Dubai in Easter hols - how long and where stay?

[badass80]

DC 6 & 3
Never been to Dubai
Flights from Birmingham if possible.

Budget max £4K but would love to spend a lot less!

Over the Easter holidays... recommendations please.

Thinking 8 nights

There is way more than malls! I am not a shopper by any stretch of the imagination, so rarely venture into the malls except to use Carrefour! I am astounded that people think it is all shopping!

I suppose it depends where you come from in the world as to what you find to do that is different and explore. In my 20+ visits, I have always found new things to do and explore.

We looked at Malta OP, but I think it was for October. Looks beautiful.

Dubai is amazing and so so much more than Malls.

We have been every year for the last 6 years...we absolutely love it.

Having said that Easter is a quite expensive time to go. We normally stay in Le Meridien Mina Seyahi which is down near the marina. A smallish hotel by Dubai standards but still 5* and very child friendly. DS2 got chicken pox when we were there last easter and they were amazing.

Oh yes. Totally just malls! 🙄 We totally just spent the weekend camping in the dunes at a mall watching wild Oryx and gazelle roam below us! We totally went to 5 different theme parks in the malls! Totally went to the coolest old car museum ever in the malls. Golfed, hiked, biked and went to the Louvre at malls. Not to mention the most beautiful mosque in the world...at a mall
No.

Ive been to the Mosque as well...incredible isn't it? My normally grumpy 13 year old DS1 was in complete awe.DH works in Saudi so we spend a lot of time in the Middle East.

Im interested in where the car museum is though...haven't come across that before and DS2 would love it?

Dubai is great for young kids. So much to do. Depends on where you stay and what is important. To be to do it on that budget. Beach hotels are more expensive. Have stayed in old Dubai to see the other side as well in a hotel apartment attached to a mall which was great.

Think you should have booked flights earlier. I was getting flights for 2 adults 3 kids for £1100 at Easter when I researching in October and that's how much we paid last time we went 3 years ago.

I still think it's doable flights are around £1500. All the rest depends on what sort of accommodation you want.

Dubai can be as cheap or expensive as you make it. We normally eat out in the malls food courts when not staying at a beach resort.

Im interested in where the car museum is though...haven't come across that before and DS2 would love it?

It's on the way to Liwa, just outside Abu Dhabi in the Western region of the country. So a bit out of the way if you're in Dubai, but if you fancy an Abu Dhabi trip, it's well worth it. They have cars that were specifically made for Sheikh Zayed back in the 60's & 70's. Kids loved it.

I definitely recommend Lego land in Dubai. It was fantastic!

We stayed at the Hawthorne Suites by Wyndham JBR
affordable
huge family suites
great location in JBR
pool gets sun most the day
we'd definitely stay here if we went again

For those of you who visit Dubai regular, can I ask if October or New Year is a good time to visit, probably more likely October because I'm assuming New Year is wildly expensive.

I don't think 4k is enough because you're booking quite late. We stayed at the Wyndham which is a lovely hotel (breakfast is a-may- zing) and is a five minute walk to jbr.

Yes we've been to Abu-Dhabi...we last went in October. Probably going again this October if we don't book Dubai again. Ive never heard of the museum though...sounds amazing.

October is definitely better than New Year. It doesn't seem warm enough for me in December/January to be honest.

We normally go in May or October when it's hot but not roasting.

October is better as you will have nice weather for swimming and water parks.

So where are the old buildings, museums and theatres? Or the array of wildlife you see in Southern Africa? Or the colourful street life in India? Gardens and temples such as you can see in Japan? I think not. Dubai is ok, but it has narrow options in comparison to other places. If people keep going back then it suits them but it just doesn’t have what I need from a holiday and that’s variety.

So where are the old buildings, museums and theatres? Diera & Souk Al Kabir area and the Al Shindagha area. That's not even mentioning the awesome ones in Sharjah which aren't far away.

As for theatres, there are ones that show traditional dancing, but there's also Dubai Opera and Le Pearle for more modern Broadway, Cirque De Soleil type stuff.

Or the array of wildlife you see in Southern Africa? Well the UAE isn't South Africa so the selection of wildlife isn't as robust, but you can see wild gazelle, oryx, donkey's, camels, fox, Khubara, falcons and for some reason Patagonia mara, and other desert wildlife in abundance at Qudra Lakes and you don't even need to hire a safari guide. Locals say that there are still wolves and leopards in the mountains, but you'll be awfully lucky to see those!

Or the colourful street life in India? Obviously this changes in the summers, but in the winters most of the souks are teaming with festivals and there's celebrations in the various parks around the city. There's even an area called Global Village which invites expats and locals to set up stalls to showcase cultural wares and foods. You have to remember that Dubai is very multi-cultural, so depending which area you go, there will be different street life. DragonMart area is basically China Town.

Gardens and temples such as you can see in Japan? I think not.

Miracle Gardens, the umpteen parks around the city. As for temples, while the most beautiful mosque in the world is in Abu Dhabi (Shiekh Zayed Mosque), all mosques are open to the public outside of prayer times, there are old ones, new ones, modern ones, conservative ones. There are some churches and temples in the city, but they're fairly modern so not as beautiful or interesting as some of the older mosques in Shindagha.

All of this stuff is here, and easily accessible if people stopped feeding into the stereotype that Dubai doesn't have this.

And FYI, this is just Dubai, the rest of the country (and it's not a massive country) has even more to offer in terms of history including archeological sites of 10th century Monastery's, areas with wild giraffe, cheetah, zebra and ostrich that have been re-introduced, and the most amazing mountains and wadi's you'll ever see.

Emirates fly direct from Birmingham to Dubai. Some of the flights are at horid times, but you often get the new A380s on that route.

Fascinating to read what people believe Dubai to be like! Yes, it has issues, but it also has some amazing stuff. CrazyExIngenue mentions some of it (tho frankly, as a city, I'm quite pleased Dubai doesn't have wildlife as per South Africa, the UAE has masses of wildlife, and if your really lucky you may even get a falcon on the plane too - I've only ever seen them at the airport)

Not every country has all you have mentioned but as last poster said there is quite a few of them.

The colourful streets of India can be found there in a place called Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai.

The old part of Dubai still has wooden boats called abras crossing the 2 old parts of Dubai.

As mentioned the mosque in Abu Dhabi is absolutely stunning.

There is also a museum in Bur Dubai.

But that not what all people look for in a holiday, when I first went it was about waterparks and the pool and doing water sports like oats sailing and jet skiing.

other places I visited were the Palm Dubai on the monorail which I'm sure u won't c anywhere else. Also did a desert safari, shopped had massages, visited the Burj Khalifa the worlds tallest building and watched the musical fountains, went indoor skiing and visited the old bazaars.

Next time I go I will visit the many theme parks open at Dubai Parks and visit Global village. Also want to visit Hatta mountains.

I know it isn't for everyone but there is plenty to do there.

Also want to visit Hatta mountains

So stunning. The lake & dam are amazing. If you're driving yourself & have a 4 wheeler and you're feeling brave, take some of the dirt roads into the mountains to see the farms. Really amazing.

Another thing we did was go on a short dinner dhow cruise which was lovely.

I live in Dubai. It is an anazing place for a holiday. RAK is gorgeous too. Look at Double Tree by Hilton Marjan Island if you fancy RAK. That is all inclusive and fantastic facilities for kids.
In Dubai, look at the Grand Hyatt. Beautiful hotel with several pools. Any of the jumeirah chain hotels will give you free access to the Wild Wadi water park and a free shuttle bus to get there and back.
We stayed recently at the Lapita hotel which is attached to Dubai parks (motiongate, lego land, lego land water park). Amazing!
Why not do a few nights in RAK and then a couple in Dubai. Shame to come all this way and not see the sights. If you are looking for cheap and cheerful base in Dubai just to sightsee from, book the premierinn at ibn battuta mall. Breakfast is good and included in the rate and its right next to a metro stop so you can hop on and see Dubai easily. We got a family room there for 50 pounds per night including breakfast.
Please PM me if you want more info.

Global village will be closed at Easter. Only open from November to beginning March.

OP would you ever consider doing a home exchange? We have two children and find home exchanges work so well! Free accommodation, plus usually a car swap as well and we’ve met some really lovely people. Also, being based in a house with children we find more relaxing. Have a look at homeforexchange.com for some inspiration. It would make your £4k go a lot further- perhaps Australia? Nice time of year to visit.

Malta- I would probably say no at that time of year as it won’t be that warm, not predictably so anyway.

Dubai- def enough to do there but it is a concrete jungle and expensive. What about Oman? The people there are so nice and it’s a more authentic version of Dubai!

Cheap flight dependent, what about Thailand? Much much cheaper once there and hotels way cheaper than Dubai. Flight could be a bit more expensive but you’d earn that back from the other savings.A resort like Phuket is good for kids.

Other ideas- Florida, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Morocco

@CrazyExIngenue and @UAEMum can you recommend some wadis within a reasonable (i.e day trip) drive of Dubai? I went to some in Oman south of Muscat that were absolutely amazing but next time we are in Dubai we’ll be more limited on time so looking for some closer.

Also- would you recommend visiting the Musandam peninsular as an overnight trip with young children? It looks stunning but not sure if would be better to wait until they are older

can you recommend some wadis within a reasonable (i.e day trip) drive of Dubai?

The wadi's in the UAE are generally dam's and you're not allowed to swim in them, unlike Oman. But there's Wadi Shawka & Hatta Lake within an hour and a half to 2 hours, depending where you are in Dubai.

I wouldn't do Musandam as an overnight trip, but I'd go for a 3 day weekend.