Dubai today is flashy, fun and slightly surreal. Renowned for its sand, sun and it was once a tranquil town of coral and gypsum courtyard houses built by Persian traders and palm-frond huts housing Bedouin fisherman and pearl divers. Today shiny new skyscrapers reflect the mosques and wind towers of Old Dubai.
Dubai holidays take you to one of the seven emirates, together with Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah that make up the country of the United Arab Emirates. One of Dubai’s holiday highlights is the Gold Souks, where a fortune in gold sits in the windows of rows of shops.
While most visitors choose Dubai holidays for the year-round sunshine, luxury hotels, and soft sandy beaches and astonishingly warm seas, a visit to Dubai will also offer a fascinating insight into a country and culture of astonishing contrasts. Dubai holidays offer some of the most extraordinary luxury hotels in the world, with cosmopolitan restaurants, every imaginably amenity, and superb spa and sports facilities. Dubai offers top-class golf, horse and camel racing, family attraction parks and some of the world’s most futuristic and lavish duty-free shopping.
The best time of the year to visit Dubai is between November and April, when the weather is coolest, with a maximum temperature of 24c dropping to a comfortable 14c at night. The rest of the year you're more likely to be running from one air-conditioned environment to the next instead of getting out and exploring. Ramadan, which takes place at a different time each year on the Western calendar, is the Muslim month of fasting and is strictly adhered to throughout the UAE. That means that it's illegal, not to mention rude, to eat, drink or smoke in public from sunrise to sunset at this time. On the 'up' side, hotel rates drop to 50% of their usual cost.
Hotels in Dubai are among the best in the world, often architecturally stunning; they all share a high standard of quality. Geography of Dubai is as interesting as the emirate itself. One of the most interesting geographical features of Dubai is the Dubai Creek, a natural inlet in Persian Gulf, dividing the city into two parts-the Deira to its north and Bur Dubai to its south. The unique location and geography of Dubai allows it to connect to all neighbouring Gulf States, as well as South Asia and East Africa by sea or land. Dubai is also a major stopover for flights from Asia to Europe and vice versa.
Dubai has a primarily desert landscape with extensive sand dunes, oases, and wadis (dry river bed). There are also some spectacular offshore islands, coral reefs and sabhka, or salt marshes. That's not all about Dubai geography. Visitors will be surprised to see a range of mountains lying close to the Gulf of Oman.
A growing and avid interest in art is being displayed in the region, and many local and international artists are setting up base here. While you may not find the Tate gallery or the Louvre in Dubai, there are a number of galleries here that exhibit art and traditional Arabic artefacts.
The Dubai Art Society was established in 1976 but only became popular when it reinvented itself in 1980 by moving to newer premises and, later, in the mid-1980s, renaming itself as the Dubai International Art Centre. Today, it is prominent in the thriving local art scene. At the same time, Ras al-Khaimah's Fine Art Association Centre is active in promoting the artistic skill of young artists in this northern emirate. The Courtyard and the XVA Gallery are worth visiting and are examples of some unusual architecture.
Dubai Museum is in Dubai, a city (and Emirate) in the United Arab Emirates. It is located in the Al-Fahidi Fort, built 1787 and believed to be the oldest building in Dubai.Dubai Museum was opened by the ruler of Dubai on 12 May 1971, with the aim of presenting traditional way of life in the Dubai Emirate. It includes local antiquities as well as artifacts from African and Asian countries that traded with Dubai.
Dubai, has an excellent nightlife scene with a large choice of bars and nightclubs for you to be able to enjoy whilst there. You will need to know that most of the bars that can serve alcohol are only in hotels, there are though a few exceptions, and most of these are reviewed here. Dubai also has some interesting laws regarding clubs; they all must close at 3 am, you must be 21 to drink alcohol, 25 to enter a nightclub, and interestingly they are not allowed by law to refuse entrance to anyone, including members only clubs.
Most bars don't start filling up until at least 9 pm, and the nightclubs are practically empty until about 11 pm. The great thing about Dubai is that crime is virtually unheard of, so you are perfectly safe getting a cab or walking back to your hotel even in the early hours of the morning.
Holiday shopping here is a must – A Dubai holiday means you can take advantage of the duty free status of the city. Dubai's shopping muscle draws lifeblood from the thriving contrast of traditional souqs, enormous malls and funky clothing boutiques; each overflowing with fresh produce, old-world exotica, designer collections and new-wave gadgetry.
Dubai's restaurants and hotels offer an incredibly diverse range of food and beverage choices including both restaurants of all kinds and cafes and bars. The choices consist of cuisine from around the world, including excellent service and décor. Here, unlike many other cities your best bet might be to eat in your hotel because restaurants located outside hotel and club premises are not permitted to serve alcohol. However, the rest of the city does offer small eateries which support Dubai's high standards of international cuisine. Some of the types of food you will find besides Gulf, Middle Eastern and Arabian are Italian, Spanish, Swiss and Chinese.
The Culture of Dubai is predominantly Islamic, with religion touching all aspects of everyday life in the country. Day to day activities, festivals, cuisine, dresses, weddings, and other customs are dictated very much by religion. Locals still continue to wear their traditional costume even today, which indeed is a symbol of national pride and identity. Arab culture and folklore find expression in Music and Dance of Dubai.
