Dubai Hotels: Not Your Average Bedu And Breakfast
August 11th, 2010 Posted in Travel and Leisure
Although often criticised for its perceived throwaway and consumerist tourism industry, Dubai has been transformed from a small pearling village to one of the world’s most glamorous, futuristic and extravagant destinations. A sybaritic monument to excess, petrodollars have helped fund a surfeit of luxurious, and often quite kitsch, Dubai hotels, which are unlike anything you’ll find in other resorts. With some of the world’s biggest and best shopping malls, extensive white-sand beaches and year-round sunshine, the reasons behind Dubai’s popularity are not difficult to figure out. Yet gaudy hotels and designer boutiques are not the extent of Dubai’s tourist attractions. In fact, Dubai is place full of fascinating contrasts and a rich, and very diligently preserved, heritage.
The Burj al Arab
An instantly recognisable part of Dubai’s skyline, the Burj al Arab’s iconic design which evokes the billowing sail of a traditional dhow is the city’s architectural highlight. Although now overlooked by the Babylonian Burj Khalifa, the Burj al Arab has not been overshadowed by its (much) taller neighbour. Inside the Burj al Arab offers everything expected of opulent “7-star” Dubai hotels, as well as much more besides. Even if you choose not to stay at the hotel, it’s worth dropping in just to marvel at the awful majesty of the interior or to dine at one the hotels ten restaurants and bars, nearly all of which boat spectacular views.
Souk It Up
Dubai is the ideal palce for shopaholics to indulge in a spot of retail therapy, boasting some of the biggest malls in the world, innumerable designer boutiques and a host of traditional souks. Offering a shopping on an unimaginable scale, the Dubai Mall is equivalent in size to over 50 American football pitches, with USPs including its own aquarium and ice rink. The cookie-cutter malls aren’t the only places to splash the cash. With their famous narrow alleyways overflowing with colourful merchandise, the spice, gold and textile souks in Deira and Bur Dubai are great places to shop if you’re looking for a more traditional place to shop.
Bur Dubai
On the south side of the Creek, Bur Dubai is the oldest part of the city and home to many of its most interesting traditional Arabian heritage houses, as well as the atmospheric Textile Souk. If you’d like to find out more about how Dubai transformed from pearling village to a modern metropolis, head to the Dubai Museum. Set in the Al Fahidi fort, the museum offers a snapshot of Emirati life before the advent of mass tourism and oversized Dubai hotels. Highlights include a reconstruction of a traditional souk and the Al Arish house complete with an original wind tower.