Dubai

Dubai at a Glance!

Dubai is an Open Sesame to Arabian adventure. Once a tiny fishing village, harvesting pearls from the sea, it is now the most sophisticated city on the Persian Gulf - thanks to the rich flow of black gold.

Oil has transformed the skyline, overshadowing romantic mosques and elegant minarets with a forest of avant-garde high-rise buildings often with fabulous sail motifs.  Oil has eclipsed the old port full of lateen-rigged Arab dhows with the world’s largest artificial harbour, visible from outer space.  Oil has made the desert bloom – locals claim that 70 per cent of the cranes on earth are hard at work in Dubai. 

All this makes it one of the most exciting tourist destinations in the world.  You can still experience the authentic Bedouin heritage, from kite-flying festivals to horse and camel races. You can enjoy Arabian Nights souks (bazaars) and oases of wild life such as water-bird sanctuaries or desert parks containing leopard, oryx, ibex and gazelle. You can revel in clean, safe and golden beaches, shaded with palms by day, enchanting at night because of the blue-green phosphorescent glow from millions of microscopic sea creatures.

But what makes Dubai such a fantastic resort is that it also offers a host of modern – even futuristic – attractions.  The most challenging is an indoor ski slope set at -2C in the +40C desert!  Coming soon is a $3 billion theme park called Dubailand, which will rival those of Orlando, an underwater hotel, and two man-made, palm-shaped islands full of luxury resorts and homes fit for princes and football stars.

Meanwhile there are gleaming shopping malls which sell cheap gold and fast cars.  There are palatial places to stay, exotic places to eat and challenging things to do – scuba-diving and snorkelling amid the coral, seeing new Dubai by boat or helicopter, and going on an overnight, 4x4 sand safaris to old Dubai.

To make the most of your thrilling Arabian adventure, pre-purchase an attraction or experience in Dubai with Dosomethingdifferent.com