Dubai – The Bees Knees or the Dogs Dinner? [Part Two]

So you’ve heard the good stuff, my highlights for Dubai, like I said in Part One, I like the place. It’s a unique destination and really worth the trip.

But…….(sigh)…….. as I mentioned earlier, my other half did not really feel the same way. So here are a few of the negatives and the reasons why I’ve been told, ‘No we are not going back to Dubai next year!’

Sexist? – My other half felt uncomfortable walking around despite us being fully aware of the conservative dress code which we fully upheld. We knew you had to be respectful with what you wear because of the religious beliefs in Dubai. But we soon found when entering local shops and just walking around in general that the respect seemed only to be shown to myself, the male tourist. Now I’m not sure of their attitude towards women, but I can only report what  I observed. This was…. no eye contact, even if she went to the counter first, the shopkeeper would look through her at me! It was as if there was a deliberate disregard for her presence, very unusual. As a modern bloke (when I say modern I mean she’s the boss) it made me feel awkward just her being there. A strange experience, and one which neither of us want to repeat. To be fair I put it down to the different religious attitudes, but Toni (the boss) pointed out that religion and respect are not the same thing. Anyone else have thoughts on this matter?

Next is the lack of history and heritage. Being the culture vulture of the two of us, Toni wanted to find out the history of Dubai and find out what shaped its futuristic landscape.

The answer was short, in fact one word….. Oil. It turns out that most of Dubai was literally just a desert until the discovery of the oil underneath its sandy shores. We took a trip out to the Dubai Museum on the advice of a friend hoping to get insight. Modern Civilization has really only existed there as we know it now for about 50 years. There were no Pyramids, no Wonders of the World, that we have come to learn about in other places. Just desert, and a lot of it.

Of course after the oil started being turned into cash, buildings flew up. A huge change particularly in the 90’s saw a massive increase in luxury accommodation for tourists and groundbreaking architecture, and by the turn of the Millennium, hotels like the Burj al Arab (the sail in the sea) and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (the wave shaped one) brought people flocking.

All of this modern day progress really impressed me, I thought it was fantastic that a coastal desert can be transformed into a cosmopolitan paradise, it was brilliant. Toni though killed it stone dead for me as she has a lovely knack of doing. She turns around and says;

‘But Babe, its beaches and hotels, you could be anywhere in the world’

And BOOM there you have it ladies and gentleman – she was absolutely  spot on.

Walking around you can’t help but gasp at some of the buildings, but that is what they are, buildings. You see the difficultly is, because Dubai has no outstanding natural features, such as The Grand Canyon, The White Cliffs, Great Barrier Reef etc etc, anyone that is used to holidaying to the Med, Far East, or parts of America may well be missing that significant day out, away from the beach, to see some real Arabian culture. Of course, there are hotels that try and bring an Arabian theme, but to us these hotels just felt like an overly expensive film set, as nice as they were, and it’s not the same as going to a place that ‘looks like’ or ‘replicates’ something, you want to see the real thing!

Anyway I’m burbling on. For all of its ups and downs, Dubai is still I place I would recommend anyone go to. Some love it, some loathe it. Whatever your opinion you are bound to find something there that makes you get the camera out and throw out a beaming smile.

One suggestion I will predictably make is to consider the cruise and stay option before your basic land holiday there. This is a far more versatile way of doing it. You spend 3 or 4 days touring Dubai, or even its close neighbour, Abu Dhabi the countries capital, then you take a 7 nights cruise around some of the other Emirates. It is genuinely interesting, and makes a diverse change from the Med or the Caribbean without losing the temperature.

The only way to know whether you agree with me or Toni on this one, is to give me a call, give me your credit card, and get your suitcase out of the loft. What have you got to lose?

I look forward to your call 0800 408 6131

Thanks for reading!