Sun, Skin and UAE holidays... a few questions...

[cjt110]

We are off to the UAE at the end of August. I've been away many times over the years but never to somewere as hot and at the peak time of summer either.

First time to UAE - we've visited the Maldives, Thailand, Mexico etc but not such a humid and hot climate as UAE.

So I have a few Qs...

I haven't been on a foreign holiday for a year or two, and those weren't particularly sunny. I'd say my last real sun exposure (apart from a nice British summer last year) was probably about 5 years ago. I have fair skin. I usually go a bit pink then brown.

For me I've been wondering about a fake tan treatment before I go... so I don't look clearly milk bottle white when I go. However, whilst I know they can be controversial, I wondered if it is best to go to a tanning salon to build up my "sun" exposure before I go.

A local tanning salon has vertical booths and good reviews. I can buy blocks of 30, 60 or 90 mins ranging from £17 to £37 and she would draw up a programme of minutes for me, increasing over time.

For our son, aged 5 We are getting him a swimsuit that covers his legs/arms to tshirt/short level. Also some swim pumps so his feet are covered as I've heard the ground can be very hot, particularly tiles and sand. We will also get him a legionnaire style hat that covers his neck and some sunglasses. Does he need anything else to protect his skin, other than these and advice to seek out shade etc?

For all of us What is the best sunscreen to use in places such as UAE? We are staying beachfront so will be spending time in the sea, pool and on th beach. have seen the P20 once a day stuff. We can get 200ml for £16 approx. I would perhaps get 2 of these as they are once a day for all 3 of us, then a normal SPF 50 for topping up/after swimming etc. Can anyone confirm if this is a good idea, or should we follow something else? Buy something else?

If you can suggest a better plan from any of the above, or a better product, please do... Thank you.

It's so strong there you will need to cover up during most of the day, you will burn to a crisp - heard the phrase "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun"???

There a reason Middle East dress covers the skin for men and women, it's practical. Long linen trousers and shirts are a must outside of the hotel anyway. Even in winter it's pretty unpleasantly hot

@okiedokieme That's good advice thanks. And in terms of being in swimwear - strongest possible UVA and UVB SPF50?

I would get longer sleeve stuff for your son - I got lots of good UV stuff from a website called Snapper Rock for my DCs when we went to the Indian Ocean, they needed it down to wrists and board shorts to the knee. Polarn O Pyret do great legionnaires caps you can swim in, and sunglasses for kids.

Also for you I don't think the "building up" thing really works, better to get a spray tan so you aren't tempted to bake in the sun and try and get a tan.

Thanks for the advice @Xiaoxiong I will have a look at that website :)

Considering it'll be 40 degrees or more with insane humidity, is the beach/sea/pool really realistic? Everyone I know who has been there in summer says they couldn't spend any time outside!

But yes I would have longer sleeves and complete coverage, especially for a child.

Actually the sun isn't as strong as you'd expect because of the air pollution. The risk of burning isn't much higher than the UK.

You are of course barmy to be going end of August! How are you planning on spending your time? You won't be able to spend much if any time on the beach at that time of year - the sand will be burning hot for most of the day. Pool will normally be ok provided you stay in it.

@PatriciaHolm I don't know as I've never been the UAE before

@Somewheredreamingofcheesecake mainly pool and beach and water activities. What SPF would you suggest? usual SPF50?

Most of the hotels cover the children's pool and sometimes another pool with a large sunshade so you can still use it in the hotter months. It's not so much the heat it's the humidity which is unbearable to the point that you cannot even sit outside in the evening without sweat running off you. You might get lucky with low humidity though as friends went last year in August and said it was ok.

I have never been to UAE but based on other vvvvv hot places I have been:
You will only be able to go out first thing, and at sunset.
If there are any tours of sights they will be very early in the morning (Egypt sights at 6 am!)
Your DS will probably be pretty miserable in the middle of the day outside but a covered pool should be OK.
I didn't think it was THAT humid - and you risk dehydration - don't forget to keep drinking.
You'll probably spend more time in the AC having a nap than lounging on a sun bed!

Me and DD went to Dubai in mid September, it is absolutely boiling. Our coolest day was 37 and hottest day was 46. However everywhere has air con and our hotel had covered children's pool etc. We used the beach first thing or later in the evening as during the day the sand would burn your feet.
I can't remember what brand lotion we used but I checked for a 5* uv and factor 50 for her and a lower factor for myself.
I think some posters are being quite extreme saying you can't go outside etc as this certainly wasn't the case for us and DD handled the heat very well but slept a little more than normal.

We are not going to Dubai itself but Fujairah.

It will be around 40 degrees but with the high humidity at that time of year it will feel a lot warmer!

You will need to try and stay in the shade if you go outside and always use a very good factor 50 with UV protection. You will not be able to be outside for long and you need to stay hydrated.

Everywhere has air conditioning for good reason. Most people who live in Dubai go on holiday in August!

Weather is lovely October to May.

Fujairah doesn’t get quite as hot - but it’s still toasty!

I swear by P20 (in the higher factors) especially if in the water a lot, but don't top it up with other sun creams! They can sort of react to each other and 'cancel each other out'. I know this from experience unfortunately

@UpTheLaganInABubble Great tip! I didn't know this but it makes sense now you say... May I ask when you've used the P20, how much have you fond with it being a daily one, you used per person for a week?

We’ve done UAE several times with kids.
We use Calypso once a day on ourselves (doesn’t seem to stain clothing as much as P20 and much cheaper) and UltraSun Extreme on the kids. It’s pretty expensive but DS2 has really sensitive skin and, despite being very fair, they have never burnt.
Lots of the children’s pools have a shade covering them so try to stick to these during the day.
We always take a few rash vests (long and short sleeved) and change during the day. It’s no fun sitting around in wet swimwear! You’ll need at least 2 hats per child - one that can wet in the sea / pool and a dry one to put on afterwards!

We went last August (my husband works in Dubai and we have been loads of times but never in the summer before).

It is absolutely boiling. I love the heat but at one point it made me feel really ill. I’ve never once burned over there(lots of high factor suncream reapplied constantly) but the actual heat and humidity is a killer.

At one point my phone said it was 45 degrees but feels like 57 degrees which is crazy.

Having said that though it didn’t stop us doing everything we wanted to do and I would go again in the summer.

Fujairah is worse though - at least Dubai had a lot of indoor options. There's nothing in Fujairah. It's beautiful but it's beach and desert. My kids are heat adjusted but at this time of year we wouldn't spend more than max two hours at a time outside (and that's assuming they're in the pool for most of those two hours).

There is a reason the hotels are cheap. Assuming you're booked now and can't change I would hire a car and go on day trips into Dubai to break the time up. If it was just adults baking by the pool all day could be fine but not with a 5 year old.

Yes factor 50 and cover up. I'd always wear a rash vest and have my kids wear one too.

I'll put it in context - I went

@cjt110 I can't remember tbh as it's been a few years since I've been abroad. I find it takes loads to make sure you've full coverage as it can dry in very quickly as you're putting it on, and then when somewhere really hot and in/out of water a lot, I top up with it once or twice during the day. Just remember to leave 20mins between reapplying and going back in the water. So better if possible to take much more with you than you think you'll use. It definitely works out more expensive than other sun creams but I think it's worth it as both myself and my daughter are very pale and burn easily (Irish)

We use one bottle of P20 / Calypso (150/200ml) per person per week

Ok. I lived there for 5 years. You honestly won’t be able to go outside for very long. Maybe an hour? You will honestly want to be inside in the air con. Cover your kid in a uv suit and a hat and stay in the shade.

I live in Dubai with a 1 year old and a 3 year old and wouldn’t even let them into the garden after about 7am in August, sorry.

The sea is like a hot bath (it actually makes you feel ill), I can’t open my patio doors with my bare hand as they are so hot, and last summer my husband blistered the sole of his foot when his flip flop snapped and he had to walk on the pavement for just a few minutes.

Fujairah will be ever so slightly cooler as it’s quite mountainous but we are talking 47 degrees versus 49 degrees. Also as someone else has pointed out, there’s not much to do there beyond the confines of your resort when you need to get out the sun. I would see if your hotel has a shuttle service into Dubai as there is lots (indoors) there for kids - eg some great soft plays, indoor skiing, Kidzania etc.

The humidity is insane in the evenings as well, so you can’t even really sit outside for dinner etc. In fact, most of the non-touristy places don’t even open up outside in the summer as they know no one will even attempt to sit there.

Sorry, I really don’t mean to put a dampener on your holiday but unless you’ve actually been here in the summer with young kids it’s impossible to understand quite how hot it is.

@cjt110

Check the spf of swimwear, a hat with an elastic strap is handy for dc. A covered pool even better. For outside the hotel long cotton trousers and shirts plus a hat for dc (I wear maxi dresses and a shirt over the top plus hat). But outside tourist areas I found it easier just to wear an abaya, less staring and full sun coverage. I'm very pale!

There is a reason the hotels are cheap.

Agreed. Are you irrevocably committed to this holiday and can't change the booking, OP? I used to live in the UAE and it's generally absolutely miserable outdoors at that time of year, hiding in the aircon for much of the day unless you actually enjoy the sensation of sitting in the shade in air that feels like a hot, wet towel, with sweat running continually down your face and body, while dealing in your case with a small child driven fractious by heat (assuming he's not used to that kind of climate).