24 carat gold necklace in Dubai will cost you between a thrid to a half the UK high street price. Remember to bargain on the price since it is expected.

Dubai Shopping

Dubai is a shopping paradise with numerous designer outlets, department stores and specialist shops. There are several large shopping malls in Dubai City, luckily all air-conditioned. The hotels usually run complimentary shuttles to and from the malls - ask your concierge for details. Good buys are clothes, electrical goods/gadgets and optical goods, such as cameras and binoculars etc.

If, at the end of your holiday in Dubai, you have a few Dirams left why not splash out at the airport Duty Free, or even enter the Dubai International Airport Prize Draw. The prizes are expensive cars and if you win they ship them directly to your doorstep wherever you live worldwide.