United Arab Emirates Hotel Reviews

City Airport Terminal: thought this would be convenient to check in and with free shuttle to airport, however Etihad customers cannot use it as they do not have a counter there (yet). Not a great deal to do in AbuDhabi as such, but good for a suntan and relaxation at a third the price of Dubai (would still like to see Dubai though). Dubai is not too far away (taxi driver said an hour and a half...depending on traffic - negotiate fair before hand). Also thought the desert safari''s sounded good.

Dubai is all about shopping, nightlife, and getting some of the Arabic flair. Recently (2005) Dubai is experiencing a construction frency, which is more to be found towards the beaches and Internet City.

The tours were great, we went to the Safari Desert, Jumeirah Beach and around the city centre. The 4-wheel drive to the desert was fine and we used the Hop On-Hop Off bus which was great getting us around and seeing many sights. We used the water taxis to get across to the other side of the creek and enjoyed tha very much.

Very handily located for the airport and the Irish Village. We ate at the Blue Elephant which was exceptional and we also ate at the Terrace in the Meridian Village next door which was very good value for money. We took the Dhow Cruise which was ok but nothing special - the safari was much better although there was no dancing because it was ramadan - no-one told us which was a shame.

I arrived late at night. Flew from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, but later found out the distance is only 140 km. It would have been much faster and quicker to drive than fly. Unless you wanted to spend time shopping in the Dubai airport duty free. Abu Dhabi airport is a bit small and needs expansion inside. My bag was lost for about an hour, not a welcome experience when you are the first time in an airport at 11.30pm at night. But the airport baggage staff were diligent in finding it. The airport is about 20 minutes from the city, via good high speed expressways.

Dubai is a brilliant city to visit. It mixes the old with the new and it feels very safe. We took the open top bus tour around the old town (gold souk, spice souk, mosques and museums) and the new, which included the famous seven star hotel. We found the centre of the city easy to walk round, and enjoyed the occasional drink at ''The Pub'' in the Intercontintal Hotel. The beaches are beautiful and it is certainly an experience I would repeat.

If you do nothing else, go on a desert safari. We used Desert Rangers, who were great - lots of zooming up and down the desert sand dunes in a 4x4 Landcruiser, visit to a camel farm, sunset over the dunes, and a barbecue supper at an Arabian camp with belly dancing, henna painting etc. Not nearly as touristy as I expected, and the kids loved it too.

Taxis are easy to get and represent reasonable value. If you are staying in the hotel and have to do business in/around the Jumeirah Beach area, it takes around 30 to 45 minutes and costs around AED60. Make sure you have change as some taxi drivers do not carry change for large notes!

Dubai has come a long way in recent years. Definitely worth a stopover between Europe and Asia. Gold souk a ''must see'' but negotiate hard. See ''Time Out'' for a much better nightlife scene than you''d expect.

The Hard Rock Cafe is a little out of the city but well worth a visit - not too far from the beach hotels. Creakside Park is well worth a visit, but if you want to go on the cable car it runs from the centre only (it is a long walk to the end) to find you can''t get on there.

A visit to the gold and spice souks is a must. Book early for any special trips such as the evening desert and dinner as these get booked up quickly.

If you want an over view of the main areas of Dubai get the Big Red Bus (two bus routes one ticket that lasts 24 Hrs). A trip up and down the creek is also good should cost 50 to 100 dirhams. The spice and gold souk are close by.

In Sri Lanka very good hotel is the Eva Lanka hotel at Tangalle is Italian hotel in a magnificent place, very quiet, good food, very friendly.

Good for shopping. The ride on the ferry is a pleasant way to see the city. It can be a little strange for a woman travelling alone ie. lots of staring but it''s never threatening.

Japanese-Korean restaurant in Al Ghurair shopping centre is okay.