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We visited, checked, wrote: The most important article you will read about a vacation in Dubai

Dubai is boiling with demand and hundreds of flights that departed just this month, so our reporter came back from there this week to check which attractions are mast, and what to give up, and also model 5 hotels and their prices (really not terrible, except for the suite at $ 20,000 per night)

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• Dubai

• Travel around the world

• United Arab Emirates

Ziv Reinstein, Dubai

Friday, 11 December 2020, 07:04

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Photo: Ziv Reinstein, excellent editing: Nir Chen and Yardena Abodi Fox)

In the night of information flooded these days about Dubai, and also quite a bit of uncertainty about what is allowed and what is not allowed, is it really expensive there, are unmarried couples allowed to sleep in the same room at the hotel and other questions - we returned this week from five days that included all the most important issues Israelis know before they take off for "Vegas of the Middle East."

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We checked the prices, the must-see attractions and the ones that are worth giving up, we toured quite a few hotels and checked the rooms and cost per night, the taxis, the expensive malls versus the cheap ones, the markets and what not - get ready for many surprises.

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To the full article

Tens of thousands of Israelis will land here this month alone.

Dubai Airport (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Shopping

Let's start with the most important thing - shopping.

So there is and a lot.

Dubai has 13 malls, the largest of which is "Dubai Mall" with about 1,400 stores.

It will take you about 45 minutes to cross it all.

It has all the brands you can think of - from Banana Republic to Gucci.

Its prices are not cheap, but no more expensive than in the country, at least in part.

Another mall is "Emirates Mall", where many brands, too, are not always cheap, but it has "Dubai Ski" - the largest indoor ski in the world - so you can also surf and after that go shopping, or just split up for those who are not into skiing.

, which is less luxurious and crowded, but the prices are higher.

Here you will find the well-known brands in the country, from Pool & Bar to Zara.

Prices in Dubai include a 5% purchase tax surcharge, which can be obtained back at the airport.

1,400 stores - rest well before.

Counted in the "Dubai Mall" mall (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Markets: Beware of snoozers

In contrast to malls, where prices are fixed, in the markets it is customary to argue with the sellers.

In the spice market you will find pashmina scarves, perfumes in gold bottles and of course various spices when the king is the saffron.

The markets are beautiful and clean, and every store offers the same things, and especially foreign workers from India, Pakistan, etc. who will not leave you for a moment, and beg to enter their "Take a Look" store.

Another recommended market is the indoor "State of Jumeira" market, which is open from 12 to midnight, but it is better to come to it at night when everything is bright and beautiful.

It has lots of bright and beautiful lamp shops, as well as souvenirs and other piches, but also restaurants and cafes that are fun to sit in.

Note the lookout for the Burj Al Arab Hotel, which looks well lit from the market.

Any seller will beg you to just come in and see.

The Spice Market in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Hotels: Wow and again wow

In Dubai alone there is a huge number of more than 700 hotels, and more than one hundred thousand rooms.

It is very difficult to fall in choosing a hotel, as there are hotels from 4 star to the hotel with the highest rating of 7 stars - Burj Al Arab.

It has 27 floors of duplexes, that is 54, but you can not go in and see it unless you have booked a night at a minimum of one thousand dollars per night, or if you book a place in a restaurant where at least 80 dollars per person.

However, in these days of the Corona, hotel prices are much more accessible to Israelis, so you can stay in luxury hotels at cheap prices.

We checked out a few hotels, at different levels, but all were excellent, pleasant and clean.

Here are some of them.

a young and chic hotel, with a cool design in the downtown area of ​​Dubai, overlooking the "Creek" - an artificial canal hewn from the Arabian Sea and surrounding Dubai.

It has beautiful rooms, an excellent dining room serving and a great Asian restaurant called "Summer Place".

Price per night: starting at $ 150 per couple.

Hotel

a great hotel with a beautiful rooftop pool on the 54th floor, from which there is a beautiful view, even to the palace of the ruler of orange.

A night in a suite these days will cost $ 350.

The price of the two expensive suites is about 5,000 dirhams (shekels) per night, but the hotel notes that there are currently guests there for the next two weeks.

Cool design in downtown Dubai.

Hotel V from the Hilton chain (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

The only one that has 7 stars.

Burj Al Arab Hotel (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Rising levels

The Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

is located on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, and is one of the most luxurious there is.

The meticulous design with the marble and sparkling chandeliers characterizes all the chain's hotels, including Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem.

It has a great pool on its private beach, and last week there was also an ultra-Orthodox wedding, so you can also bring kosher food there, like any hotel in the city.

one of the most luxurious hotels to open in 2016, and the design of Donatella Versace is evident everywhere - from 300-year-old Tuscan marble to $ 4,000 bedspreads.

It has 215 rooms, 65 suites, with accommodation prices starting at $ 250 per night in the simplest room.

But, and this is a big but - Imperial Suite is the place to be, if you have $ 20,000 per night (excluding VAT). On an area of ​​1,200 square meters and two floors was built one of the most amazing suites in Dubai and possibly the world, with two rooms Bedroom, two living rooms (one with pool table), private pool, maid's room and what not.

The walls are adorned with pictures of models painted by Donatella Versace herself.

Also at the hotel - Enigma Restaurant, one of six hotels in the hotel, by Iranian-German chef Mansour Marian (2 Michelin stars) offering Persian-Middle Eastern cuisine.

In addition, there are hotels that rent bicycles to their guests, in the Palazzo Versace rent yachts to guests for a day trip in the "Creek" or at sea.

And there is also a private beach.

The pool at the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeira in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

$ 20,000 a night available to anyone?

Imperial Suite at the Palcio Versace Hotel (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Must-see attractions

Being in Dubai is like being in an Arabian candy store, and wanting to taste the knapsack, kataif, baklava and dates alike - everything is delicious and sweet, but you can't eat everything.

Then we will order you the highlights that the city offers.

Arab emirates are hardly seen in Dubai, but the foreign workers there, and they are the majority of the residents in the Emirates.

But you will find true saying folklore at the Sheikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding, which was also visited by several world haters, including George W. Bush Jr. and Queen Elizabeth of England.

Here you can enjoy guided in-depth tours of Dubai’s ancient neighborhoods, markets and also traditional meals.

Price: Starting at NIS 100 per tour, not including meals.

Recognize true statements.

Sheikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Burj Khalifa -

the tallest building in the world that reaches a height of 828 meters.

It has 160 floors, but the observation deck can only be reached on the 148th floor.

The price is too expensive and stands at 360 shekels.

But you can also observe for NIS 130 from the 124th and 125th floors, which most tourists visit.

The building is reached via the Dubai Mall.

It rises to a height of 828 meters, but is built taller than it.

Burj Khalifa Building (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

And this is what you see from the 125th floor in Burg (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Extreme attractions

Yellow Boats -

One of the special experiences is seeing Dubai from the sea.

Yellow Boats offers a bouncy tour in speedboats, from which you can see the prestigious Atlantis Hotel and also the dozens of skyscrapers spread out along the coast.

The price is not cheap - starting at 170 shekels per person per hour, and there are longer and more expensive tours.

However, the experience of sailing in speed boats for those who have not experienced, is worth the expensive price.

A fast and bouncy cruise, just like Dubai.

The Yellow Boats (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Dubai skiing -

and from water to snow.

Yes, there is skiing in the desert Dubai, and here it is the largest "indoor" ski in the world.

The ski resort opened in 2005, which is visited by about 700,000 people a year, before the corona.

Admission starts at NIS 150, including equipment, but it does not include all activities, so there is also an entrance fee of NIS 250 and even NIS 500, where you can meet the "king" penguins that live there, and the employees promise to take care of them as best as possible. .

Open from 09:00 to 22:00 and sometimes until midnight.

The largest indoor ski in the world.

Dubai Ski (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Dubai Autodrome -

Another adrenaline rush awaits driving enthusiasts at the Dubai Autodrome, where you can drive various race cars, from the Renault Clio for NIS 600, to Formula 1 for NIS 10,000 for 10 minutes.

But you can also join a race driver with a skilled driver, and at a more convenient price of 250 shekels.

Driving a Formula 1 race will cost 10,000 shekels.

McLaren car in Dubai Autodrome (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Attractions worth giving up

Magical Garden - a colorful flower garden, with about 150 million flowers in various shapes, including of familiar Disney characters but also of a giant life-size plane that is all in bloom.

A pretty kitschy place but the kids are sure to love and so will the parents after swallowing the kitsch.

What to do there?

By and large nothing but walking around among the flowers planted or attached to Mickey and Donald, rotating ballerinas and giant penguins and horses.

Admission: NIS 50 per person.

About 150 million colorful flowers and kitsch.

The Magical Garden (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Jeep Safari -

Great beauty of an attraction to get a little out of town and breathe real desert.

The reddish dunes near Sharjah, about an hour’s drive from Dubai, are a great substrate for SUV enthusiasts who like some action.

In addition, there is also sand surfing on a snowboard that can be attached to it.

So why give up?

Or, then the safari package is varied and usually includes other attractions as well, such as a bad "Bedouin meal" and evening performances by a belly dancer.

Just keep in mind that this is all but a Bedouin - the "Bedouin" drivers are all Indians, and the dancer is from Russia and probably studied belly dancing at "Bolshoi".

A Bedouin experience is certainly not, and should be given up.

Price: Starting at NIS 125 per person, depending on the package and time.

Nice attraction, just do not go for the "Bedouin hospitality".

Jeep safari in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Dubai Aquarium -

Fish and sharks that live in a glass cage is never nice, even if it looks beautiful.

Beyond that, the aquarium is inside the "Dubai Mall" and one of the sides of the aquarium is transparent to visitors to the mall, so you can see sharks and barracks when you are in the mall without paying an exorbitant price of 150 shekels per person, depending on whether you want to enter the second floor and see penguins. That will cost you more than NIS 200 per person.

1. Boat on a boat in the Creek, which offers a very mediocre dinner for $ 100 and lasts two very unnecessary hours.

2. "La Perla" show, which is a combination of motorcycles, with acrobats, swimmers and teletubbies - an extra hour and a half for a price starting at 200 dirhams.

Dubai Aquarium.

Expensive and unaffordable entrance (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Why go in if you can see from the outside, like this emirate and his child?

(Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

In small, but important to know

Super:

Coke costs NIS 2.5, a pack of cigarettes NIS 22.

A ride from the airport to the city on the subway will cost 5 to 10 dirhams.

There are more than 50,000 taxis in Dubai so travel is cheap in them.

There are taxis with a pink roof, which have drivers and are designed for single women or families with children.

Men can not get over them, only with family.

You can also pay by credit card in a taxi.

Boat ceremonies

A ceremonial boat of a few minutes to cross the canal must cost 1 dirham (shekel).

It is worth sailing, a nice experience, where the "skipper" seats you on the sides of the boat at equilibrium.

Dubai it is not customary to show the soles of shoes to people, it is considered an insult.

There are currently 4 airlines flying to Dubai: Israir, Arkia, El Al and Play Dubai.

Only women and families are allowed to immigrate.

Taxi driver in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Every half hour it happens.

Water Fountains Show in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

In the area called Pointe, there are fountains on the water and folk dances in the evenings (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

The monorail - a train to the island of Jumeira Palm, which stops at three stations (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

Great weather in our winter.

The pool at the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeira in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)

The writer was a guest of Israir and the Ministry of Tourism in Dubai.

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