Dubai Emirate hotels

Hotels in Dubai come mainly in one size: XXL. But if you can’t afford to stay at the Burj Khalifa or the Jumeirah Beach, don’t despair – there are plenty of luxurious 5-star hotels to pamper you, or good value 4-star hotels if you prefer to splash your cash in Dubai’s legendary shopping malls. So check out Dubai hotels online and choose one that suits your taste and pocket, then prepare to be bowled over by this fascinating destination.

Many visitors come to Dubai simply to do business, or take a break during their long-haul flight to browse the latest hi-tech gadgetry, and there are plenty of business hotels with first-class facilities for quick meetings and airport hotels offering convenient stopovers for people on the move. But to get beneath this commercial veneer you need to spend a little time getting to know the real Dubai.

One good place to begin your voyage of discovery is at Dubai Museum, located in the Al Fahidi fort, the oldest existing building in Dubai, where you can learn about the traditional way of life in the emirate before the discovery of oil in the 1960s. Another is Dubai Heritage Village, which recreates the sights and sounds of old Dubai alongside the adjoining Diving Village which houses exhibits on pearl diving and fishing.

Take a walk through the historic area of Bur Dubai, home to the Grand Mosque, featuring the city’s tallest minaret and the atmospheric textile souk, and soak up the atmosphere of bygone days before returning to your room in one of the palatial beachfront spa hotels for a nice soak in a hot tub. After your history lesson, you deserve a little pampering!

Eating out in Dubai is a pleasure, and great Arabic food can be found everywhere from roadside diners to glamorous hotel restaurants, along with South Asian, Chinese and Indian cuisine. For the ultimate fast-food snack, try shawarma; meat roasted on a vertical spit and sliced into pita bread with tahini, hummus or pickled turnips, or make it last with a traditional Arabic mezze served as an accompaniment to meat, poultry or fish with rice or lentils.