Hey all,
Looking to book a 7 - 10 day break in January for some guaranteed sun. Was thinking about Florida and the usual North African destinations but then I found a good deal to Dubai (flying BA).

Since I haven't been in years (pre-construction madness), I was wondering what to expect, especially now that they seem to be in a pretty steep recession. Has anyone been recently?

Also would it be worth taking the short hop from Dubai to Qatar, Oman etc.. for a couple of days or is there more than enough to do in Dubai.

Cheers

For sure go to Oman. Muscat is fantastic and feels a lot more authentic. Really friendly people and very hospitable. We got a good deal at the Shangri-la. It was heaven.

Doha is quieter than Dubai, less to do but that might be what you want. It has a nice new resort called Sharq Village and Spa which is built to resemble an Arabian village. I haven't stayed there but it looked lovely. Right under the flight path though.

It can get cold in January. It is usually in the 20s but it can get down to 15 degrees or so at that time of year. Just so you know. You may not have perfect beach weather all the time.

Have fun. I am just planning a trip to Doha for April. Can't wait.

I went to Hurghada in January 2008 and practically froze...No weather for beach or swimming still a lot nicer than in Europe of course

Was in Dubai earlier this year for a week (not hols)...have to say I found it the most boring, dull, soulless place I have ever been to. The shopping malls, which despite being tax free are not cheap either

If you want a nice hotel and a beach - it's fine....but not for anything else. Oman or slightly diiferent location - Jordan are I think are more interesting places to visit

I agree but if Castro is looking for sun, Jordan is not the answer , great place to visit though.

I would go to Israel where the sun shines all the time and definitely would float in Dead Sea to burn away all the skin impurities and regret all the sins as the water is known for her healing effects. If this is not good enough, I would head for Elat or simply hang around the beach in Tel Aviv.

My friend came back from Dubai and she was not impressed

Thanks Jacek, but I'm not quite ready to visit Israel yet. Perhaps once the situation in the region improves.

The devil is not so black as he is painted. Short visit in Israel

If in doubts though, I would wait for better times to come, but definitely I would put Israel on to do list.

Just to say, don't think that Dubai is empty and you get free hotel rooms,...! There are still traffic, lot's of people and tourists specialy during Xmass/New year days,...
At this time of the year weather is mild, so you can swim at the pools in midday, though in the evenings a light jacket is needed normally.
There are good beaches as well, though not too empty.

The newly opened Museum of Islamic Art may on its own be a good reason to visit Doha. Apparently it is a stunning collection in an amazing building (designed by IM Pei, architect of the Louvre Pyramid).



Here is an interesting piece on the museum from when it opened about a year ago. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7744586.stm

Mel

Cheers Mel, right now I'm thinking 3 nts Dubai, 2 nts Abu Dhabi and 3 nts in either Muscat or Doha (Air Arabia do very reasonable flights out of Sharjah, UAE). I spent a week in Manama a few years ago and people have told me that Doha is quite similar, so not sure whether to just make it Muscat for my third destination..

Ras alKhama ? RAK is lovely, have an aversion to the glitzy Vegas style of Dubai, so is a good alternative.

Muscat, me like very much, I found Doha to be a little, well dull.

Doha is nice but given the choice between there or Muscat I would definitely choose Muscat. You lucky thing!

I have been to Dubai, three times this year and we flew with Qatar Airways from Geneva via Doha, the quality of the flight was good and the air crew were very attentative to our needs the price of the Economy ticket was only 550chf very good price since Emirates price was 900chf and Swiss at near enough the same price at the time.

We stayed at Crown Plaza Festival City, Grovenor House Hotel and the Al Qasr Mandinat resort, my favourite place was Governor with club member service but my partner prefered the Madinat because of the Beach area.

Crisis in Dubai what crisis if your are vacationer??? not a problem!

The Dubai Mall with its fountian display in the evenings was very nice too see

today its foggy here, and we are expecting rain tomorrow and day after tomorrow.
come to dubai you will like it, but for 10 days??? that a way too much, go to Oman you will like it.

From today's Times.....In the wake of Dubai’s financial crisis, a night in a five-star hotel there is now cheaper than a night in a three-star property in Doncaster.
....Just in case you were about going to Donny

Fiddlesticks!! the price on the BA website has now almost doubled since Sunday, You snooze, you lose

Etihad Airways have good prices too Dubai last time I looked, they fly via Abu Dhabi from Geneva

http://www.etihadairways.com/sites/e...tewayPage.aspx

I normally visit dubai every year for the past 10 - 15 years. This year alone, visited two times and may go there just for one day this month again.

From my perspective, recession or not, the prices for all good things will still be the same. Dubai's attraction is its buildings that can't be build anywhere. If your last visit was during the pre construction era, I think you will enjoy it. The latest attractions are the Atlantis hotel and the Metro. But, if you look more closely, you will see lot of modern slavery and suffering. A modern case of oil money encouraging consumerism among average people. As the earlier post told, sometimes you will feel as you are in a city without a soul.

Still, I would recommend it if you are going there after a long time.

Cheers swissinfo, just checked and for the week in January I'm thinking the cheapest tickets are CHF 950. The BA flights (Basel > DXB) were a more wallet pleasing CHF 535. There are reasonable flights from London to Dubai via Bahrain and Doha with Gulf Air and Qatar Airways respectively. So I may also look into those as an alternative.