Tuesday 19 March 2024 (UAE)

Cheap Budget Hotels in Dubai

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Dubai budget accommodation (Cheap Hotels in Dubai)

If you are flying to Dubai, usually the cheapest way to organise accommodation in Dubai is to try and get a package deal with the airline you are flying with. Trying to blag a bed with a mate or relative who already lives in Dubai is an alternative cheap accommodation option.

See the hotels in Dubai page for a list of more expensive hotels in Dubai.

Online hotel booking websites

Prices don't seem to vary so much across booking sites unless a special offer is available to registered members.

Previous suggestions

Online hostel booking websites

Note that in Dubai and the UAE there are a limited number of hostels with dormitory-style accommodation. The YHA ones have segregated male and female dormitories. Mixed gender dormitory-style accommodation commonly found in other countries is presumably not permitted in the UAE due to laws restricting unmarried men and women sharing a room, however, there are hostels in Dubai which advertise mixed dormitories, and prices less than AED 100 per night.

Some private hostels in Dubai with male, female, possibly mixed dorms

Update needed (sections below last updated Dec 2013)

Tips for finding cheap accommodation in Dubai

There are a few cheapish hotels in Dubai but not many that most travellers would call a bargain or budget range. The Dubai Youth Hostel charges less than 100 dhs per night per person for a shared room but if there are two of you travelling, then you can get a basic cheap hotel room for not much more than that - about 250-300 dhs, and sometimes less with a bit of hunting around.

Hotel Apartments and short-term apartment rentals are another option but not a bargain. A one-month stay in a good furnished 1 bedroom apartment will cost around 15,000-20,000 dhs. If you're lucky, you may find something less salubrious through Dubai newspaper classifieds for about half that.

For shorter stays, Emirates Airlines do a stopover package with cheap hotel rooms in Dubai. Otherwise, ask whichever airline you're flying with if they have some sort of stopover package.

The price given is more than likely for the room (usually, but not always, including breakfast) whether there's one or two people in it. An additional 10% service charge and 10% municipality tax will be added to your bill. Check in time is about 2pm and checkout at noon but late checkouts are often easy to arrange.

You'll have to show a passport when checking in for the hotel to make a copy. It's not a good sign if they want to keep it. Legally, unmarried men and women are not supposed to share a hotel room, but it would be very unusual for a hotel to ask if their guests are married, and only one passport is ever asked for. No one will raise their eyebrows if there are two different surnames being registered since in Arabic culture, it is normal that the wife keeps her own name after getting married.

Some hotels can arrange a tourist visa for Dubai for guests, also airport pick-ups and drop-offs. These additional services are less likely for the cheaper hotels though and you may find it is worth paying a little more for a hotel that can arrange your visa - assuming you need to pre-arrange one. Check the list of countries that can get visas on arrival in Dubai.

Hotels often have better deals in the summer months because it's too hot to do normal outdoor activities. Especially in June, July, August and September, and often May and October also.

If you're working in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE, the company you work for may have negotiated special rates with some hotels. You could try phoning a hotel direct and asking what the corporate rate is for the company you work for.

A list of cheap hotels in Dubai and the UAE

These are some of the hotels in Dubai worth trying for a reasonable or cheap rate - it is not a comprehensive list. Expect to pay at least 250-600 dhs per night for a room in one of the hotels in this list (2006 prices, add 20% for 2007). Note that most hotels advertise rates as ++ meaning you have to add 10% Dubai Municipality Tax and another 10% Service Charge to the given price.

There is a hotel in Dubai International Airport for transit passengers where rooms can be rented on an hourly basis (or per night) but it's not exactly cheap.

Budget hotels in Abu Dhabi
Budget hotels in Sharjah
Last update Saturday 27-Apr-2019
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www.dubaifaqs.com/cheap-hotels-in-dubai.php (PDF and print version).

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