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Stayed in dubai from 22nd jan 2016 to 26 jan. Took accommodation in sun and sands downtown. 1) Make sure your hotel is very close to metro. This wil save some expenses. 2) Buy NOL card once and recharge it every time needed. Do not take NOL card every time. I mean don't forget it at room or don't lose it. 2 dihrams extra if u take card every time. 3) buy water bottles from near by super markets or shops. dont buy in hotel or malls. in hotel it is 6 dirhams, in malls it could go to 15dirhams based on brand of bottle. Outside it will cost only 1.5dirhams. carry water where ever u go. 4) plan properly. take bus or metro but not taxi. taxi is expensive and meter will be running even at red signal and every signal stop would take 5mins atleast. 5) Desert safari is must in the package. 6) when u take hop-on-hop-off. plan very well. buses won't ply in the mornings to magical garden and global village. 7) dhow cruise given by hop-on-hop-off pkg has its own timings and buffet not included. If u plan to take dhow cruise with dinner book it separately. taking both is not worth. 8) wild wadi park and aqua-venture parks are expensive. see if u get package. 9) Book a package with travel agency. If u try booking every thing on ur own inclusive flights, it wil be very much expensive. 10) shopping in malls is expensive. better shop outside. you can bargain including gold. 11) Dressing in dubai not strict. modest dressing is preferred. ladies can even wear 3/4ths, sleeve-less, tight dress. 12) prepare yourself to walk a lot.

Overall the trip was great, here are some highlights about what anyone can do in Dubai based on the trip target. For shopping, all malls are good especially Mall of Emirates that has a good mix between affordable brands and expensive ones, I liked it more for shopping. Dubai mall is huge and is a good place for enjoying food as it has lots of restaurants and big food courts, so as enjoying Burj Khalifa with the dancing fountain Dubai Marina is one of the best places to roam at night. For roaming in Dubai I recommend using only 2 options out of 3, Metro, renting a car, and taxis. Dubai Metro is easy to use especially to go down town as it's hard to find car parking in this area. Taxi is so expensive, therefore renting a car was my best option. Rent from an agent that gives unlimited milage per day to enjoy roaming more places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai Global village. Dubai festival city this year is amazing, I recommend its visit from 4PM to have enough time to see all. I would avoid going down town by car again as it takes long time to find parking and most of the time you will not find if you want to visit crowded area like God souq which for me wasn't that much interesting. On the other hand Naif souq is good to visit including the area around it for cheap goods and gifts. Abu Dhabi doesn't have much to see but it's more calm than Dubai, Kornaish and the Ruler palace are the most famosu areas to visit and good to spend sometime in. Hope anyone enjoy visting Dubai, 5 days would be enough to see all.

Dubai just gets better and better. If you are planning a trip then I suggest the following: The Beach at JBR. Recommend the Egg restaurant for breakfast The Souq at Madinat Jumeirah. Fantastic selection of restaurants and v v quiet. Recommend the Meat Company for an awesome steak. The new 14km promenade walk along Jumeirah Beach. Recommend the Al Bahar restaurant beside the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club for a relaxing coffee/breakfast/lunch Dubai Outlet Mall Nobu at Atlantis The new cinema complex at Mall of the Emirates. Eat at the new Brazilian Steak restaurant before or after your film. The Raw Coffee Cafe tucked away in Al Quoz - superb warehouse coffee shop, if you can find it The fish restaurant near the Fisherman's Accommodation in Jumeirah. The Thai Restaurant in DIP (in the Choithrams shopping complex) Bert's Cafe in The Greens I could go on and on.....

Dubai is a very interesting and vibrant city. It is modern with a flare for the extravagent. The prices of nearly anything you want to do are some of the highest in the world. But, with the highest building in the world and a fantastic airport and infrastructure of highways, hotels and restaurants. It is hard pressed to not find a way to have fun. But bring your credit cards with you. The beaches are fun and clean. The Mall is impressive. And the building architecture is incredible with impressive novel building popping up continuously. With 85% + of the people living in Dubai, not from the UAE, it is a very international city. Phillipine, India, Pakistan, China, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and many other countries have large populations of ex pats working mostly in services industries. Nearly everyone you meet, of any nationality is courteous and smiling. They seem genuinely happy to be living in Dubai.

I went purely for business so did not visit any of the attractions or leisure activities on offer so cannot comment on these. In terms of transport, Dubai is very cheap in relation to the UK. One thing to be careful of is that private hire cars often pull in at the taxi ranks or at hotels and as a rule charge double the cost of a taxi with the taxi sign on the roof. Drinking any form of alcohol tends to be expensive here as you can only drink in the international hotels, expect to pay around £8 per pint at current exchange rates (40 AED per pint) Food is generally of a high level at the restaurants and a good one is Flavours on 2 at the Rotana Towers Hotel where beer and wine is free whilst you are in the restaurant. Very good food and with the drinks thrown in extremely good value in Dubai. Shopping deals I have found to be a bit of a myth with many items sold here at or more expensive than you can buy in the UK for. Know the relative cost of what your looking for before you come to ensure you do not buy a false bargain.

Dubai is a great place to be if you want to shop till you drop! From business to personal, you will get everything provided you go to the right market. You will find the really cheap quality and the finest too depending on the location. The public transport system is excellent, so make use of the metro and buses, taxis' are convenient but a little expensive. The people there don't entertain rapport so don't try to strike a conversation with a shop owner, you will get cold response. Finish your job and leave. The best food is the street food, the food served in the big malls, is a NO NO. Over priced and no value for money. It's mass produced for the sake of selling. Best time to be there is December - Feb where the temps are pretty good. Never go June - August coz' you'll bake in the oven!