Ask me about the UAE and im here to answer

Hellp everybody ... im native from the united arab emirates . and i will love to help anyone who welling to come here by answering there qustions

so feel free to ask me anything you r looking for .. history ? people ? food anything Reply to this

I'm looknig to move to Dubai, for work, can you suggest places to stay for expats? Reply to this

Can you send me the hotel prices from there.

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In lieu of Arabian man's lack of response, you can ask me - I'm a travel writer who has lived in the UAE for nearly ten years. Although I've been on the road writing since Jan 2006, I still call into Dubai for work and to check my mail box every couple of months. I'd strongly suggest you buy any of our books on Dubai - we really put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into writing them (and they'll answer all these questions), but here are some quickies:
* Renting cars - best to go for the big name rental agencies - there are smaller dodgier no-name agencies but I've heard horror stories - you can get a small car for about US$45 a day from Europcar (always the cheapest and best in our opinion and we've tried them all). You can book online and collect from the airport also, otherwise they'll often deliver to your hotel if the hotel doesn't have a car rental desk.
* Places to live for expats - really depends on where you're going to work - traffic is horrific in Dubai these days, so I would not recommend living too far from where you work. Also, rents are ridiculously high, sending Dubai into third place in the world's most expensive cities list, which is a shame really, as it's not that expensive in other areas. You can get an abra (water taxi) across the Creek for 30 cents (a must-do!); petrol is dirt cheap; clothes, cosmetics/perfume, gold/jewellery, carpets, digital/electronics are all cheaper than in Europe/Australia; you can buy a delicious shwarma for US$1 and an enormously freshly squeezed mango juice for US$2; you can eat very well for about $20 at a mid-range eatery, or go to a top end fine dining restaurant for $150 for two people - I'm in Western Australia visiting family at the moment and we're paying over $100 for two at mid-range places! Groceries in Dubai are far cheaper than Perth also. So while Dubai's very cheap on many levels, a few exorbitant things such as housing rental and hotel prices are pushing it into the expensive category.
* Hotel prices - they vary wildly depending on when you're going. January they're out of control because that's conference season and all rooms are taken, June-August they're ridiculously cheap as it's sweltering. You can pay anything from US$60 a night for a hotel-apartment in Bur Dubai or Deira, $90 for the Ibis, or around $200 for a luxury hotel. I always look at Expedia first then go to the individual hotel websites.
* Boats to Iran - officially, there's only one, and when I last checked (in January) it was still going on Thursday and Sunday nights at 9pm but you need to get there at 4pm to start formalities. It cost Dhs160 then, about US$45, and you can only buy tickets through Oasis Freight Agency in Sharjah. I don't have the number with me, but check the transport section of our UAE chapter in the new Lonely Planet Oman UAE and Arabian Peninsula book that just came out.
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Hi, I'll be in DUbai soon and I've read that brunches are the big thing that everybody does. Done some research and, if budget is not an option, which is the best one?

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Hi Deborah,

Dubai is like a huge Las Vegas theme park, without the gambling...depending where you are from, nd what you prefer...they have two amazing water parks, a very unique indoor ski place...and if you really wat to have fun, book yourself one of the dune tours...one of the best sunset ever!

Hope this help,

Peter Reply to this

hello!

are electronics (especially compact flash memory cards and camera equipment) cheap to buy in Dubai than Europe?
What kind of prices would i expect to pay?
Thanks Reply to this