|
A Guide to Dubai
Hotels
Dubai is one of the
fastest-growing and most
prosperous emirates of
the seven United Arab
Emirates. By population,
it leads the other emirates
and by area, it is seconded
only by Abu-Dhabi. The
multiplying growth of
the emirate can be attributed
to several factors e.g.
the growth of the oil
and the construction sector,
tourism, and a rise in
the real-estate projects.
Furthermore, Dubai is
also a major hub for the
financial and banking
sector. All these factors
make the area a rather
rich one. The wealth of
the region has caused
tourism here to sky-rocket,
due to the range of facilities
and attractions the city
can afford to provide
to tourists from all over.
These include the world's
richest horse race, million
dollar lotteries, international
sporting events like tennis
and golf tournaments and
month-long shopping festivals.
It sports the world's
tallest and most lavish
hotel - the Burj Al Arab,
shaped like a billowing
sail - built on an artificial
platform in the sea. Other
tourist attractions include
Creekside park, the Bird
sanctuary, Wild Wadi Water
park, an indoor ski resort,
and The Gold Souk.
These attractions tempt
people from all over the
world to wish to visit
Dubai. This leads to one
major question by interested
tourists like myself:
accommodation. When traveling,
accommodation is one of
the single highest costs
deterring people from
seeing different countries
and cities. However, this
primarily depends on tourists’
budget. For those who
can afford expensive,
posh accommodation, Dubai
is paradise on earth!
Dubai is the home to numerous
luxurious hotels. These
include famous hotels
like Park Hyatt, Emirates
Tower, Madinat Jumeirah,
Le Meridien, Burj Al-Arab,
Hilton Dubai Creek, Atlantis,
Dubai Seven Star Hotel,
Dream Palace Hotel, Al
Maha Desert Resort, City
Season Hotel, Concorde
Hotel and Residence, Coral
Boutique Villa, Dusit
Dubai, Al Bustan Rotana
Hotel, just to name a
few. Due to the ever-rising
demand of accommodation
in Dubai, there are various
hotels under construction
as well. These can be
expected to be open in
a couple of years and
include resorts like Four
Seasons Hotel Dubai, W
Hotel Dubai, Layia Orchid
Hotel etc.
These hotels are few of
the most luxurious and
renowned hotels of the
world where footballers,
celebrities and the elite
enjoy staying, while visiting
Dubai. These are, needless
to say, very expensive
and bookings depend on
availability, especially
during peak seasons. The
facilities offered are
diverse – you can
expect to be pampered,
fed and treated like royalty.
Facilities include excellent
locations, rooms, villas
and suites with beautiful
views of the sea, restaurants,
cafes and bars, conference
and banqueting services,
sprawling gardens, sports
clubs and gyms, and clubs
and playing area for the
little ones as well! There
are spa treatments available,
complemented by saunas,
steam rooms, indoor and
outdoor pools alike. More
information regarding
the cuisines served at
each hotel, and the rooms
etc, can be found on the
respective websites of
the resorts.
Throwing some light on
budget hotels in and surrounding
Dubai, there is a growing
demand for such accommodation,
owing to recession in
the major economies of
the world. Despite what
people may tell you, it
is quite possible to find
cheap hotels in this city
(the frugal travelers
have a right to travel
too, after all). Although
they may not be as luxurious
as the Burj Dubai, there
are plenty of cheap hotels
in the emirate. The inner
city is the perfect place
to start searching. The
hotels here cater to visiting
relatives of Dubai's large
population of migrant
workers and you can expect
to strike a good bargain
at one of these cheaper
places.
To search, the Dubai business
and shopping district
is also recommended. A
few hotels here, for example
the Highland Hotel, offer
reasonable rates with
amazing views of the Arabian
sea - ideal for the 'coast
conscious' tourist! The
shopping district of Al
Fahidi street is also
a good place to look.
This area of the historic
street bazaars, notably,
Meena Bazaar, hosts quite
a few cheap hotels.
Cheaper hotels can also
be found in areas including
Deira, Bur Dubai and Al
Satwa. Deira hosts a large
population of migrant
workers. However, this
is an excellent location
– it is only a short
walk to the gold souk
and Dubai Creek. Since
Dubai is virtually crime
free, the area is relatively
safe to visit at day or
night. Hotels around this
area include Le Meridien
in Deira – these
are reasonably cheap!
Most of these hotels will
be very basic accommodation
but it is a lively place
day and night.
Bur Dubai is a buzzing,
lively little area which
is home to a large Indian
migrant population, which
is mostly Karela. It is
within close proximity
to major shopping malls
such as Ibn Batuta Mall,
and is minutes drive away
from Jumeirah. It has
‘Mina Bazaar’,
a fantastic market which
is well-known for clothing.
Other cheap hotels in
Bur Dubai that you will
be able to find include
places like Le Meridien
Sandos and also Golden
Sands apartments.
Hotels in Al Satwa should
really be on the bottom
of the list and not considered
unless tourists are on
a very tight budget. Although
the area runs parallel
to Sheikh Zayed Road,
it is the area which is
considered to be quite
rough.
Prior to booking any cheap
hotels in Dubai, it is
imperative to do your
research. It is advised
to read hotel reviews
just to ensure there are
no unpleasant surprises
when you arrive. Because
nightclubs are not really
allowed in Dubai due to
it being a Muslim country,
you may find that there
are bars or discos integrated
within the hotels so it
is highly recommended
to check out the reviews
before making a decision.
The best and the cheapest
deals are in the off-peak
season which is in the
summer, between April
and September where you
will be able to get some
very good bargains on
accommodation. If you
do decide on going to
Dubai in these months,
however, be prepared to
witness boiling temperatures
and experience sunburns!
Wrapping up, Dubai is
one of the ideal resorts
for travelers and tourists.
It is heralded by the
elite as well as tourists
on a tight budget. The
key is to decide on a
budget and then search
for hotels within that
range. Gather as much
information as you can,
before going for this
dream holiday. In this
case, what you don’t
know CAN hurt you. To
book your hotel room in
Dubai just right away,
Please check out our Dubai
Hotels listing !
|
