Choice Travel Spots » Dubai

Dubai Architecture: Dubai is NUTS!

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:41:23 +0000

Dubai is said to currently have 15-25% of all the world’s cranes. There are more construction workers in Dubai than there are actual citizens, and the tallest building in the world is currently under construction and will be 40% larger than the current tallest building in Asia. WHAT IS GOING ON OVER THERE?

Click read more below to see interesting pictures of what Dubai will look like in only three to four years.

Desert Safari in Dubai

admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:45:06 +0000

Dubai is a crazy place with some of the most extravagant man made structures (mainly made on the back of the workers that are imported), and can give Las Vegas a real run for the money in regards to over the top extravagance. You can visit the world islands (islands made to resemble the shape of the world from above), the palm islands (two different islands resembling the shape of palm trees, a huge water park, and the piece d’ resistance – indoor skiing. Even in 110+ degrees F, you can still enjoy skiing on man made snow kept in a giant steel cylinder at -1 degree C. I tried this so that I could check it off of the list (expecting it to be a gimmick), but it was actually quite good. You can show up in shorts, they give you the gear and you can ski or board on fresh packed powder – unreal!

I also tried the desert safari tour while in the UAE, where you get in some 4X4 Land Cruisers and head off towards the border of Oman. This was very cool, and something most people would enjoy. We spent hours racing through the sand dunes of the desert, and eventually stopped for a traditional dinner outdoors in tents sitting on huge rugs. After dinner we even had some free time to try navigating some of the dunes on camels, or even snow boarding down the sand dunes. This was an interesting day, as not only did we have fun exploring the back countryside with a nice little shot of adrenaline, but you get to see how some of the more nomadic people live outside of the cities.

Snow Ski in Dubai?

admin — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:05:25 +0000

Take your pick. Ski indoors at -1 degree C, or sandboard (snowboard down the sand dunes). The indoor skiing in Dubai was actually quite impressive. You can show up in shorts and a t-shirt (as it probably over 110 degrees F outside if you are there in the summer) and the ticket fee covers equipment, and the ski overalls to wear over your clothes. You ski inside a long metal cylinder with freshly made powder every day. The two pictures here feature myself along with the actual Austrian Olympic Ski team, who happened to be here that day for publicity, doing tricks. You can get off of the quad ski lift at midway, or take it up to the top, and you even have a choice of two different ski runs inside. There is even a sledding run at the bottom of the hill for the kids. Unbelievable! This city is even beyond Las Vegas.

If you don’t fancy the snow, you can also try sandboarding down the sand dunes just outside of town. This was also a lot of fun, but I definitely prefer the quad lift to hiking up the dunes after each run, and waiting the two weeks it takes to get the sand completely out of your shoes.

Snow in the desert?

admin — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:54:11 +0000

Skiing in the desert or sand, which do you prefer??? These are some of the things you should try if you decide to visit Dubai in the UAE. I got a little nervous going to Dubai for the first time, especially not knowing how the locals would feel about yet another Westerner in town. My fears left quickly, and other than a few quick moments (mainly due to such new and different surroundings) never felt too uncomfortable. In fact, Dubai is not what I expected in visiting the Middle East. You never have to feel like you left the west if you want (Chilis, Marble Slab Ice Cream, Starbucks, Tony Romas, to name only a few).

CHOICE HOTEL: :Jemeirah Beach Hotel ($$$$), JW Mariott ($$$)
CHOICE FOOD SPOT: The Pyramids
CHOICE GOLF SPOT: The Montgomery

Don’t go in the summer, even though the official temperature never gets above 50 degrees C (approx. 125 degrees F). If the official temperature reaches 50 degrees, the business have to shut down, so guess what – it never reaches 50.