diat150

definitely not your run of the mill honeymoon destination for american citizens. just wanted to get some opinions from those that have been to see what they think about this. my wedding is in april, the fiance wasnt too keen on it at first but has warmed up to the idea. I thought it would be cool to see. beaches, shopping, different culture. snow skiing at the mall. alot of different things to do and see, and the price for flight and a nice hotel is very reasonable. I havent booked yet, ive read a little bit, even I am somewhat apprehensive as I really dont know what to expect once I get there. so what do you guys think?

divine54

dubai is a monstrous construction place.

i can think of at least a hundred destinations which are much more romantic for a honeymoon.

seychelles
mauritius
mozambique
any safari destination in east africa
kenya beaches
zansibar
ngorongoro carter lodge
gosh....it's endless - and not to forget cape town and the wine lands.

have a look at http://www.mateyasafari.com/ combined with www.vamizi.com is unbeatable!

div

diat150

yeah, I understand that. it just seems like dubai has alot of different things to do, magnificent stuff being built, and very safe.

matnikstym

I loved Dubai for the things you think would be cool. If that's were you want to go and your fiance is agreeable, then go. Lots to do, see and experience. Though I didn't do it, book one of those camel rides into the desert with dinner.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding.

dutyfree

I would include one of the desert safaris(aournd $45USD and about 6 hours) in your schedule along with possibly taking the "on and off bus" that has two different routes to see.Buy the ticket after twelve noon and you can get two days out of the one price. One route takes you through the souks(gold,spice,etc.) and also includes a short ride on a dow on the river which is interesting. The other takes you out to the Atlantis area and all of the big money along with the beaches.One word of warning though-the traffic is horrible there and construction(as others have said) is nonstop.

I really enjoy Dubai but as others have said I am wondering why you would want to go there for a honeymoon-its cheezy like Vegas,nonstop construction trucks and building,hot and in my opinion-not really a romantic place for a newlywed couple?

dutyfree

Forgot to add, that the Western culture is alive and well at EVERY mall. You will think that you are back in the states with all of the various stores with H &M,Gloria Jeans Coffee,etc.
There are few museums and some of the beaches are still segregated into family;male or female.Prices are high for meals and hotels too.Its a long flight to have a honeymoon there.
Personally, I would rethink the trip and do Europe or even South America like Buenos Aires.

Grcxx3

Dubai is not my favorite place. But maybe a compromise would be to spend a couple of nights there and then fly down to the Maldives......nice beaches and some very romantic spots. I think it would be perfect for a honeymoon.

diat150

ok this is the deal. this isnt like our first night together or anything. we have been living together for 3 years and been on about 5 or 6 different vacations. Im more concerned with having a good time than laying around on the beach all day at some resort. thats what I liked about dubai, it seems to have a little bit of everything, along with seeing some really fantastic stuff. im looking for a nice mix of things to do. to me, vacation is about seeing and doing stuff and experiencing different peoples. being able to be at the beach, snow ski at the mall, eat at the burj, do a little camel ride or something seems like a good mixture of activity. one thing i was worried about is my fiance is white and has huge breasts.... I am sure we will draw attention. what can i expect to pay for meals? how about transportation? should I rent a car or do bus/taxi?

dutyfree

What fantastic stuff? I layover there periodically as I work for the airlines and even with my history degree-there isn't much to see and do after a quick trip on the around town bus tour and mosque visit.Skiing in a mall? Come on...Lame,but then I live in Chicago so it doesn't appeal to me.

Dubai is in the process of building public transport but it will be a few years off. Buses will have you riding with workers and other immigrants around Dubai.Taxis are really the only way to go and can be pricey depending on where you are going.Eating at the Burg is going to set you back-friends have said that a mandatory 2 drinks at $200 is what it cost them to sit there.$65USD for a pot of tea? I cannot even imagine what a dinner or lunch would cost but then if you have the money of Tiger Woods it won't be a problem.

Dubai is not as conservative as Kuwait and others but one does respect their world and ideas while there.The malls have prayer rooms for each sex and you will see them gather when the" call comes" each day.You will see women in total burkas and completely covered along with westernized women with just a scarf.

"White with big breasts" is no big deal there unless she is going to be half undressed or you are having sex on the beach like the British people who recently got arrested.

Frankly,it is a airline stopover place for shopping. The oil is running out in a few years and fortunately the sheik has realized that they have to have the tourism to keep the kingdom going for the future.Its a place that for me would be difficult to be in longer than 2-3 days. That said,all the best on the wedding!

thit_cho

It seems like you've made up your mind. I've been to Dubai, and I think you are overestimating the appeal of skiing in a mall, the desert safari, etc. To me, it was a central point from which to visit the other Emirates, Oman and Bahrain, but I wouldn't rank Dubai high as a honeymoon destination. There are far nicer, more relaxing, peaceful beaches elsewhere -- moreover, Dubai's beaches aren't particularly tropical or attractive.

But, if you've made up your mind, I'm sure you can find some fun things to do.

You'll need someone other than me to comment on how well big-breasted women are received in Dubai -- the only women similary endowed that I noticed were lingering in hotel lobbies.

Grcxx3

The Dubai Ski thing is overrated in my book. My sons did it.....after 3-4 times down the slope, they were bored. A lot of money for about 20 minutes of skiing enjoyment.

Personally, I would suggest going to Egypt. You can hang out at the beach, ride camels, do a desert safari, shop in the Khan el Khalili, meet interesting people, eat some interesting food, and then there are all the sights - pyramids, museums, temples, tombs...... Plus you could do a Nile cruise -a very nice, relaxing couple of days.

Another plus for Egypt......if you want to drink, alcohol is not easy to come by in Dubai.

divine54

if it MUST be dubai - what about a combination of dubai and AL MAHA in the desert?

that offers diversity IMO.

div

HLester3

I think you should go to Dubai. Please don't let people's opinion take away any of your enthusiasm. I was like you, I really just wanted to go and see it for myself and I am glad that I did.

Let me suggest Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Hotel. It was very nice, about 45 min. out of town. The hotel looks like it is out of a post card, with the desert right off of the pool, where they have camel rides and falcon demonstrations. The also have the most over the top buffet at their restaraunt with belly dancing etc. You can also book a jeep directly from the hotel to visit the dunes, instead of going on a tour from the city.

I like all of the Jumeirah hotels as you can probably tell. In town we stayed at the Al Qasr. There was a medina on property with probably 10 restraunts, which were all pretty good. We were there last summer and the food was much cheaper than the Europe.

The hotels are just over the top and that is part of the fun of it. I think there is easily enough to keep you busy for a week. We were there only 4 days and we did not have enough time to see everything.

The resort reminded me of the resort we went to on our honeymoon in Hawaii. Great pools, beaches.

Congratulations! Let me know if you have any more questions.

julilynn

Dear bride to be-
I lived in UAE for 2 years and I loved going to Dubai. It is full of construction and kaos, but never a dull moment. I would stay at the Madinat Jumeirah with a view of the Burj al Arab. You can take a golf cart to the Burj and look around or eat. I visited the Atlantis right before I left and it seemed a little like Disney Land. Most of the hotels on Jumeriah Beach are great, so you can't go wrong. A day trip to Hatta (shop for cool pots) and another to Abu Dhabi would be fun. Go see the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi (check tour times) and visit the Emirates Palace (be sure to see the exhibit with the Louvre and Guggenheim models). If time permits, your husband might enjoy the Rainbow Sheikh's car museum with Mercedes every color of the rainbow and a lot of other crazy vehicles...some are two stories hight. April will start getting really hot 100+, but the beach will still be nice. I would skip Al Ain and Liwa. If you want romantic beach, the Shangri La in Oman is fantastic. Best wishes.

spassvogel

I would go for the chedi
http://translate.google.de/translate...3Dde%26tl%3Den
in combination with one of these jumeira hotels.
You cannot get wrong do change location after let's say 4 nights in Dubai.

good luck and congratulations!

SV

cary999

Dubai, Jumeirah Beach - newspaper article today about it. Not pretty.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tra...cle5607619.ece

regards - tom
ps - SV your super long link messed up the format here. Use "tinyurl" when you need to.

dutyfree

Cary999-thanks for the piece in the newspaper. How disgusting and to think that I was collecting sand and rock samples for my DD just a few months ago right there.

cary999

DF - you sure it was "rock" samples????

regards - tom

JamesA

Dubai is 'ok' for a couples of days stopover but i have to agree with others - a strange choice indeed for a honeymoon.
I can think of thousands of places for a honeymoon but I doubt Dubai would make it in the top 1,000 !.
Sorry.
Oman has a lot more interest, but again not really honeymoon places. You have Caribbean, South America, Asia, so many choices.

dutyfree

Cary-yes I am going to review those samples. They did look like fossils though.Too funny!