Dubai - things to do?

[Corpulent Tosser]

had ham said:

Corpulent Tosser said:

So you didn't like it much then ?

As I said it is not my favourite place and not a first choice but I found plenty to do and was not bored any time there.

Please don't take any of what I said as an insult, it certainly wasn't intended that way - I just thought the place was horrific. We stayed in a villa on the Madinat, with a butler, etc, etc. Service was wonderful, but it's utterly, utterly soulless, and by God, do they make you pay for it. A holiday destination for the 'Hello' crowd with very limited imagination.

And for AB, we holiday in lots of places, but if you want luxury to the same degree as Dubai, but with a whole lot more feeling and sincerity, try S.E.Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and a few others, all offer a hugely more enjoyable experience, often for a whole lot less.. (and the food is a million times better!)..

I agree SE Asia is better and I would rather go there, Mrs CT and I are off to Krabi in four weeks in fact, but may be taking a family holiday to Dubai in October, not my choice, others in the extended family want to go back and I am happy to go along with it as I know I will have fun.
It will cost more and I agree the food/drink will be more expensive and not so good but variety is the spice of life, or so the saying goes, flight time being shorter and so more child friendly is also a consideration.

[SignalGruen]

Trax said:

SignalGruen said:

How did you find the Atlantis OP ? Missus wants to spend a few nights there over Christmas - I hear it's a busy place and I assume it's going to be rammed over the holidays ?

Sorry for the late reply. We didn’t find it too busy at all, mind you, going for two weeks meant we didn’t have to try and fit everything it at once, so could take everything in at a slow pace. The 'open to all' areas can get busy, but the pool areas were never busy, and the restaurants were also not busy. The waterpark can get busier late morning onwards, but you can go early, come back to chill for a bit, then go back later.

Whether its because November is a quiet time, I don’t know, but we did not find any of the negative stuff that gets put on Tripadvisor, though them reports are usually from people who never stayed there.

For the added luxury, book a suit. You get room service breakfast, and the happy hour drinks (free drinks in the Imperial Lounge), can be taken in some of the good restaurants rather than the lounge. Depends how much extra that is, and I guess if your only going for a few days, a smaller room is more manageable anyway.

Cheers. Bottled it in the end and stayed at the Al Qasr so may try the Atlantis next time. Found Dubai to be more quiet than expected - we flew out on the 16th and it didn't seem to pick up with tourists until Xmas eve. Desert safari driver reckoned their bookings where down 50% for this time of the year.