Rough Guides - Dubai

This first edition published March 2014 by

Rough Guides Ltd

80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL

11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017, India

A Penguin Random House Company

Penguin Books Ltd. 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL

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Rough Guides 2014

Maps Rough Guides

No part of this ebook may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher except for the quotation of brief passages in reviews.

The publishers and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and currency of all information in Pocket Rough Guide Dubai, however, they can accept no responsibility for any loss or inconvenience sustained by any reader as a result of its information or advice.

ISBN: 9781409322344

This digital edition published 2014.
eISBN: 9781409371243

ROUGH GUIDES CREDITSAuthor: Gavin Thomas Text editor: Edward Aves Layout: Jessica Subramanian Cartography: Katie Bennett Picture editor: Mark Thomas, Tim Draper Photographer: Tim Draper Production: Linda Dare Proofreader: Jan McCann Cover design: Wilf Matos and Jessica Subramanian

DIGITAL PRODUCTION TEAMSenior Digital Producer: Linda Zacharia Head of Digital Media, Delhi: Manjari Hooda Sr. Editorial Manager: Lakshmi Rao Producer: Rahul Kumar Editors: Suruchi Kakkar, Patpreet Kaur Assistant Editor: Etika Kapil Sr. Software Engineer: Ravi Yadav Software Engineers: Rajesh Pandey, Paranpreet Singh Digital Assets Coordinator: Rakesh Kumar Assistant Graphic Designers: Rahul Rai, Rohit Rojal Operations Coordinator: Jalaj Bansal

The Author

Gavin Thomas has worked for Rough Guides as a writer and editor since 1998; he is also the authorof the Rough Guide to Oman and the Rough Guide to Sri Lanka, and co-author of the Rough Guide toRajasthan, Delhi & Agra.

Photo credits

All images Rough Guides except the following :

Alamy Images/iDubai

Alamy Images/Peter Bowater

Alamy Images/Peter Stroh

Alamy Images/Phil Dunne

Alamy Images/Travelstock44

Bar 44/Nicolas Dumont

Buddha Bar/Nicolas Dumont

Chris Cypert/Chris Cypert

Courtesy of Burj al Arab

Courtesy of Burj al Arab Al Mahara

Courtesy of Burj Al Arab Club Suite

Courtesy of Grosvenor House Hotel

Courtesy of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel

Courtesy of La Petite Maison

Courtesy of One&Only The Palm

Courtesy of Table 9 by Nick and Scott/Mike Malate

Eauzone/Antonie Robertson

Getty Images/JD Dallet

Getty Images/Jochen Tack

Getty Images/Jonathan Kitchen

Getty Images/Katarina Premfors

Getty Images/Lars Ruecker

Getty Images/Visions Of Our Land

Getty Images/Xu Jian

Indego by Vineet/Nicolas Dumont

One&Only Royal Mirage/Nicolas Dumont

The Address Downtown Dubai Hotel/Nicolas Dumont

Wild Wadi/Maurizio Rellini

Front cover Burj Khalifa Superstock/Jose Fuste Raga/Prisma

Help us update

Weve gone to a lot of effort to ensure that the first edition of the Pocket Rough Guide Dubai is accurate and up-to-date. However, things change places get discovered, opening hours are notoriously fickle, restaurants and rooms raise prices or lower standards. If you feel weve got it wrong or left something out, wed like to know, and if you can remember the address, the price, the hours, the phone number, so much the better.

Please send your comments with the subject line Pocket Rough Guide Dubai Update to . Well credit all contributions and send a copy of the next edition (or any other Rough Guide if you prefer) for the very best emails.

Find more travel information, connect with fellow travellers and book your trip on www.roughguides.com

Introduction to Dubai

Dubai is like nowhere else on the planet. Often claimed to be the worlds fastest-growing city, in the past four decades it has metamorphosed from a small Gulf trading centre to become one of the worlds most glamorous, spectacular and futuristic urban destinations, fuelled by a heady cocktail of petrodollars, visionary commercial acumen and naked ambition. Dubais ability to dream and then achieve the impossible has ripped up expectations and rewritten the record books, as evidenced by stunning developments such as the soaring Burj Khalifa, the beautiful Burj al Arab and the vast Palm Jumeirah island. Each is a remarkable testament to the ruling sheikhs determination to make this one of the worlds essential destinations for the twenty-first century.

Jumeirah Mosque

Modern Dubai is often seen as a panegyric to consumerist luxury: a self-indulgent haven of magical hotels, superlative restaurants and extravagantly themed shopping malls. Perhaps not surprisingly the city is often stereotyped as a vacuous consumerist fleshpot, appealing only to those with more cash than culture, although this one-eyed clich does absolutely no justice to Dubais beguiling contrasts and rich cultural make-up. The citys headline-grabbing mega-projects have also deflected attention from Dubais massive but largely unappreciated role in providing the Islamic world with a model of political stability, religious tolerance and business acumen in action. In one of the worlds most troubled regions this peaceful and progressive pan-Arabian global city serves as the ultimate symbol of what can be achieved. Dubai also ranks among the worlds most multicultural cities, featuring a cosmopolitan cast of Emiratis, Arabs, Iranians, Indians, Filipinos and Europeans a fascinating patchwork of peoples and languages which gives the city its uniquely varied cultural appeal.