Top Dubai Hotels

It is not overstating the case to say that many visitors come to Dubai and only leave their hotel to go to the airport when it's time to fly home. Even disregarding the Burj Al Arab, there are some truly stunning properties here. The Royal Mirage probably heads the insider's list of preferred accommodation, and by the sea there are obvious choices like the Ritz-Carlton and Jumeirah Beach. In the city, both the Fairmont and the Shangri-La are highly respected. Owners here have the money to brief architects with their wilder fantasies - hence the horseshoe shaped Dusit and the Mina A'Salam that looks like something from Arabian Nights.

As Dubai continues to expand at a rate of knots, so the metropolis has become increasingly hard to define. The Creek is a natural sea water inlet that cuts through the centre of the city, with Deira on one bank and Bur Dubai on the other. Sheikh Zayed Road, which is rapidly becoming Dubai's "main drag" runs inland, but parallel with the coast and the main beach hotels.

Away from the shops and the major hotels, there are plenty of traces of the Dubai of days gone by. Of the many mosques, Jumeirah is the largest and most beautiful, while the Grand Mosque's 70-metre minaret is the tallest in the city.

Sports and outdoor activities rank high on most visitors' agenda, and opportunities abound. Golfers can play at the Emirates Club, Emirates Hills, Dubai Creek, Nad Al Sheba, Jebel Ali or Dubai Country Club - which has 'browns' rather than greens as it is a sand based course. The Al Badia - with an 18-hole par-72 course -- is due to open in 2005 and is part of the vast Festival City resort and residential complex on Dubai Creek.

Little current or tide and year-round constant predictable winds make for superb sailing conditions, and dinghies and jetskis are available for hire from hotels and local clubs. The International Marine Club at Mina Seyahi hosts international and local water sports events, including world championship powerboat races. Diving is very popular here (The Palm archipelago will include tailor-made reefs once it is finished in 2007) as the sea offers good visibility and rich marine life. The Wild Wadi - an aquatic theme park - is a great place to cool off in the heat of the day, with some of the rides and slides offering stacks of excitement.Go-karting, fishing, flying, and climbing are also on offer here, while indoors there's a chance to go ten-pin bowling and there are two ice rinks which are open year round.

More exotic activities are available, such as helicopter flightseeing tours, and as Dubai bills itself as the cruise hub of the Gulf, visitors can always hop aboard a liner for a few days if the fancy takes them.

The Dubai Museum is one of the most intriguing in the world, let alone the Middle East. Housed in and beneath Al Fahidi Fort, which was built in 1787, it tells the story of the Emirate from its pre oil days to present times. Colourful and evocative dioramas, complete with life-size figures and sound and lighting effects (plus you can even smell the spice souk!) vividly recreate everyday life on the Creek, in traditional houses, mosques and date gardens.

Also worth a dekko are the Hatta Heritage Village, the Jumeirah Archaeological Site, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum's traditionally constructed house and the Al Ahmadiya School.

Nature doesn't automatically spring to mind when you think of Dubai, however enthusiasts will find there is plenty to keep them satisfied. The Al Maha resort is set in 3,300 acres of sand dunes, and is an integral part of a five-year animal reintroduction programme that will eventually see the endangered Arabian Oryx roaming free among gazelles, ostriches, foxes and caracals. Recreation here includes falconry and camel and horse riding, and the 40-suite resort is currently being expanded to become part of a 225 square kilometre reserve.

There are also 400 species of bird in the emirate, and customised tours take in the full range of their habitats, which includes parks, deserts, mountains, creeks and even golf courses.

Let's hear it for alcohol! You can drink in Dubai, although mainly only at clubs, restaurants and bars attached to hotels. In other parts of the Middle East beer, wine, spirits and home-made hooch get the thumbs down. Here, the demon drink is tolerated, making the nightlife and entertainment scene one of the most relaxed in the Gulf. To get off on the right foot, pick up a copy of Time Out magazine (10 dirhams) which as well as providing a comprehensive listing of just about everything going on in and around Dubai, also has its finger on the contemporary pulse.

One recently introduced craze is the beach party - with imported DJs, a barbecue, shisha (hubble bubble pipes) and watersports adding to the fun. Dubai also attracts live headline acts like Enrique Iglesias on a regular basis. Dancing - ie not simply whirling your arms around in a trance - is enjoying something of a renaissance, with classes for salsa, ballroom, Irish jigs and jive taking place around the city.

There's probably few better ways to kick off the evening than with a sunset drink somewhere like the Meridien Mina Seyahi - be warned that competition for beach side tables is intense. From here cruise on into The Agency - an upmarket metropolitan style wine bar at the base of Emirates Towers Hotel. Noodle House is just around the corner, with a wide ranging menu and highly popular long shared tables. Other eateries well worth a mention and a munch include Marakech, the Moroccan at the Shangri-La, and Bacchus, the Italian at the Fairmont. Some of Dubai's best Lebanese cuisine is served at Awtar in the Grand Hyatt.

Away from the hotel scene, it's heartening to see a sense of style and individualism developing in stand-alone restaurants. The seating at Elements in Wafi City, includes a terrace (outdoors) and two swings (indoors). And Simply Healthy in the town centre lives up to its name with inventive lo-cal juices and salads.

Many bars and clubs in Dubai feature Ladies' Nights and/or Aircrew Nights, when girls get reduced price or free drinks - a not too subtle bee/honey-pot ploy by the management. The sort of "bees" this tends to attract can result in social situations not best described as "delicate" or "refined". Horses for courses, and all that.

Shopping gets reinvented in Dubai, from its legendary souks (where bargaining goes hand in hand with breathing) to the swishest shopping malls. A vast swathe of choice married to some very choice prices has reinforced Dubai's traditional position as the trading entrepot of the Gulf. Plane loads of Russians fly in to stock up on electronic goods, veiled women haggle for intricately designed jewellery, and just about everybody enjoys a romp around the Duty Free shopping at the airport which is open 24 hours a day.

Some of the city's more therapeutic retail options include: Deira Tower, where carpet traders from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran converge by the score; Al Fahidi Street - a buzzing, beeping conglomeration of all things electronic; nearby Cosmos Lane is noted for its textiles; it's also worth having a looking around the fish and spice souks for their distinctive atmosphere; and the gold souk positively drip carats. Dubai's malls are too numerous to mention - suffice to say they are all very smart, usually with a food court and possibly a cinema as well. Wafi City (look for the pyramids) is a good place to start to get an idea of what's on offer. And yes, everywhere takes plastic. And dollars. And dirhams. Just bring lots of them.

Entry to the more obviously outrageous parts of the Internet is blocked in Dubai. By way of compensation, broad band is pretty much the norm. There are a few cyber cafes around town, but in-room and hotel business centre access is almost universally available.

There's scads of tours in Dubai, from bog standard trips around the city, to the rather more exotic cruises along the Creek in a traditional sailing dhow. And truly dedicated shoppers can also be whisked through an itinerary of selected souks and malls. However one of the most popular jaunts involves four-wheel driving around the sand dunes in the desert, which is usually followed by dinner at a mock Bedouin village, with camels, hookahs, sand skiing and belly dancing as entertainment. The drivers are extremely skilful. So too is the belly dancer, for that matter.

Walking around outside for extended periods is not really practical this side of a Survivor episode - the heat is intense and shade at a premium. Besides, Dubai is designed with the motor vehicle in mind. Most hotels run shuttle bus services - to the airport, the beach or downtown for shopping. Otherwise there are numerous taxi companies, and usually a queue of taxis waiting outside hotels so you won't be kept hanging around overlong. Flagfall is 3 dirhams (US$0.80) and the drivers - 99% of whom come from the sub continent -- reasonably conversant with the local geography, commonsensical rules of the road and the English language. Most have been away from their families for months or even years, and are only too happy to chat.

Of course, with an excellent road system and Abu Dhabi and Oman just a few hours' drive away, there is ample temptation to hire a vehicle here. Better still, the Middle East likes motor cars, and the ritzier the better. Stretch limo? Top of the range Mercedes? Ferrari? Hummer? All are up for grabs, although naturally the pricetag attracts several zeroes. More inexpensive, though less flash models, are also available, and regular taxis can be hired for 12 hours for a flat fee of 500 dirhams. Anyone taking to the road for the first time in the region should note that local driving standards include a fondness for the accelerator with a general disdain for using either mirrors or indicators. Proceed with caution.

[Warning: Foreign women of all ages should be aware that an over familiarity with the Internet and x-rated western movies, fuelled by myth and general gossip, means that they are accorded an unusual status in Dubai, somewhere between good time girl with a heart of gold and insatiable goddess. A certain amount of - call it courtship or call it harassment - should be expected if travelling around the city alone. Ignoring the perpetrators usually works wonders.]

January-February marks the Dubai Shopping Festival, though it's hard to imagine how they could celebrate any differently from the rest of the year! Cynics remark that this is when everybody gets rid of their old stock.

The Eid Camel Races take place in February and November, and horse racing runs from October to April, while dhows are raced between October and June. The Dubai Marathon is usually held in January.

For further information on Dubai try: http://www.dubaitourism.ae