Cruises from Dubai

Dubai is the second largest of the Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. This is a small piece of land, north east of Saudi Arabia, on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

The climate is sub-tropical and arid. You can expect sunny blue skies most of the year and rainfall is sparse, with what little that does fall occurring primarily during the winter months. Temperatures drop as low as 50°F and reach highs of 118° F. During the summer, May through October, temperatures average about 105°F, while November through April are the coolest months.

Thanks to the free-port status and low import taxes, Dubai is a shopper’s paradise. Though there are modern air-conditioned shopping malls throughout the city, the souqs remain as a more traditional alternative. They offer great bargains, entertainment and reflect the true ambiance of the region. You can find everything from gold jewellery to designer creations, oriental rugs and electronics. The Gold Souq is popular with tourists and locals alike and on Al Nasr Street you can find antique shops and jewellery stores where bargaining is positively encouraged. Some of the best prices in the world are to be found while shopping in Dubai.

If you are tired of shopping there are plenty of other activities, especially water sports. Dozens of operators offer jet skiing, scuba diving, water skiing and deep-sea fishing, or take a refreshing plunge down the slides at Wild Wadi Waterpark. If it gets too hot outside, visit one of the indoor ice-skating rinks to cool off while you glide around the ice. Though it costs a fortune to keep the greens lush, golf is also available for fans of the sport.

For cultural entertainment you might want to visit the Dubai Museum. It was built in the late 1790’s and is housed in Al-Fahidi Fort, which is believed to be the oldest building in the city. All the exhibits have captions in both Arabic and English and there are interactive and multimedia displays. The collection includes everything from Arabian sailing boats to khanjars, curved daggers.

The tallest minarets in the city are to be found at the multi-domed Grand Mosque, which was built as recently as the 1990’s, though the sand coloured walls and wooden shutters blend well with the older structures surrounding it. The Grand Mosque is the centre of the religious and cultural life of Dubai, while the original also served as the town’s kuttab, which is a school where children were taught to recite the Quran from memory.

Constructed in 1896, the Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum House was home to the ruling Al-Maktoum family. This is a great example of the traditional building methods and materials of coral coated lime and plaster. Today there is a photographic exhibition showing how little time it took for Dubai to go from a small town that survived on fishing to the big money resort and oil city it is today.

While in Dubai consider a weekend trip to Hatta, in the Hajar Mountains. The climate is cooler here, due to the elevation, so it will offer a short respite from the heat. There is majestic mountain scenery to enjoy and if you are looking for a little more excitement there are wonderful off road four-wheel drive tours. Some of the main attractions are the rock pools, which are great for swimming or relaxing in at any time of the year. Just sit back and listen to the roar of the plummeting waterfalls.