UAE - Dos and donts

[cjt110]

I have found after a google some handy do's and dont's when visiting the UAE but it'd be great to know from people who have been/live there any customary things etc such as whether to tip etc.

Thanks

Some great helpful advice

I need to buy a pashmina or something similar.

I doubt we will leave the resort but better to have one and not need it.

Good advice re medication. I am on fluoextine, omeprazole and levothyroxine. Coincidentally have a medical review so am going to ask if any are classed as controlled.. unsure about the fluoxetine... and get a Drs letter too.

We have some euros we could change instead of sterling. Can we spend euros in UAE or is it worth changing? And if so, here or there? To change to sterling here we lose approx £60

We go Thursday to a week on Friday and am looking forward to the Friday brunch. Some colleagues have mentioned it. Friday is similar to a holy day in UAE isnt it?

We have a private transfer booked.

You won’t be able to spend Euros in UAE, and although you would be able to change them for Dirhams, you’re losing on exchange rates twice.

If you can afford to hold onto your Euros, do that, and change sterling; shop around online for the best rate. Thomas Exchange tends to do the best rates; they have shops dotted around central London, and I think will send currency, but at a cost, of course.

Credit cards are quite widely accepted; we’ve got a Halifax Clarity card, which doesn’t charge for non-sterling transactions; most cards charge 3% or so. You also get the best (MasterCard) rate - always elect to pay in local currency. You potentially pay interest on ATM withdrawals, but if you can have a credit balance on the account before you go, you’d probably avoid interest. See what your credit card provider charges; you might find that transaction fees will be off-set by the savings in exchange rates.

Whereabouts are you going? You say you won't want to leave the resort but the malls are definitely worth a visit, really amazing buildings with beautiful fountains and displays - it's not just shops, there's cinemas and restaurants too. Everyone speaks English the movies are in English. You'll find loads of places to eat in the malls with all kinds of cuisine. My kids like the loads of American fast food places that you don't see here in the U.K. eg IHOP and Hardees, also the souks in Dubai if you're going there. There's also American shops like Bath and Body Works. Taxis are the main form of public transport and there are scores at or outside every resort/hotel. The drivers are uniformed and strictly regulated. There's the metro in a Dubai too - very easy to use. Make sure your DH or DS doesn't go in the women's carriages though.

@WendyMoiraAngelaDarling We are going to Fujairah which is approx 90 mins from Dubai.

Fujirah is very sleepy and you probably won't want to leave the resort as there isn't much else to do apart from the boat trips mentioned above. It's a different Emirate from Dubai so much of the advice above is irrelevant - no metro or big shopping malls.
I don't even think Friday Brunch is as much of a thing - there are certainly fewer hotels restaurants to choose from. Its easier to buy alcohol in an off licence as you don't need a license - used to get ours from there when we lived in Dubai.

Fujirah is very sleepy and you probably won't want to leave the resort as there isn't much else to do apart from the boat trips mentioned above.

Glad to hear that!

My parents live there. They are very relaxed about the Iran thing and point out that a lot of the press stories don't tell the entire picture

That would be because the press is (a) heavily censored and (b) heavily self-censoring, as everyone's work visa depends on them toeing the official line of what is essentially a superficially westernised dictatorship which represses dissent, increasingly even among Emirati citizens who agitate for democracy.