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Saturday 07 November 2009 (UAE)
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Dubai and UAE budget holidays
Cheap budget holidays to Dubai
The cheapest way to have a holiday in Dubai is to bum a bed off someone you know. Preferably a relative since they'll still be related even if you fall out with them, and you can probably invade their homes again in a couple of years. Friendships can and do fade away unfortunately.
With the ubiquity (or plague according to some) of the internet, you can make friends online to replace the ones you lost last time you visited Dubai, and hopefully they'll offer you a place to kip before your next visit to Dubai. Dubai FAQs staff all have unsanitary living habits and terrible BO just in case you were thinking of trying that scam on us.
For more realistic and less annoying options, try finding an airline from your originating city that offers a package deal including a hotel, but don't bother with a hire or rental car unless you've visited Dubai before. Traffic conditions are unpleasant, it's difficult to navigate around the place, and taxis are relatively cheap. For journeys further afield, consider renting a car for a day once you get here.
Charter flights are rare. There are some from Russia and other Eastern European countries to Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport, and there's a handful to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.
Finding good cheap hotel accommodation in Dubai was difficult in 2008 but is becoming easier later in 2008 and in 2009 due to a combination of more hotel room availability and general economic malaise wordlwide. If you are looking for a good deal on accommodation, your best option is to try and get a package deal with the airline you use to fly to Dubai. See also cheap hotels in Dubai and cheap holidays to Dubai.
Hotels in Sharjah are often cheaper than in Dubai, but think twice before making a booking if you plan to spend time in Dubai. The traffic is thick enough most of the time that you could be spending a much larger time of your holiday sitting in a car or bus than you expected. If you plan to be in Dubai at specific times for appointments, allow 1-2 hours travelling time each way, and 3 hours to be safe if during rush hours (0600-1000, 1200-1500, 1700-2100), especially if you're in one of the hotels on the Sharjah beach strip. Of course, if you want to concentrate your tourist time in Sharjah - the museum area for example, then it makes more sense to book a hotel in Sharjah. And for those wanting a beach holiday, the sand looks much the same as in Dubai, and the water temperature isn't any different.
Saving money in Dubai
- Public buses are very cheap (only 1-2 dhs per trip) but can be irregular and/or full, and trying to find a bus route map is difficult - try the main bus stations in Deira or Al Ghubaiba at the mouth of the Dubai Creek on the Bur Dubai side.
- Eating in shopping centre food courts is relatively cheap, a meal will cost a third to a quarter of a similar meal at a five star restaurant, although the quality won't be as acceptable for some.
- Eating in some of the roadside cafes and restaurants, especially in areas where foreign workers on low salaries are concentrated, can be a bargain - try Karama and do a bit of cheap shopping also. Satwa, Deira in the Gold and Spice souk areas, the Dubai museum area along the creek are also good places to walk around, enjoy the sights, and find a cheap restaurant. Meals can be found from less than 10 dhs to 40 dhs per person for a good feed of Indian, Chinese, or Arabic food.
- Many tourist sights in Dubai are cheap and/or free.
- Entry to parks is about 5 dhs or less per person - Jumeirah Beach Park on the Beach Road has lots of grass, basic eating and drinking facilities (no alcohol though), and BBQ areas if you want to throw a few snags on the barbie.
This information last updated Wednesday 18-Mar-2009
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