Would you choose Dubai as a holiday destination?

[Letshopenextyearisbetter]

Colleague told me excitedly she has booked to go to Dubai with her family for two weeks. I said ‘Oh wow!’ But really I was thinking 😬
I realise we all like different things, but just curious if you’d choose to spend your money on going to Dubai? I can personally think of some really lovely places to go for that amount of money, especially over Christmas

No

Yes, I've been 4 times so far. Hopefully again soon

Absolutely NOT, never, I'd pay NOT to go there.

I'm a woman and my family member is gay. Why on earth would I go to a place where I have to significantly alter my appearance and still be thought of as that 'disposable, cheap Western whore' by locals. But that's nothing, compared to what would happen to my family member, should he dare to show who he is.

Dubai is like Kim Kardashian of cities. Soulless, vapid, shallow, plastic, overblown, vulgar, cheap and fake. There's NOTHING there for me. I'm not into pools/beaches/cocktails/mocktails/restaurants/shopping/'sun hols'. And there's nothing more there than that.

Furthermore, I know I'm a snob, but I wouldn't be friends with a person who chooses to travel there more than once. Once - ok, maybe, curiosity. More? Let's just say, that kind of person is not for me. You can sun yourself and visit designer Boutiques in multiple countries, no need to go to a hypocritical abusive shithole.

I went once when I was in my early 20s. Never again.

It's a horrible place. They are so many human rights issues and the distance for women is off the charts.

There's a real seedy uncurrent there.

I couldn't wait to leave and if I was there any longer, I would have probably been arrested for something. It's very difficult to watch people treat you and others like shit and it's dangerous to call them out on it.

Horrible place.

You could not pay me to go to Dubai. Mostly on moral grounds but also all the bling and pretence just does not appeal to me at all.

However it seems so many people are going there on family holidays for winter sun etc. totally beats me but each to their own I guess.

Not even if it was a free holiday with spending money. It would be my idea of hell.

We are going very soon and I can't wait!

We wanted winter sun and there were few options.

I like a bit of bling, I can totally get it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it will be mine.

Nooooo.

I went once with work - it was hot and based on sand and hotels. Really not my thing. Hated Las Vegas too for the same reason.

You don't get it, do you? Even if it would be the most beautiful place on earth many of us would not be interested in going because of the regim being repressive, sexist, using slave labour, harming the environment etc etc. But obviously you have to be 1. Aware 2. Care .

Shocked at all the vapid 'I'm going soon and I can't wait' type comments. Amazed at how many ill-educated, shallow morons there are on here. Do any of you have daughters? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Been 4 times and love it, different strokes for different folks!

Slavery conditions for workers and treating women and gays as crap is your cup of tea then huh? It's mingin.

By 'different strokes' I take it you mean lashes?

Yeah, some of us do happen to care about human rights and some like yourself don't.

I had to go on business two or three times and found it ghastly - Arabs rule, Indians do all the work, and no signs of culture. But many people like it.

I have Asian colleagues who go there, as many of their friends and family have been/are going and they have all said it's too expensive

Nothing about human rights abuses, just that it's a bit pricey

TBH, everything I've read about it, gives me the heebies.

It's an expensive, societally repressive, environmentally unsustainable car crash of a place

And some of us can’t go @Teacherbee85 because being gay is still a capital offence.

Well if even the adverts for it, and the comments by people who love it, still make you think 'Urgh, no!', I think it's a fairly safe bet that you wouldn't like it, even if you haven't been there. Not everyone is into built-up resorts and designer shopping!

I'd rather shit in my hand and clap.

No. It doesn't do it for me at all.

Neither do cruises or ikos resorts.

This. Oppressive heat, slavery and exploitation, shallow consumerism, no culture or nature, environmentally destructive. Hellish.

It's not for me, no.

No. I turned down an all expenses paid holiday there and wouldn’t go if you paid me.

What I find fascinating is how everyone hates Dubai but doesn’t seem to have a problem with Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia etc. All of these places - with some variability within them - have exactly the same issues when it comes to modern slavery, and strict laws, equal rights etc. Does everyone here only really holiday in Western Europe? Feel like the high ethical standards will be ruling a pretty big chunk of the world out.

Would like to see it as a spectacle of lavish weather, amaxing architecture etc and to enjoy the hot weather.

However it’s incredibly easy to upset the wrong person locally and if they have enough influence / contacts, you get arrested and imprisoned. Our Gov will try to support but it won’t be easy or quick to sort. So for that reason I won’t take the risk.