Source: www.timesandstar.co.uk
Dubai is the opulent jewel of the Middle East, its name synonymous with luxury. Many exotic holidays to the sparkling desert city are available from Hayes and Jarvis. If you’re planning on a holiday to this part of the world, here are the top give things that we believe you should make time for on your luxury break.
Dubai is known as the shopping capital of the Middle East. The Dubai souks are huge street markets selling crafts, spices and jewellery. There are over three hundred retailers dealing exclusively in jewellery, and Dubai is renowned especially for the gold souk that sells (you guessed it) gold. The local custom of haggling for a bargain is still very much alive in the souks, which is a must-do experience in itself.
As well as the hundreds of stylish boutiques, restaurants and jewellery stores lining the streets, the country has over 70 shopping malls and is home to the world’s largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall.
Last year the mall hosted a record 54 million visitors, making it the most visited shopping and leisure destination in the world. And when you’ve literally shopped until you dropped, contained in the mall there’s also an ice rink, a multiplex cinema, an indoor theme park, and the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, the largest suspended aquarium in the world.
Ever fantasied about riding a camel into the desert sun? No problem, that’s easy to arrange in Dubai. But have you ever heard of ‘dune bashing’? Also known as desert safari, dune bashing is the adventurous craze that is gaining popularity quickly: you’ll race across the epic sand dunes in a 4×4 Jeep before pitching camp to watching the sun go down.
The best desert safaris make you feel like a sultan, with lavish tents and barbeques set up in the blazing sun, followed by traditional belly dancing. More info
