Dubai - recommendations please

[christmosschops30]

Going with my mum at end of Feb.

Can anyone help answer the following questions:

Are Emirates any good? (mum is in business and im in economy)
Is it best to fly there on an overnighter?
Anyone stayed at Le Meridian? Or can you recommend another hotel
Where do we go for friday brunch?
Is it worth going all inclusive for 4 nights?
How expensive is it to eat out?
Is it ok for two women to be out at night eating? (not sure of cultural norms)
Is afternoon tea at the Burj worth it?

Many thanks

Emirates are good, especially business but they have gone downhill in recent years, i flew back from dubai last week and our flight was overbooked and we had to wait 12 hours till next flight despite having paid £1600 for our flights!

The one and only Royal Mirage is my fav hotel, i would steer clear of atlantis and JBH (very touristy and very expensive and not that great)
The Hilton and sheraton are very old and dated so would also avoid.

The Madinat although tourist trap again is a lovely hotel to stay in.

Friday brunch is a must and i have been to alllot lol
Al qusar which is part of the madinat is by far the best in my opinion (and biggest, you get a map to round with lol)

Mina a salam is also good and there are buy one get one free vouchers in the entertainer books

Spectrum on one at The Fairmont is great but is inside and abit more 'stuffy' but excellent food and free flowing moet.

I would not go all inclusive, too many good resturants in dubai to waste on one place.
The beach bar and grill @ the one and only

Frankies is excellent (on the Walk)
Trader vics at the madinat
Table 9 at the downtown hilton
Ruth Chrises at the address marina
Loads of good resurants at the madinat
Hunters grill at the westin
Peacocks at the Sheraton
The brazilian resturant in the hilton
The bhudda bar (vv expensive)

There is absolutley no problem with 2 woman going out alone, believe me i have been wining, dining and clubbing there for last 8 years lol

I personally dont like afternoon tea so wouldnt go, but i have had dinner at the burj and i didnt like the hotel (too gaudy) and the food was below average.

Have a great time.

Wow thanks kelly lots of info there.

What is the madinat?
How much is a fairly standard meal for two?
It sounds like people go in other hotels to eat! Is that the done thing
Will have a look at your hotel recommendation, many thanks
Can you drink wine with a meal when dining out?

Have stayed at Le Meridian and loved it BUT last two years have stayed at Dar al Masyaf which is part of the Madinat Group - absolutely fantastic - check it out on Trip Advisor - last year we went on the overnight flight too and it was fine.

Do you book accommodation direct with hotel?
Where are the best hotel deals?

I see others have a lot more info than me but:

I have flown long haul with Emirates a few times now - always been great.

I stayed at the Le Royal Meridien and loved it - we got upgraded to the presidential suite which probably helped!

the madinat is a hotel complex with about 20 resturants ans bars and nightclubs.

meal price totally depends where you go, madinat with a bottle of wine £120 for 2, which is cheap (my dad once took clients to noble house chinese at Raffles in dubai and it came to nearly £4000 gbp for the 3 of them!!! yes really!!!

Friday brunch £100 per person.

As i say depends where u eat, what you eat and drink! alchol v v expensive in dubai.

Every hotel has numerous resturants, bars and clubs and all open to everyone, definately do not just stay and dine at the hotel you are in as you will miss out big time!

Dubai is all about hotels, its not like anywhere else that you can walk down street and there is bars and resturants, all the bars and resturants are within hotels so you have to move around and the hotels are huge! definately go madinat, you will love it! all waterways and abra boats going from one end to the other.

Yes of course you can drink wine with your meal! lol people definately have misconceptions of dubai! as i say go to a friday brunch, where u will spend 4 hours eating everyfood imaginable and your champagne is topped up with every sip as well as every cocktail/beer/wine known to man available all for set price!

Dubai is full of nightclubs and bars, the nightlife is huggge in dubai!

you will see when you get there that what you hear in the news is a load of rubbish!

www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-Resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Madinat-Jumeirah/?kTckId=130114231336644012&cm_mmc=Google%20PPC--MID-AE-Madinat%20Jumeirah-SN-BR-EUR-GB-EN--BR-MJ%20hotel-Dubai-_-madinat%20jumeirah%20hotel%20dubai

you can book direct or with travel agent, just enquire to see the best deals, sorry i wouldnt know more than that !

My parents have lived in dubai for 8 years and live at emirates golf club villas so i am always at theres for months at a time, but we eat out mostly everynight and parents have guests about 90% of the year lol so over 8 years we have covered most places.

Don't go. Dubai is built by slave labour on the profits of crime and sex trafficking. Go somewhere else warm and sunny instead. Honest.

don't think all of it was. I've read all the various threads regarding slave labour before but the simple fact is, many of these workers are far better off than if they had stayed in their home countries. They are earning money and sending it home to provide for their families, something that sadly many couldn't do if still at home with them. Very sad, but a fact of life.

I will throw Atlantis into the thread, stayed their twice and a very nice resort. Destinology do some fabulous deals there

I had afternoon tea at Burj for a special B'day. Ridiculously expensive but a hoot and more food than you can shake a stick at

We have been recommended by the owner of the property we are staying in, in Dubai, to book tickets for the trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa in advance. So I checked it out on line and you save 300aed, as the price is 100aed. Apparently the tickets get booked up very quickly, so you can choose your time in advance.

We are renting a private apartment in the Oceana complex, for less than a hotel per night we get more private facilities which suited us. The place has a gym, kids club, restaurant and bar, infinity pool with lazy river and private beach.

A lot of the hotels seemed to charge room only, with expensive additional charges for breakfast, so we have found a home delivery service online and we'll have breakfast things, and soft drinks delivered upon our arrival.

The other thread on Dubai mentioned buying "The Entertainer" for discounts, so I have ordered mine to be delivered to my home address, but they will also deliver to your hotel or apartment.

Quite excited now! We are off on the second week of Feb.

Binfull - was at Oceana beach club in Oct, very lovely. Think Dar Al Masyf is best there really, definitely my favourite, but do really love the new Jumeirah Creekside hotel, but not really a resort. do like Le Meridien and love One and Only.

Al Qsar Brunch is amazing, have done afternoon tea twice at Burj al Arab, very nice, but i too not a big fan of hotel, bit too bling! mind you, not a fan of Atlantis really either-but i have friends who love it, much prefer Madinat, tho dont like JBH.