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leaving aside the inevitable “wouldn’t go there if you paid me” etc, etc if we can 😉
I travel to Dubai a few times a year on business. Now have my favoured hotel and all is well with the world when I visit. However, Mrs Swiss fancies coming along for the ride next time, so am in the early stages of trying to scope out a possible venue.
All I know is that we don’t want to be surrounded by boorish Insta-chavs and I don’t want interminable traffic congestion (so JBR is out). Any thoughts where to start? Or are we better off looking at Abu Dhabi/Ajman?
TIA
No insta-chavs or massive traffic queues in Abu Dhabi at the moment, it’s pleasantly peaceful
If you have a regular hotel and a good relationship with the manager, ask there. They may have tips and deals for a good customer.
I spent a few remote working days in Ajman Saray Luxury Collection, which has some impressive suites and nearby traffic is OK.
I’m intrigued to know what is your favoured hotel.
I’ve only been twice so I’m not an expert, but from my experience I found GH doesn’t have much of an Instagram crowd.
We were pleasantly surprised to not really encounter any Insta-types at GH (except maybe Steven Seagal who was also staying when we were there 😂). Beautiful hotel (understated luxury, for Dubai, I felt) in every way, except the pool gets very limited sun exposure, so it may depend on whether that’s an issue for Mrs Swiss.
You can get the free shuttle and use the facilities at Le Meridien, which is also very nice, but many people would find that too much hassle, I suspect.
Is GH not susceptible to the horrific traffic between SZR and the coast? Last week, took longer to do the last km to JBR than it did to come down from the “preferred hotel” which is the Sofitel obelisk (with club access).
Perfect service, good price point and very easy to get to where I usually have meetings. Just don’t tell anyone, ok?
Ras al khaimah has a few resorts that can be quiet.
Just had a stay at the Hilton on Ras Island Abu Dhabi. Nice and quiet with complimentary access to Sea World an Ferrari World and a good choice of restaurants on the pier
Hmm. Isn’t Yas Island the UAE equivalent of Orlando? Hotels in Ajman look to be significantly better value than Dubai, so maybe a few days on the beach there then move down to the Sofitel?
Hmm. Isn’t Yas Island the UAE equivalent of Orlando? Hotels in Ajman look to be significantly better value than Dubai, so maybe a few days on the beach there then move down to the Sofitel?
Have you considered Oman or is that too far?
Ras al khaimah has a few resorts that can be quiet.
Have you considered Oman or is that too far?
Both a lot further than Ajman if Mr Swiss is commuting.
Must admit Oman did cross my mind (we had planned a visit years back but had to cancel), but the bottom line is my wife used to do some business in Dubai before we met and she’s understandably keen to see how it’s changed. I don’t think we’d want to be away for more than a week, so a two centre with a flight in the middle probably isn’t a great use of time.
Your wife may be interested to know how it’s changed – i.e. not very much!
20 hrs? Is that a record for the longest an HfP thread about the UAE has run before the self-righteous brigade jump in?
I also think that’s a particularly poor example. The guy broke local laws whilst on holiday and is paying the price, albeit only because of the actions of the girl’s parents.
The age of consent in Portugal is 14. If a Portuguese 17 year old comes over to the UK and has sex with your 14 year old daughter, should he get off freely because those are the rules where he came from?
Your wife may be interested to know how it’s changed – i.e. not very much!
When you visit a foreign country, you should know the basic laws, and respect the laws of that said country, and if you break them, you will undoubtedly face the consequences, if you don’t like it don’t visit, plain and simple!
@The real Swiss Tony – great Minds think alike, albeit One minute apart! 100% agree.
Sure. Just don’t look too closely or pay attention to what’s happening, or you might leave feeling like, oh I don’t know, the luxury is a facade underpinned by workers with no rights.
And that indeed would have been a far more appropriate response, although the fact remains the first thing I said was “can we just ignore that whole premise for 2 mins, it’s feeling a tad overdone around here”…
Your wife may be interested to know how it’s changed – i.e. not very much!
When you visit a foreign country, you should know the basic laws, and respect the laws of that said country, and if you break them, you will undoubtedly face the consequences, if you don’t like it don’t visit, plain and simple!
I’m not sure. The lad was still a child when he was there. Perhaps the responsibility would fall on the parents.
And that’d be an awkward conversation:
“son, we are going to Dubai. No sleeping around, or you go to prison. and this time we mean it”.It always amuses me how people on this forum discuss visiting countries like China, which have truly appalling human rights records, and no one lifts an eyebrow, but as soon as a country aligned to a certain religion is mentioned, some commentators suddenly remember their Amnesty International membership from their student days!
Also, @executiveclubber, I know you have visited Spain, which has garnered criticism in recent times for authorising the use of rubber bullets (banned under international law) against demonstrators (who have been injured and blinded) and migrants (who have died as a consequence).
Anyway, back to understated elegance …
@can2 – the article says he was 18 years old, so no longer a child! Children are now a lot more savvy and streetwise than adults give them credit for.
Anyway, my point is, that if people put the time, effort and expense into visiting any foreign country, they should put at least a little time and effort into knowing the rules, and respect them.
As a very general observation, Accor seems to be much better value than Marriott in both the UAE and in Qatar. Hilton and IHG are somewhere in between.
And African migrants working on farms in Andalusia live in similar conditions. I don’t see how visiting the Prado or the Alhambra makes that any better.
I’m not saying any of these things are okay, but you can’t call out one set of abuses and not others.
I didn’t know this – I’m glad you shared
@can2 – the article says he was 18 years old, so no longer a child! Children are now a lot more savvy and streetwise than adults give them credit for.
Correct, he was 18. She was 17 at the time and turned 18 a few months after the event. The 1Dhs an hour labour does concern me, but so does the fact that in supposedly advanced societies we now have a situation where many graduates will start on minimum wage. Or that our tomatoes are grown by slave gangs like this in Spain.
The world isn’t perfect. I do however think saying “no, wife, you cannot go” hardly gives me the moral high ground here…
Of all the reasons I can imagine for avoiding a country, an inability legally to have sex whenever, wherever and with with whomever I wish is near the bottom of my list. The world doesn’t end if one’s carnal relations are temporarily paused.
My experience of Dubai is limited to the Dar al Masyaf. I saw a few selfie-takers, but, to be honest, I’ve seen more Instagrammers on remote Greek islands. Most punters were too busy relaxing with their books to bother with their phones. I’m not sure that I’d call it low key, but it is exceptionally and immaculately beautiful, and the villas are so widely spread across the gardens that it never feels crowded. Service was consistently the best that I’ve ever experienced in any hotel anywhere on the planet, the food was excellent, and I suspect that Mrs Swiss would be very grateful for a few days there. My wife hates bling, but she loved the DaM.
I spoke to many staff about their lives while I was there. most told me that they saw working in Dubai as an opportunity to earn far more than would be possible in their home countries. Some were saving the cash to buy a family house when they returned home, and all said that they visited their families 2-3 times a year. Of course, they may have been telling humongous untruths under the order of their employer, but I had no sense of exploitation in any meaningful sense of the word.
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