Luxury Holidays In Dubai

As well as its super-modern skyline, Dubai has a plethora of brilliant beaches that make the city the perfect place to escape to for some winter sun. Jumeirah Beach is perhaps the most well-known, an idyllic stretch of white sand that also gives you the best views of the Dubai skyline, including the Burj Al Arab hotel which juts out into the sea. On the other side of the Burj Al Arab lies Kite Beach, a spot ideal for kite surfers but is also lined with food trucks and even a beach library so you can lose yourself in a good book while soaking up the rays. La Mer is the new beach on the block, where pastel-coloured beach cabanas sit between hammocks slung between palms, food huts and cool graffiti art.

Dubai is sometimes known as the ‘desert city’ and there’s a reason why. Explore behind the glass-fronted skyscrapers and you’ll see an endless expanse of rust-red dunes rippling into the horizon. A desert safari is probably the iconic Dubai holiday experience, a high-octane thrill where you’re whipped up, around and down the steep sandy dunes before you pause for breath in front of a molten sunset. Hopping in a dune buggy or going sand boarding are other classic activities in the Dubai desert. You can finish off your desert safari at a Bedouin camp, the flames of lamps flickering to the sounds of traditional music and dance while you enjoy a sumptuous meal under a canvas of stars.

Something of an institution in Dubai, Fridays in the Emirati city are made for one thing: brunch. As a result of it being so well established, there aren’t any shortage of options for you to choose from. Savour the champagne brunch at Address Downtown with views across to the hotel gardens and the stratospheric Burj Khalifa. Or, if you’re after a big Friday banquet, the Madinat Jumeirah offers possibly the biggest brunch platter, with 130 chefs on hand and a map to help you get back to your table the food offering is so big.

Dubai’s Downtown area is now its beating heart, home to a wealth of shopping, restaurants and activities suitable for people of all ages. If you’re on a family holiday to Dubai, then head to The Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in the world. Over 1,200 shops and countless restaurants sit under its roof, while it offers endless entertainment options for families – an aquarium, underwater zoo, cinema complex and KidZania, an interactive role-playing theme park for children. A trip up to the observation deck of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is well worth it for the epic views and the way the city’s other high-rises are dwarfed in comparison, while make sure you witness a show performed by the Dubai Fountain as well, a dazzling spectacle of lights, music and dancing water.

The best thing about Dubai is you have everything you could possibly do at your fingertips. There’s water parks, golf courses, swimming with dolphins, indoor theme parks, incredible beaches, brilliant desert adventures and so much more. There’s even an indoor ski resort – right in the heart of the desert. So, when you’re visiting Dubai, you shouldn’t really be asking what there is to do in the city, you should be asking what isn’t there to do!

No vaccinations are currently recommended for Dubai. For current travel health advice, you should seek guidance from your GP at least four to six weeks prior to travel.

United Arab Emirates is 3 hours ahead of United Kingdom

The direct flight time from London to Dubai is around seven hours.

The currency is the United Arab Emirates dirham.

British passport holders need a visa to visit the United Arab Emirates and this is issued free of charge upon arrival.

Yes, Dubai does have Uber and you can even book in advance by up to 30 days.

Travel insurance is mandatory for people visiting Dubai on a visa, except for British passport holders, for which insurance is optional. 

No, shopping in Dubai is not tax-free and a 5% VAT was introduced in 2018. Though, exporting certain goods is VAT free.