Plan an unforgettable trip to Dubai

If travelling to the Middle-East has been your long-time dream, it is time to make it a reality. At Arabic Retreat, we bring you a host of offers with the best deals in hotels and travel plans to make your holiday a remarkable one. Dubai has been on the tourist destination map since quite some time, and a lot of people are curious to explore this culture-rich country and enjoy the sand deserts and safaris to the fullest.

We bring you an exclusive list of the best places to visit, the best places to stay, the best time to visit and much more, all with great service and assured quality. Get in touch with us and we will make sure it becomes the holiday of your lifetime!

The best time to visit Dubai

The season that everybody talks about runs from November to March. Daytime temperatures sit around the mid-twenties, the evenings are cool enough for dinner on a terrace, and the city holds most of its open-air events in these months. January and February are the busiest, so flights and hotels should be reserved early.

April and October are a good compromise: quieter, cheaper and still comfortable for the beach. Summer, from June to August, is genuinely hot, but it is when the city goes indoors — the malls, the indoor ski slope, the water parks and the air-conditioned galleries — and hotel rates fall sharply. If your holiday is built around desert camps and beaches, choose the winter months.

Best places to visit

Burj Khalifa and Downtown. The tallest building on earth, the fountain show at its base and the boulevard around the lake. Book the observation deck in advance for a sunset slot.

The old city. Dubai Creek, the abras crossing the water, the gold and spice souks of Deira, and the wind-tower houses of Al Fahidi. This is where the city started, and it takes half a day.

The beaches. Jumeirah Beach with the silhouette of the Burj Al Arab, Kite Beach for a swim and a casual lunch, and the quieter stretch at Al Sufouh.

Desert safari. Dune driving, sandboarding, a camel ride and dinner at a camp with music — usually combined into one afternoon and evening trip.

Parks and gardens. The Miracle Garden in the flowering season, the Dubai Frame, and the Palm Jumeirah with its beach clubs and the aquarium at the base of the Atlantis.

Best places to stay

For a first visit, Downtown or Business Bay puts you within a few minutes of the main sights and the metro. Jumeirah and the Palm suit travellers who want a beach holiday more than a city break, at a higher price. Deira and Bur Dubai are the best value and the most convenient for the souks and the old town.

We check the properties personally, tell you which rooms really have the view, and confirm what the final bill will include — city tax, service charge and breakfast are not always part of the advertised rate.

Making the trip affordable

Dubai does not have to be expensive. Flights through a second hub are often considerably cheaper, food courts and local restaurants cost a fraction of hotel dining, the metro covers most of the city, and many of the best things — the souks, the beaches, the creek, the fountain show — cost very little or nothing at all. What you should book in advance is the Burj Khalifa, a desert camp and any attraction during the December to February peak.

Tell us your dates and your budget, and we will build the itinerary around them, with the deals on hotels and travel that we hold for our clients.