Hotel and Tour guide in Dubai

[jhenry1]

Hopefully we will be spending a few days in Dubai prior to our Jan 2022 cruise from Cape Town to Cape Town.  We decided that flying Emeritus would be a real treat and we can fly business class from Houston, Texas non stop to Dubai.  We decided while there to spend a few days seeing the city so I am looking for suggestions for Hotels and Private tour guides to use while there. Of course we all know this is dependent upon covid being somewhat under control and cruising resuming. Any suggestions  would greatly be appreciated. Sooo looking forward to cruising again as reaching the age of 76 those punch list places need to be addressed real soon.

[Pudgesmom]

We had one of our best worldwide hotel experiences at the Jumeirah Dar al Masyaf about two years ago. The suite was quiet and lovely at the beachfront hotel and located not as far from the souks in the city center as some hotels further out. 
 

The service is impeccable and the ubiquitous water taxis awesome. We had great food at several of the restaurants and walked to the Jumeirah al Qasr next door to meet some friends. 
 

We did not have a guide so I can’t speak to that. Taxis are everywhere, including the pink ones driven by women for women or a mixed group. 
 

Don’t miss the gold Souk and the spice souk!

[Kristal Blade]

In our experience Dubai is very easy to do on your own. There is a very good public transport system with a monorail/metro that runs pretty much 24/7 and the buses are good too. If you want to do things like Burj Hotel afternoon tea or Burj Kalifa tallest building you can book online in advance or your hotel concierge can do it for you.

 

We like staying at the Bonnington Hotel, which is at the Jumeirah Lakes part of the city. It is a short walk to a metro station and the rooms are big with a terrific breakfast buffet every morning. But if you want a more beach side resort style hotel this is not the one for you.

 

It is worth doing a dune trip, we have done that previously but it was a package set up by our TA so can’t tell you how to do that or recommend a driver.

 

We have always felt safe in Dubai. We don’t wear skimpy clothes there, just as a mark of respect, but younger tourists don’t seem to care about that.

 

December or January are good months to visit as temperatures are cooler. You will want a light jacket early in the morning but as the day goes on the temperature rises to a pleasant 18 to 20C.

 

I’m sure you will have a great time. If you like flowers a trip out to the Magical Gardens is worthwhile. The Frame is not worth doing, in our opinion. I agree with Pudgesmum about the souks!

[jhenry1]

Thank you guys for the info I will certainly look at both of these hotels.

[1982CruzStart]

1 hour ago, jhenry1 said:

Private tour guides

A number of years ago we used Dubai Private Tours to do a half day tour with them. dubaiprivatetour@gmail.com The tour guide was excellent and we saw a lot in a short period of time.  i always like a private guide for at least a little time in a new city to get more information. 

[Jimmcdaniel]

My wife and I did a street food walking tour through Arabian Adventures (I think connected with Emirates Air) and it was fantastic. We had a private tour with a guide who met us at our hotel. There were lots of fun things to taste and plenty of food. Make sure you are hungry!

[RJ2002]

3 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

A number of years ago we used Dubai Private Tours to do a half day tour with them. dubaiprivatetour@gmail.com The tour guide was excellent and we saw a lot in a short period of time.  i always like a private guide for at least a little time in a new city to get more information. 

 

We also used Dubai Private Tours back in 2018 for a 6 hour tour.   Like you, our guide was also excellent.  Interestingly, she was an expat from Yucatan Mexico.  Most of the residents in Dubai are expats, so not surprising I guess.  Had a great tour.

[Roger88]

I wouldnt say that Dubai has that many places of visit and I also wonder if it is possible to trabel about Dubai on your own.. taxi is way to expensive. Old town, a few beaches and the main street with a number of big Malls - this is all I know about Dubai from my last trip 

[maryogreen]

jhenry1, My husband and I spent two days in Dubai last November at the end of a cruise on the Voyager. I think you could tour Dubai on your own, but it isn't what I would describe as a walkable city. You do need transportation. The first day, we used the Hop On-Hop Off bus, which was offered through Regent. The second day post-cruise, we booked a guide through Tours By Locals and covered a tremendous amount of territory! We stayed at the Park Hyatt Dubai on Dubai Creek, a lovely, quiet hotel, balconies with views of the city and a very good location for the airport. Here are links to my blog posts with photos, which you might find helpful:

 

https://www.themodernpostcard.com/dazzling-dubai-architectural-wonderland-of-the-middle-east/

https://www.themodernpostcard.com/a-day-in-dubai-looking-at-life-from-both-sides-now/

 

Best of luck and happy planning!

Mary

Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

[giustot]

Happy to share some of my opinions for what they're worth. I went to Dubai to celebrate my 60th birthday.I stayed in three hotels. The Raffles and the Ritz Carlton were excellent. (Some people like the Park Hyatt.) The Burj Al Arab (the iconic hotel shaped like a sail) was completely over the top, one of the best, most unforgettable hotels in the world.

 

If you're flying business class on Emirates, I would recommend using additional miles, or even discounted cash, to upgrade to First Class. I did it for 45,000 Membership Rewards points fom AMEX. Pretty steep but worth it. 

 

I used Tours By Locals to arrange a private tour. It worked out very well. If you have a little extra time you can go to the top of the Burg Khalifa, the world's tallest building. You can also take a desert safari. There are many excellent restaurants in Dubai.

 

But for me the highlight was staying at the Burg for two nights. It was an incredible experience. We had the least expensive room, which was a duplex large enough to entertain 30 people at a party. There were two butlers assigned to us. We never had to use our key to open to room door. The butlers would always do it. We went to a five-hour dinner where we had a different course in each restaurant, continental, middle eastern, asian, seafood, followed by dessert in the lobby bar. Everything at the hotel is larger than life in vibrant colors. However, it does not have balconies or extensive grounds.

 

If the hotel experience doesn't matter to you that much there are plenty of other places to stay. Enjoy your trip.

 

Tom.

[jhenry1]

Lots of good info and thank you everyone.  I have used tours by locals many times and never had a problem and always very pleased with the guides. It appears there are many good Hotels to stay at and will have to make a very hard choice.  Maybe since this is a once in a lifetime stop most likely will go for broke on the Hotel. 

[labonnevie]

7 hours ago, giustot said:

If you're flying business class on Emirates, I would recommend using additional miles, or even discounted cash, to upgrade to First Class. I did it for 45,000 Membership Rewards points fom AMEX. Pretty steep but worth it. 

Tom, please expand on this as we are scheduled to fly Emirates business Dubai to JFK after Voyager cruise in October. What makes First Class worth upgrading?

Thanks (and yes we still believe our cruise will sail).

[giustot]

labonnevie, I feel what makes fling first class on Emirates special is the overall experience.

 

You have a dedicated first class lounge in Dubai that takes up the entire third floor. You have private access to almost every gate for departure. The selection of food and services is extensive, including restaurants and buffets. 

[giustot]

Here's the complete reply. I hit send too soon.

 

labonnevie, I feel what makes fling first class on Emirates special is the overall experience.

 

You have a dedicated first class lounge in Dubai that takes up the entire third floor. You have private access to almost every gate for departure. The selection of food and services is extensive, including restaurants and buffets.  You have your own duty free shops.

 

Once on the plane, first class seating is 1-2-1. The suite is very comfortable and the amenities are nice. I pretty much had my own flight attendant. The food is excellent an you can eat it whenever you want. The house champagne is Dom Perignon. If you're on an A380 you have access to on board showers.

 

All things considered, it was a very special experience in every way. I had a paid business class ticket that I upgraded at the ticket counter day of departure with AMEX membership rewards points. I remember reading that sometimes Emirates would offer business class passengers discounted paid upgrades. They had not done that for me. I would join their FF club in advance.

 

For me, the experience was definitely worth the 45,000 miles. Having said all of this, I would not advise spending any money or points yet on a post cruise flight from Dubai in October.

 

Good luck.

 

Tom.

[flossie009]

There are plenty of exceptional hotels in Dubai.

Since the city is very large and sprawling it would be useful to decide which particular experiences or attractions you wish to visit in order to better define the area of the city where you wish to stay.

Getting around is not too difficult and taxis are plentiful. Many hotels offer a shuttle to the nearest Mall.

 

Two hotels that we have used in the past:

 - JW Marriott Marquis (a fabulous view from the bar on the 70th floor)

 - The Oberoi

Both were very comfortable with good amenities, beautiful pool areas for relaxation and offer excellent value. 

 

As @giustotsays, the Emirates lounges at Dubai airport are extensive and very comfortable; that goes for the Business Class lounges as well as First.

[mariners]

Initially, I suggest you choose whether you want a beach location, or to be in the heart of the downtown area.  If you choose the downtown area, I highly recommend the Palace Downtown which is in the "Old Town" area.  There were many areas of interest within walking distance, the suites and service were fabulous, and we loved staying on the ground level where we could walk outside onto our large patio and watch the light shows.

 

We wanted a more "local" experience, and the location of the hotel was perfect as there were only a few "foreigners" at the hotel.  Everyone was very gracious and helped us to understand what the local protocols included.  

 

There were markets right beside the hotel and the Burj Khalifa and mall were within walking distance.  Food everywhere was fantastic, and that included restaurants/shops in the malls.    

 

Something that we found unique was that there were not security guards outside jewellery shops; instead, they were located outside the perfume shops.  

 

I'm not sure what the current regulations are for people arriving in Dubai, but, if you drink alcohol, I recommend packing your own bottle to enjoy in your accommodations.  

 

As with some other posters, we did not use a guide.  We checked out travel information before we left home, read information on CC as well as other travel sites, and chose what we wanted to do ahead of time.  We also got information from friends who had travelled to Dubai.

 

It looks like a fabulous trip!  Cape Town, and the surrounding area, is amazing.  If you can swing it, I recommend spending some time on a land vacation there, too.

[jhenry1]

We are planning on spending 3 days in Cape Town and then going out to a safari camp about 3 hours from Cape Town and spend 2 nights prior to the cruise.  We have made arrangements for a private guide for the entire say in Cape Town and also to drive us to the safari camp and return for the pick up and drop us off at the ship.

Hopefully all of this will be possible by Jan of 2022 but holding off on the flights and Hotel until mid summer.  Who knows what is in store for us.  We were suppose to receive our first vaccine today and the weather here in Texas is the worst in 30 plus years so needless to say that did not happen. We are having rolling blackouts what a mess.

[Kimbasmum]

jhenry1,

Hope your planning is keeping you warm with thoughts of your future trip.  Sounds like you have the right idea with regard to Cape Town and safari experience - well worth doing.  Have you organised your hotel there?  We stayed at Cape Grace and loved it.

In Dubai our favourite is the One and Only Residence - a boutique hotel with style.  We splashed the cash on an evening meal at the Burj, in the aquarium restaurant.  Unfortunately our fellow diner, accompanied by his minders, seated adjacent to us, spoiled our experience.  He followed neither the dress code or manners which should be expected.  The food and service were excellent.

Emirates Business was great - I imagine First is even better.  Lovely choices to make.

Keep safe.

 

[jhenry1]

I have made plans for Cape Town with a private guide for 3 days and also he will take us to the safari Camp Dwyka at which we will stay for 2 nights and then he will return us to the cruise ship.  We have the 3 Days in Cape town all planed out as we will see most everything including a wine tour.  We will be staying at The Table Bay Hotel as it is on the water front and close to all the good restaurants and shopping if we choose to do that.   I decided if we are going to fly Emeritus we might as well do a stop over in Dubai either going or coming and see the area. I am just in the stage of making plans for that stop over and I have received a lot of good info on this board. As you can tell I want to have everything planned prior to any trips.  I have never had any bad experiences if I do this.  All of my guides have been great.  I guess I should knock on wood.  I am hoping this cruise will take place in Jan of 2022.  They keep moving the dates back for cruising.  Hopefully we will get our first vaccine this Saturday as that has changed do to our horrible weather her in Texas.  It is the worst in 30 plus years with snow and ice.  Ready for a trip.

 

[royallondon]

2 hours ago, jhenry1 said:

I have made plans for Cape Town with a private guide for 3 days and also he will take us to the safari Camp Dwyka at which we will stay for 2 nights and then he will return us to the cruise ship.  We have the 3 Days in Cape town all planed out as we will see most everything including a wine tour.  We will be staying at The Table Bay Hotel as it is on the water front and close to all the good restaurants and shopping if we choose to do that.   I decided if we are going to fly Emeritus we might as well do a stop over in Dubai either going or coming and see the area. I am just in the stage of making plans for that stop over and I have received a lot of good info on this board. As you can tell I want to have everything planned prior to any trips.  I have never had any bad experiences if I do this.  All of my guides have been great.  I guess I should knock on wood.  I am hoping this cruise will take place in Jan of 2022.  They keep moving the dates back for cruising.  Hopefully we will get our first vaccine this Saturday as that has changed do to our horrible weather her in Texas.  It is the worst in 30 plus years with snow and ice.  Ready for a trip.

 

You’ve chosen a great hotel in the best of locations.  Have a great trip.

 

Regards