Dubai

One of the fastest-growing cities and most import centres of commerce in the world today, Dubai is blessed with a fine winter climate, miles of beautiful beaches, a notable culinary and shopping scene, and some of the world’s finest hotels. The city’s towering skyscrapers, vast air-conditioned malls, and extensive multi-lane highways often invite comparisons with Las Vegas or Miami, yet within living memory, the city was a sleepy backwater. Dubai’s metamorphosis in a short space of time has been nothing short of spectacular.

For the cultural visitor, it is the contrast between old and ultra-modern that makes Dubai such a fascinating place to visit. Down by Dubai Creek, the pulse of old Dubai is still tangible. Here are to be found lanes of traditional Arabian ochre-coloured houses, wind-towers, busy traditional spice and gold souqs, several museums, and long-distance dhows busy loading and unloading their wares. The contrast with gleaming 21st century Manhattan-like new Dubai couldn’t be sharper. Landmarks such as the astonishing Palm Jumeirah development, ‘7 stars’ Burj Al Arab Hotel, the Dubai Frame, and the iconic 828 metre-tall Burj Khalifa tower have all emerged in just the last 20 years and are incredibly impressive.

With its enviable location between the Gulf and the sweeping sands of Arabia, a holiday in Dubai offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of exciting leisure pursuits. Activities include watersports, boat trips, theme parks, helicopter flightseeing, horse racing, and 4WD safaris into the emirate’s stunning desert and mountainous interior. For an up-close view of Dubai Fountain at night you might like to include a dhow trip in the Burj Lake. A visit to the AURA skypool, the world’s highest infinity-edge swimming pool, is a wonderful way to while away an afternoon. Kids and adults alike will love the Atlantis-themed Lost Chambers Aquarium at the Atlantis Hotel as well as the Aquaventure Waterpark. For a real taste of the city’s rich range of cuisines, we can arrange a Dubai food tour or an Emirati meal and cultural talk at the Sheikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding. Shoppers will find endless entertainment while browsing through the boutiques within Dubai’s luxurious malls.