The Gulf Coast sheikhdom of Dubai is in the midst of the biggest sea change
ever seen in the history of global tourism.
Its government used to subsidise long-haul travellers to break their journey,
mainly to stimulate demand for its airline (Emirates), but the idea of Dubai
being a destination in its own right was not even a consideration. Today, it
is the fastest-growing tourist destination in the world.
Last year it welcomed 4.5m visitors, up by a third on 2001. By 2007, they’re
predicting more than 10m, 40m by 2015. Why? Dubai’s ruling sheikhs will run
out of oil in a decade or so, so they’re attempting to create a tourist
paradise as an alternative source of income.
All manner of superambitious projects — luxury underwater hotels, man-made
archipelagos visible from space, islands shaped like a map of the world and
so forth — are in the planning and building stages. Everywhere you look,
including out to sea, the skyline is arrowed by cranes.
But why should you go to Dubai? Well, there is already a string of superb
hotels within a 30-minute drive of the airport. Factor in the superb white
sands, perfect winter climate, short flying times from the UK (just under
seven hours) and the easy-peasy three-hour time difference, and Dubai is an
obvious candidate for winter sun. It’s healthy, hygienic and supersanitised.
You can drink the water and, more to the point, you can drink the wine, the
beer and the whisky (in hotels at least, not out and about). You don’t need
any jabs, there’s no malaria, you don’t need a visa and there are no
hustlers, either on the beach or even in the souks. Women can also walk the
streets at night without fear, free of veil, and wear bikinis on the beach.
Urban Dubai, it has to be said, is a depressingly ugly place, little more than
a parade of concrete cut by a yawning-wide eight-lane highway. Apart from a
tiny pocket of old town, there’s nothing of architectural or archeological
note. And the shopping is overrated. Those going for gold will find a
glittering market and some of the cheapest prices in the world, but for
other products, you might as well be wheeling your basket around Thurrock.
There’s golf, horseracing and various adventures in the desert, but Dubai is,
first and foremost, a place of hotels. And good hotels. You may nip out for
a shop, a game of golf, a wadi bash and, well, that’s about it. So the
choice of hotel is crucial. But since they all sound so similar, it can be
difficult to decide on the right one for you. Here is our top 10 — to make
the decision easier.
Unless otherwise stated, all prices are based on two sharing a standard
double for seven nights in January. Ask the operator for further information
on regional and Irish departures
JEBEL ALI
Best for all-round winter-sun worship
One of the oldest of the beachfront hotels, Jebel Ali is cut off from the rest
of the pack, a 20-minute drive away from Jumeirah Beach, but with all the
building work in progress along the strip, that’s not such a bad thing. With
128 acres of well- landscaped grounds and a full range of activities, it has
the feel of a full-on American resort.
Jebel Ali has its own marina for fishing and sailing, riding stables, a
shooting club, a championship nine-hole golf course (where even Tiger Woods
lost two of his balls), and badminton, as well as a spa, children’s club and
one of Dubai’s best beaches. It also has an impressive new wing, the Palm
Court, which really ought to be sold as a stand-alone hotel.
The rooms: more attractive than the concrete-block look of
the place would suggest, but if you want more space and much more comfort,
upgrade to the Palm Court.
You’ll like... the unpretentious style, the grounds
(it’s the only beachfront hotel in Dubai where the back rooms have
attractive views), and having so much on tap.
But you might not like... the concrete looks and the
40-minute drive to town or airport.
Top tip: with no laws or fences to segregate the two, savvy
guests will stay at the main hotel and play at the Palm Court.
Sample packages: from £699 with Sunset (020 7501 1999,
www.sunset.co.uk), including flights from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and
Birmingham. Sunway Holidays in Ireland (www.sunway.ie) has seven nights from
£1,450pp, including flights from Dublin via Heathrow.
OASIS BEACH
Best for budget
One of the few four-star beachfront options, Oasis Beach is next door to the
Ritz-Carlton yet sold at a fraction of the price by several of the main tour
operators. There’s a big pool — with Dubai’s longest swim-up bar — a choice
of where to eat, including a 24-hour coffee shop, a beach bar serving £2
skewers of meat, and a fancy Singaporean (about £15 a head).
The rooms: perfectly acceptable in an old-fashioned
rattan-trim sort of way — lacking in flair, but at these prices, what do you
expect? The higher up the building the better.
You’ll like... being on Jumeirah Beach without the
glittering prices.
But you might not like... the un- inspiring looks, outside
and in.
Top tip: the lowest rates are for a “marina view” room, but
since the marina is no more than a building site, upgrade to a seaview.
Sample packages: £837 with Kuoni (01306 743000,
www.kuoni.co.uk), including flights from Heathrow and free regional add-ons
from Glasgow, Aberdeen, Manchester and Edinburgh. Sunway Holidays in Ireland
(01 288 6828, www.sunway.ie) has seven nights from £1,275pp, including
flights from Dublin via London.
ROYAL MIRAGE
Best for Arabian chic
Surprisingly for a Middle East destination, only one of Dubai’s hotels looks
at all like the Arabian dream. The low-rise, domed and desert- fortress-like
Royal Mirage, sister hotel to Le St Géran and Le Touessrok in Mauritius and
all daftly named “The One & Only...”, recently underwent a huge
expansion. It’s not as appealing as it was, but the additional two wings,
the Arabian Court and more exclusive Residence, are spread along a kilometre
of beachfront so you don’t feel too squeezed. Aside from being the best
looker, the Royal Mirage has the two biggest pools, with palm trees growing
on miniature islands, a traditional hammam and a Givenchy spa.
The rooms: a wide variety, all with Arabian touches. The best
suites are as exotic as a sheikh’s boudoir.
You’ll like... the sense of place. And the elegant
suites, if you can afford to upgrade.
But you might not like... the sprawl, the high prices (room
rates are second only to Burj al Arab) and the sight of Palm Island dredgers
and cranes at work on the horizon.
Top tip: even if you don’t stay, it’s worth a visit for the
superb buffet lunch, a £15 feast.
Sample package: from £1,790 for the Residence, with flights
from Manchester, Birmingham or Gatwick, through Abercrombie & Kent (0845
070 0612, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk).
JUMEIRAH BEACH CLUB
Best for sporty spice
Nowhere in Dubai offers anything approaching the ambient lushness you get in
the Caribbean. But the Jumeirah Beach Club is a unique beachfront hideaway
with jungle greenery, the song of exotic birds and the therapeutic sounds of
running water (a stream, not a neglected bath overflow). The
could-be-Scandinavian architecture is also a surprise (one guest, not
content just to book for next year, commissioned the architect to build him
a home). There are just 50 good-size suites, divided into a dozen separate
houses, but the biggest draw of all is the incredible range of sporting
facilities — seven tennis courts, a spa, three squash courts and classes in
everything from jazz dance and fencing to tae kwon do and yoga. It’s really
a health club with rooms.
The rooms: among the best in Dubai — spacious, with a living
and sleeping area, each with private terrace or balcony and corner baths.
There’s lots of greenery out the window, but it’s short on seaviews.
You’ll like... the setting, the sports and the
attractive beach.
But you might not like... having to share “your” hotel with
1,000 outside members of the club — it is nowhere as tranquil as just 50
suites would imply. It could also feel a bit claustrophobic after a week.
Top tip: there’s plenty of space for two children to share
your suite (at no extra cost).
Sample package: from £1,364, including flights from Heathrow,
Gatwick, Birmingham or Manchester, with Carrier (01625 547020,
www.carrier.co.uk).
JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL
Best for full-on family fun
A striking wave of blue glass housing 600 rooms, a few with balconies, but
mostly hermetically and thermally sealed from the outside world.
Hugely popular, especially with British families, the Jumeirah Beach enjoys
more than 90% occupancy year round. Guests are saturated with choice: 23
food outlets (from an Argentinian grill with tango dancers, to a German
bierkeller), avenues of shops, lots of laid-on entertainment, three squash
courts, an adventure playground, a large gym, tennis courts and children’s
clubs centred around a life-size model boat. Best news of all, especially
for older children, is the Wild Wadi Waterpark, with its 24 interconnected
rides right next door (free and unlimited access for guests, but also open
to nonresidents).
The rooms: a whole wall of sea (and the Burj al Arab) in full
frame, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows. They’re spacious but hardly
any have balconies and windows do not open.
You’ll like... the action, especially if you’re a
family with hyperactive kids.
But you might not like... the fact that it’s a bit of a fun
factory. It could start to feel overwhelming.
Top tip: consider putting up in the exclusive Beit al Bahar,
the name of a rather tightly packed subcomplex of 19 traditionally styled,
one- and two-bedroom villas, offering peace yet with easy access to the
action.
Sample packages: from £1,039 with Gateway Holidays (0870 442
3204, www.gatewayholidays.co.uk), including flights from Heathrow,
Manchester or Birmingham. Twohigs Travel in Ireland (01 648 0800) has seven
nights from ¤1,469pp, including flights from Dublin via London.
LE ROYAL MERIDIEN
Best for understated elegance
Despite the “Le”, more than half the guests come from the UK, half of whom
have been before. It is certainly not the look of the place that draws them
— the building is ugly and you might easily skip its page in the brochures,
but it has much going for it once you step inside, including highly
professional and friendly service, and some of the best food on the strip.
Other assets are a wide spread of lawn leading to the beach, generous
balconies — rare in Dubai — and a choice of three “hotels within a hotel” in
three different buildings, with The Tower being the tops.
The rooms: the more you pay, the better the room, but the
quality of fixtures and fittings is high throughout. Even the standard rooms
have that luxury feel.
You’ll like... the service, epitomised by a twice-daily
round of cold towels and aerosol sprays for those stuck to their loungers.
But you might not like... the architecture.
Top tip: pay the extra for The Tower.
Sample package: from £939 with Beachcomber Dubai (01483 445
685, www.beachcombertours.co.uk) including flights from Gatwick, Heathrow,
Manchester or Birmingham.
AL MAHA
Best for desert romance
The low-impact, ecologically worthy Bedouin-style encampment sits in the
middle of a perfect dune desert, but it’s only a 45-minute drive from the
beach. Accommodation is in 30 luxurious “tents”, which are about as far from
boy-scout pup tents as Buck Palace from a prefab (even the canvas is
cosmetic). By day, guests can choose from a menu of safari experiences by
4WD, camel or horseback, accompanied by burly South African rangers, plus
falcon-flying and archery, all included in the prices, as is all food. A spa
and 10 more tents are also soon to open (avoid going before December 1, when
the main pool will be closed and the builders will be in other parts).
Within Al Maha’s 25 square-kilometre fenced reserve you’ll spot oryx,
gazelle, hare, king-size lizards and fox, all indigenous species
successfully reintroduced into the wild. A plan to extend the boundaries to
create a 225 square- kilometre park has recently been approved.
The rooms: each tent has a private plunge pool, traditional
Arabian furnishings, binoculars and an easel with paper and pastels. Great
desert views and a sense of privacy.
You’ll like... the sound of silence. It’s a perfect
place to chill out in the heat.
But you might not like... the fact that children under 12 are
banned and those over will be bored witless. It’s chilly at night in winter
(shawls provided) and it’s pricey — nearly £1,000 a night in winter for two.
Top tip: don’t just stay here; combine two nights in the
desert with five on the beach (best marriage partner: the Ritz-Carlton). And
have dinner in the dunes.
Sample package: £1,800 with ITC Classics (01244 355527,
www.itcclassics.co.uk) for two nights at Al Maha, full-board, and five at
the Ritz-Carlton, including flights from Heathrow (regional add-ons from
£70).
RITZ-CARLTON
Best for classic posh
Elegant, calm and sophisticated, with 138 rooms (all with balconies), and it
looks more Med than Middle East. There are small but gorgeous gardens, an
attractive pool and a wide beach, while inside treats include a Balinese
spa, squash and a kids’ club for under sixes. But it works best for couples,
young and canoodling or older and taking life easy, under the care of some
of the best staff in the business. The standard of innkeeping is exemplary
and it would be my pick if I were winter-sunning without the kids.
The rooms: very luxurious in an English country-house sort of
way, although the style does feel a little out of sync with the location.
You’ll like... the low-key, lowish-rise, intimate
charm.
But you might not like... the traditional, tad old-fashioned
decor.
Top tip: consider a room on the “club” floor, which costs an
extra £60 a night for two, but includes round-the-clock eats and drinks.
Sample package: £1,225 with Elegant Resorts (01244 897888,
www.elegantresorts.co.uk), including flights from Gatwick, Heathrow,
Manchester or Birmingham.
BURJ AL ARAB
Best for all-out extravagance
Make like a sheikh in this self- appointed seven-star hotel. The
much-photographed, superwow “Arab Tower”, perched on its own man-made
island, 300yd offshore (linked by causeway), is taller than the Eiffel
Tower.
Like it or loathe it, there’s certainly no ignoring it. As an architectural
wonder it would cut quite a dash in midtown Manhattan or Vegas, but on the
beach, bang in front of Jumeirah Beach, it looks a little intrusive
(especially for the
600 guests at its sister hotel, Jumeirah Beach). Of course it’s naff and
flash, but for a treat of glossy posh there’s nothing on earth quite like
it. You can dine on the 27th floor, or in the seafood restaurant reached by
a three-minute voyage by mock submarine (actually a fancy lift).
The rooms: they’re all duplex suites, equipped with laptop
com- puters, 45in plasma TVs, Italian marble, Irish linen and Hermès
toiletries. There are three staff to every guest, and mirrors on the ceiling
above the bed.
You’ll like... the sheer fantasy of it all.
But you might not like... the flash and clash of colours and
the Eiffel- high prices.
Top tip: turn up in style in one of the eight white
Rolls-Royces, or take a chopper straight to the 28th floor.
Sample package: from £2,570, including flights from Heathrow,
through Seasons in Style (0151 342 0505, www.seasonsinstyle.co.uk).
GRAND HYATT
Best for making business a pleasure
Most of Dubai’s five-star hotels are, in fact, in the city centre, which is
not where you want to be on holiday (even though they often offer squatters’
rights at one of the beachfront properties). If you are travelling on
business, however, or combining work with winter sun, the Grand Hyatt is the
closest you can get to a downtown resort. It opened last March, with 674
rooms, a huge outdoor pool, a jogging trail weaving through its 37 acres, a
full-size indoor pool (candlelit at night), tennis, squash, a nightclub, a
spa and a spectacular lobby with palm trees, running water and the hulls of
four dhows suspended from the ceiling — the wow- dhow factor.
The rooms: creamy brown contemporary style with oversize
beds, well-appointed work areas and well-crafted furniture.
You’ll like... having fun when you’re supposed to be
working.
But you might not like... the fact that it’s not on the
beach.
Top tip: if you are flexible, you might be able to negotiate
a great deal in between conferences.
Sample package: from £943 with Barwell Leisure (020 8786
3070, www.experiencedubai.co.uk), including flights from Heathrow, Gatwick,
Birmingham and Manchester.
David Wickers travelled as a guest of Emirates Airlines and Elegant Resorts
