Dubai in Feb with DS age 15

[thedogdaysareover51]

We (me, DH and DS) are looking at places to go on holiday in DS’s February school holiday week. I think I’d like some sun so it’s tricky to try and find somewhere at that time of year. I fancy Dubai but DS isn’t up for it as he thinks it might be expensive and tacky 🙄. I’ve found some good half board deals with BA to the Ritz Carlton and Raffles. Just posting to see if others would recommend it and I’ll try and tempt DS. He’s a typical 15 year old boy into sports, cars, pool, eating!

Hi OP, it wouldn’t be for me, but I have a friend who went to Dubai recently with three teenagers and they all loved it.

Thanks @SuspiciousTimesIt’s hard to find sun in Feb so our options are limited. He’s got exams just after Christmas and after Easter so February is really the only time we can travel I think.

If he’s the sort who’s happy to chill on a lounger by the pool most of the time he’ll probably love it but there isn’t much to actually ‘do’ unless you spend on organised trips to do camel rides, dune buggys, visit the souk etc. It’s also not the sort of nightlife I’d want to introduce a 15 year old to.
He will definitely see lots of super cars though, one of the hotels we stayed at had a fleet that could be hired by guests - the concierge did let us have a sit in a Ferrari for a minute without paying the £1000 hire fee…

I went with two young teens one Feb half term for 4 nights one Feb half term and we all had a fab time. We did a tour of Dubai creek /souk and a museum plus an excursion to the desert one evening. We stayed at Atlantis the Palm and enjoyed going to the water park a couple of times and walking around the aquarium. We had a half board package and really enjoyed all the different restaurants on offer.
My DH and I actually went back on our own for 5 nights and did different days out (Burj, fountain show, walks, monorail) as there’s a lot to do.

February is high season in Dubai. The weather is cooler still a good 25 ish but can be windy and over cast. There can also be sandstorms so when you’re walking out and about the it can hit you. Didn’t enjoy Dubai in Dec/Jan/Feb.. It will also likely be Ramadan over the February half term, won’t really affect tourists but something to be mindful of as a lot of places will adjust opening times to accommodate Ramadan hours.

If he loves cars, have you considered Abu Dhabi, and a trip to Farrari World?
https://www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com/en/booking?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21077092499&gbraid=0AAAAADeoBNfqJ9hrxyyiphaL5SSp5PC5J&gclid=CjwKCAjwobnGBhBNEiwAu2mpFCvNC1pR-Pp3-lzRuXFm2knWlRKmCz5DsfQ3Et2EXaEUkvMHj9dz8xoCHZ4QAvD_BwE

You could do everything you've got penciled in for Dubai, but that might appeal to him??

It's also a great time of year for desert trips - dune buggies??

I think Ramadan starts at the end of February and we’re would be going around 13th Feb. I wouldn’t go if I couldn’t get alcohol!

@CantseetreesforthewoodI haven’t considered Abu Dhabi yet. For some reason I don’t really think of it as a holiday place. I know of people who go to live and work there but I don’t really know of anyone who has been on holiday.

How about Oman instead?

Would you consider Doha, I know it’s not for everyone? I went last November and there is a lot to do, we went to lots of different museums, did a boat trip, chilled at the beach, pool, spa, visited a mall and went on a gondola. We stayed at Kempskinski on the Pearl.

Yes I would absolutely consider Oman or Doha. Would a teenager like these places?

The canaries are hot in feb

@Mancity08thanks. We’ve been to the Canaries a lot so don’t fancy going again. It’s okay but I think DS would be a bit bored going again and it’s not that much cheaper than Dubai.

My teens enjoyed Oman - we travelled around quite a bit though so depends if you want to drive. We did mountains, desert and sea.

@alexacalling911 thanks. I’ll definitely check it out. My DH would be the one driving so I’ll ask him.

Ramadan is expected to start 18th / 19th February. As mentioned already some places adjust timings to reflect Ramadan hours. If you’re just planning on staying in the tourist areas then you will not be affected.
Dubai is the most relaxed of the emirates more so than AD. Doha is more strict particularly during Ramadan.

Really good to know @Helpmefindmysoulthanks. I would have thought it would be a complete no go during Ramadan so great to know Dubai would be more relaxed.

We’ve done Dubai as “doing” holiday people, not beach people.

We did over 5 days:

1. Dubai Mall and Aquarium
2. Tour of the souks, abra boat and the historic district. Take the ferry 1 hour all the way to the Marina at sunset enjoying views of the city. Fancy dinner in a hotel in the Marina.
3. Desert excursion with off road driving, camel ride and dinner/fire show in a desert camp.
4. Marina, monorail up the Palm, lunch in Atlantis, public transport to Burj Khalifa and dinner overlooking the fountains. We didn’t fancy a waterpark but your teen may enjoy this more than wandering round the Marina.
5. Madinat Jumeirah (not that exciting, a modern souk) followed by a “behind the scenes” tour of the Burj Al Arab which was fascinating!

So that filled 5 days with no beach club/pool time/water parks at all really! Food and taxis to get around were really pricey. The desert tour was pricey but a real standout.

On other trips we’ve had a 24 hour layover and done Ras Al Khaminah bird reserve to see the flamingos and the View at the Palm. Dinner overlooking the fountains and the Burj Khalifa is standout though- it is absolutely stunning! Other things on our list for future layovers (we travel East a lot and it’s a nice way to break the journey) is Museum of the Future, Dubai Frame and some of the gardens.

Basically don’t go expecting tonnes of culture or atmosphere. It is what it is- a remarkably built city designed for the future. If you take it for that, there’s lots of fun to be had- art museums and historic buildings it ain’t!

And yes, we went in Ramadan- no issue buying alcohol as Western tourists in normal hotels and restaurants.

It is definitely pricey though, we didn’t get much change from £150 for dinner for 2 even in the more casual places. If you can get a good package with meals included, I would consider that, unless you are happy to spend money trying different restaurants. And had to use taxis to get around sometimes which are not cheap either.

Just make sure you and he are aware of what happened to Marcus Fakana on his Dubai holiday before you go!

If you hire a car you could do a split trip, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I preferred Abu Dhabi as it felt a bit more relaxed. You can walk/ run/ cycle around the Abu Dhabi F1 track on selected evenings for free. Ferrari World and Clymb are worth a visit and there's a huge aquarium there too. Sunrise kayaking through the mangroves, a walk through the souk. Time it right and you can see some amazing shows/ music too.

Thanks everyone. And @user1471548941 your holiday sounds fantastic! I think we would all be bored just lying by a pool so great to hear about activities to keep us busy. The two hotels we are looking at have good deals for half board so we only need to get lunch if needed and drinks.

@gromaoh bloody hell surely not-he’s just turned 15 and will be with us at all times.

@AltitudeCheckDS would absolutely love that! He’s obsessed with F1.

We went with dc (a bit younger) to Jordan. Spent a night in Amman, a night at the Dead Sea, two nights in Petra then 3 nights in a seanky hotel at the Red Sea. It was a great trip.