Destination Dubai

Air travel
Keep a look out on the best deals offered by various international airlines. But you better hurry with your bookings, as sometimes the rates are so unbelievably low that they are usually subjected to heavy bookings. Airlines fares:
Biman Bangladesh: Rs. 12,000/- approx.
Air Arabia: Rs. 5,500/- approx.
Emirates: Rs. 14,500/- approx.

Note: These air fares are subject to change and taxes as applicable. For a better rate, check with your travel agent.

Best time to visit Dubai "The best time to visit Dubai is from October end till April. These being the cooler months, they are known as the 'Dubai Winter.' Though January takes the cake, as the main attractions are the Dubai Shopping Festival till March, and if you don’t want to miss the Dubai World Cup to catch up with the world's richest horse race," mentions Shefali Munshi, Associate Director of Sales of the Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Quick Tips:

Always keep in mind while traveling to Dubai that:
1. As a tourist, we mostly fall under the category of a visit visa, and the purpose behind traveling there is a pleasure trip, meeting relatives settled there, or on a business trip.
2. Since your visa is valid up to 2 months of the date of issue, you have to visit the country within this time.
3. You can renew your visit visa for another extra month for a fee of Dhs. 500 (Rs. 6,500/- approx.)
4. You can be charged a penalty of Dhs. 100 (Rs. 1300/- approx.) per day for overstaying as a tourist.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transport
Dubai has an efficient public transport system by means of buses and taxis. Bus routes and time tables are available at information desks at the Dubai airport or at the shopping malls.

There are two kinds of taxis, one registered, with the yellow glow sign of "Taxi" written atop, and they go by meter, which starts from Dhs. 3. The taxi drivers are usually helpful, and even if you don’t know the exact location of the place you’re going, they will safely take you.

The other kinds of taxis are the unregistered private taxis, locally known as the "pathani taxis." These taxis do not have the word "taxi" written atop, do not go by meter, and can be cheaper as compared to the registered taxi, only if you know the route and the exact price. There will be times when you may have to bargain the rate with the taxi driver.

We made frequent visits to the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. The Grand Hyatt is located right next to Wafi City Mall and has a beautiful restaurant call the Market Café. It’s got an amazing spread, like Italian pastas and salads, Arabian cuisine and grills, rotisserie, Indian delights, and mouth-watering desserts.

At the Market Café, you can take a tour of the spread along with your plates. Some of the musts in the restaurant are beef and chicken shawarma, a large Italian pizza (the original kind of pizza, mind you) topped with pepperoni and salami slices, chilling peach iced tea for an afternoon drink, and finally, marshmallows dipped in the chocolate fountain.

The ambiance of the Market Café is that of lanes with indoor plants and tiny rivulets with colorful fish. Market Café is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Also, try not to miss Pepper Crab for its most sought-after seafood cuisine from the Far East and Panini, a delightful coffee shop, for some tea or coffee and a muffin to bite on—all under same roof at the Grand Hyatt. These are just some of the places we visited at the hotel, but there are several other restaurants to visit at the Grand Hyatt.

All pubs, lounge bars, and discos in Dubai shut at 3am. There are thematic places where you can let your hair down and put on your dancing shoes. Entry into most places is free. However, there is a restriction on age—nobody under the age of 21 is permitted, and free entry is restricted to couples only. If you are a single person, a nominal fee may apply.

If you visit Dubai you must not miss the Dubai Museum for the world. From the outside the entire museum is a replica of the remains of an ancient castle. Once you’re inside the museum it feels as though you are walking through the lanes of ancient Dubai, with a goldsmith, or an iron smith at work, little boys running with friends, a lady carrying a pot of water, or a man pulling his camel…all the culture is depicted through wax dolls and the necessary sound and light effects in the museum brings to life the history of Dubai.

Entry fee is Dhs. 3 (Rs. 39/- approx.) per head for adults, while for children below six years it is about Dh. 1 (Rs. 13/- approx.)

If you are just married or it’s just the two of you, you must go on for a romantic dinner for two on the Dhow Cruise. Otherwise also, it serves as a relaxing change with family and friends to go on board for two hours, around the Dubai creek in the evening between 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm to have a dinner.

It’s a pretty little boat with a tables set for dinner. You have a lavish buffet consisting mostly of Indian and Lebanese cuisines (consisting of both veg and non-veg) all inclusive of the price paid for the cruise, which is about Dhs. 120 (Rs. 1500/- approx.) per head for adults, while for kids its about Dhs. 90 (Rs. 1170/- approx.). Spirits and alcohol are also served on board, but are charged extra as they are not included in the buffet. Though your buffet does include soft drinks!

You can contact several tour companies to organize the Dhow cruise for you. Make sure you carry your camera, a jacket to keep you warm and be on time. They are pretty punctual so try not missing the boat!

This tour is pretty exciting. You can tie up with any tour company in Dubai that will arrange to pick you up from where you are staying. Since there are several tour companies organizing the desert safari, you can choose the best deal and go for it. Most of the desert tours are similar—a bumpy and an exciting ride on the desert sand dunes, you reach the camp site where you can have some refreshments like tea, coffee or hukka or the seesha as is locally known. Alcohol is charged extra. Till sunset you can relax with a drink sitting under the shamiana, or you can try out Dune bashing or a buggy ride for an extra charge of Dhs. 15 to 20. Dubai is known to have the choicest variety and purest quality of gold ornaments and it is all available at the famous Gold Souk.

With regard to some vital information regarding gold Ms. Razaak adds, "The current gold rate in Dubai is Dhs.69 per gram. This fluctuates depending on the market condition. Visitors are advised to shop for gold from all participating gold outlets; that is, most gold shops are listed and accredited by the Gold Council. This is a way to guarantee that you have the best quality gold at the most competitive price."

This is an annual event only during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), where the whole world meets under one roof. You’ll find stalls from various countries bringing the best of their culture in form of clothes, accessories, artifacts, souvenirs and even cuisine.

Don’t be surprised if you find a replica of the Taj Mahal near the parking lot. You’ll also find a stunted Qutab Minar, the Red Fort, the Eiffel Tower and several other famous monuments at the Global Village.

One can spend their entire day there, as there are loads of rides for the kids and yourself too. Don’t miss the juicy kebabs with steaming elaichai chai in the Indian counters.

Don’t forget to pick up beautifully embroidered mojris in a variety colours for just Dhs. 20 at the Indian stalls, or pure leather jackets for just Dhs. 120 at the Pakistani stalls. Do visit the Mongolian stall for fine junk jewellery. For instance, the ear rings are priced at around Dhs 15 to Dhs. 20.

At sunset, you can watch a belly dancer dance to Indian or Arabic music. After this exotic dance you are treated to a kingly buffet dinner. Dinner consists of the choicest of juicy meats from India, Pakistan, Lebanon and the UAE. There are separate counters for vegetarian food as well.

The usual pick up time by the tour companies are 3:00 pm in the afternoon. Try and have an early lunch or a brunch. Avoid eating heavy just before your desert tour, as the bumpy ride may cause you to feel nauseous. After picking up the other passengers (normally not more than 5 or 6 per vehicle), their vehicle a huge Toyota Land Cruiser, will take you to their base, at the beginning of the deserts.

Just before we started our safari, we are expected to be strapped by our seat belts to prevent any injury. As when the land cruiser starts diving on the dunes, you either see only sky or the sand. Hold on to the handles inside the car from toppling over or getting hurt. If traveling with kids, make sure you strap them up to their seats, as they might get hurt while the vehicle flies through the dunes.

One should visit the Lonely Planet, suggests Ms. Razak. One will get a lot of names for restaurants there and a visitor can get a good meal for as low as Dhs.5 to a fine dining experience.

Do visit La Vignia, an Italian restaurant located in the Century Village. As the name suggests, the ambiance is a like a village square, which has many restaurants, serving different cuisines. Connected to Century village is the Irish Village which has pubs with an Irish touch, serving Irish food—like Fish and Chips and Stew.

Main course priced at around Dhs. 45-60 per dish and the portions are large. Ms. Razak recommends, La Vignia—the Scallopa El Funghi. That is, pan fried chicken breast smothered in mushroom sauce. If you like the outdoors, you can relax in this village square atmosphere; enjoy a cocktail/mocktail or a sheesha with family and friends.