UAE. "Patchwork" of FUJAIRAH.
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UAE is a great replacement for spring Turkey, but with its own peculiarities.
My first review will be an overview of the entire emirate of Fujairah, and the second one will be directly about the Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort 5 * hotel itself (hereinafter simply "Miramar").
We love the "April" Emirates very much. And all previous times we rested in Dubai and Ajman in different decades of April. An ideal vacation is a warm sea (already for everyone), an “understandable” heat... But in May it starts to get hot.
But my wife is “May” and then the 50th spring “rolled up”... as a result, they changed April to May and chose the Emirate of Fujairah and the Miramar Hotel right on the seashore in the hope that this would save us from the May heat .
The map of the emirate of Fujairah formed in my head like a patchwork quilt, sewn together from enclaves and semi-enclaves of other emirates and even other states. Right in the middle, into two parts (north and south), the emirate of Fujairah is divided by the city of Kor-Fakkan with a seaport, which are under the jurisdiction of the emirate of Sharjah. By the way, it is for this reason that the well-known Oceanic hotel, which is located here, is not served.
The city of Dibba in the north of Fujairah is generally divided into three parts that belong directly to the emirate of Fujairah, the emirate of Sharjah and a completely different state - Oman. Or how do you like it?
The village of Nahwa (Emirate of Sharjah) is inside the territory of Madha (Oman), which in turn is inside the territory of the Emirate of Fujairah... etc.
The emirate of Fujairah itself also did not remain in debt and divided the whole state (Oman) into two parts: the northern part - the governorate of Musandam (on the Musandam peninsula) and after 90 km - the southern most part of Oman with its capital in Muscat.
It is very difficult and therefore Fujairah was divided by the Emirates and Oman for a very long time, but still they were divided and therefore, later than all other emirates of the UAE, Fujairah gained its independence.
But this is only one of the reasons that the emirate of Fujairah will not surprise you with skyscrapers (there are skyscrapers only in the capital) and its other wonders. The second and main reason is that there is no oil and little money (the emirate of Abu Dhabi helps with money), and only agriculture and fishing are well developed.
Therefore, the main wealth of Fujairah is NATURE, and Crimea helped with the black soil - the land was transported by planes.
Nature is mountains, valleys with palm trees and sandy beaches on the coast of the warm Indian Ocean (Gulf of Oman). All other emirates of the UAE, let me remind you, are washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf. There is a difference!
The emirate of Fujairah itself is a narrow strip of land between mountains and the ocean, stretching from north to south for 90 km. In many places the mountains come close to the sea. The high, rocky and bare mountains of Hajar (up to 2000 m) protect Fujairah from the hot winds of the Arabian Desert, and the ocean brings a lot of precipitation.
And therefore, the climate of Fujairah differs from the rest of the emirates in the "better" direction, the air temperature here is 3-4 degrees lower than in the rest of the emirates.
So we thought when we were going on the road, but what really happened - more on that later.
Fujairah has its own airport, but so far planes from the CIS countries do not fly there and you have to get from Dubai or Sharjah airports, which is about 140 - 150 km and a two-hour transfer to Fujairah hotels.
In the capital of the Emirate of Fujairah - the city of Al-Fujairah (or, more simply, as tourists call it - Fujairah), there is a large Seaport, from where ocean liners start their cruises. Of the public transport in Fujairah itself, there is only a taxi. But you can get to other emirates by buses (fare = 25 dirh. ).
The taxi fare is approximate = AED 2 per 1 km on the meter plus AED 3 for landing. Gasoline in the UAE is not expensive 1 liter = 0.4 dollars and it makes sense to rent a car.
A very common taxi service there + wait 1-2 hours + back. It turns out easier and even cheaper than two taxis, unless, of course, you are guided by prices.
For tourists, the emirate of Fujairah is, first of all, a beach holiday in 5*, 4*, 3* hotels on the first coastline with their own sandy private beaches, access to which is allowed only for hotel guests.
4* and 3* hotels can be conditionally called motels, where there are apartments with their own kitchens and even barbecue grills, as well as a place for a personal car. In such hotels you can bring and cook your own food.
But on the territory of 5 * hotels, according to the rules, it is forbidden to bring your own drinks and food. These rules can be read in the memo, which is issued upon check-in at the hotel. But who reads them? I want to reassure VV-shnikov - in practice, no one interferes with this. Although, why be surprised - in hotels in Turkey it is also forbidden to bring your own food to the hotel. True, there is no such need there - all guests basically have All meals.
FIGHT FOOD. BB vs All.
In all Fujairah hotels, along with BB, HB and FB meals, the food system is offered - All (Soft All - without alcoholic drinks) and UAll (with alcoholic drinks), in contrast to Dubai, where only in 2016 a single while the Rixos The Palm hotel, which offers an All Inclusive food system.
Food and drinks in hotels are very expensive and UAll food tours can cost the price of the Maldives. But if you take a tour with BB meals, then the price drops exactly 2 times and in the end it turns out even a little lower than a good "four" in Dubai and becomes affordable for economy tourists.
. We are not slaves or gourmets of food and alcohol. And we are going to the Emirates for Vit D and the warm sea, considering such a vacation as an excellent opportunity to “build up” a little before the summer season. As they say, “there is no zhor in the heat” and it is enough to drink freshly squeezed fresh juice or naturalis juice from the market (those with a shelf life of 2 weeks), eat fruits or vegetables and satiety is guaranteed.
But paying $29 (per person) for just one lunch (dinner) without drinks is beyond me. And even more so to pay twice as much for All Inclusive... I don’t know who cheats such a cost for food - tour operators or a hotel, but the cost of lunch in Dubai hotel restaurants is 2 times less than in Fujairah hotels.
But I must honestly say that for tourists who choose BB, the problem of food in AL-AKA is much more acute than in other towns in Fujairah.
Firstly, there is practically nothing near the hotels, except for two small markets. And secondly, let me remind you that from transport - only a taxi. The two markets closest to our Miramar Hotel are: the first is to the left when leaving the hotel - 850 meters (10 min. walk) and the second - to the right 1.2 km (15 min. walk) when refueling, opposite the Fujairah Rotana hotel. But, as you know, there are always at least two ways out of any "hopeless" situation (this is for those who have not calculated their strength).
FIRST - already on the spot in the hotel you can "raise" your food system. For example, an “upgrade” from HB to All will cost $35-40 per person. per day (min. 5 days! ). Just lunch or dinner in the main restaurant (buffet) will cost $30-35 per person. (on a weekend Friday - more expensive).
SECOND - "A la carte" restaurants on the territory of the hotel (there are three of them). The cost depends on the selected quantity and type of dishes. For example - soup or a plate of salad or pasta = from $ 12. Prices - like in a restaurant...
THIRD - traditional for the emirates - these are supermarkets, markets, cafes and fast food chains.
The FOURTH way of eating is “I carry everything I have with me. ” But here it must be borne in mind that since February 2016, the norms for the import of products for individuals have been “tightened”. No more than 25 kg of canned food, no more than 10 kg of vegetables and fruits... no more than 20 kg of honey and no more than 500 g of caviar. No wonder the Google translator says: “The stranger monastery with its charter, not walk”, which means: “Do not poke your nose into foreign Emirates with your caviar. ”
LOCATION OF THE HOTELS OF THE 1st LINE (see the map of hotels in the photo gallery of the review).
There are not so many first-line beach hotels in the emirate and you can even count them on the fingers of both hands.
- ONE hotel in FUJAIRAH - Hilton Fujairah Resort 5 * and further north - 23 km
- ONE hotel in KHOR-FAKKAN - Oceanic Khorfakkan Resort 4*and further - 17 km
- FOUR hotels in AL-AKA: our Miramar 5 * hotel, Sandy Beach 3 * motel, Le Meridian Al Aqah Beach Resort 5 * hotel, Fujairah Rotana Resort & SPA 5 * hotel and further - 17 km
- FOUR hotels in DIBBA : Radisson Blu Resort Fujairah 5*, Holiday Beach Motel 3*, Royal Beach Hotel 4*, Mina Al Fajer Resort 5*.
FUJAIRAH EXCURSIONS.
There are many historical and simply interesting places in Fujairah. There are three protected areas - waterfalls, gardens, hot sulfur springs.
There is an old fort, a museum, a fortress.
In my opinion, marine options for excursions on yachts and boats deserve attention, including to the Musandam Peninsula (Oman), diving and snorkeling at the Martini Roc rock, Shark Island (with an underwater "cemetery" of cars), islands Snoopy (Snoopy) and Dibba Roc (Dibba rock of the Musandam peninsula), as well as safaris and excursions to the mountains.
Visa to Dibba (Dibba) Musandam (Oman) is not needed, it is enough to have a UAE visa and present it at the checkpoint.
It will be interesting to watch bullfights and the famous Friday market in Masafi. By the way, the "Friday" market is open daily - that's its name.
Strong advice: before choosing an excursion to one of the above places - "google" a little and read the reviews carefully - otherwise you may be disappointed.
There are several Shopping Centers in Fujairah, the newest of them (built in 2012) is Fujairah City Center with a Carrefour hypermarket. Of course, Fujairah's malls are no match for the malls in Dubai.
CONCLUSIONS or HOLIDAY FEATURES IN THE EMIRATE OF FUJAIRAH.
1. Rest in Fujairah is primarily a beach holiday on the coast of the Indian Ocean with elements of diving and snorkeling and with beautiful views of the mountains.
2. The best hotels in Fujairah (5 *) are located in a town called Al-Aqah (Al-Aqa).
3. The price of a tour to Fujairah hotels with All meals is still quite high. This is not an economy holiday. Drinks (including spirits) and food in bars and restaurants are very expensive.
4. The minimum recommended food package for purchasing in 5* hotels in Al Aqa is HB. Otherwise, be prepared for inconvenience or a lot of money.
5. It is strongly not recommended to take tours to Fujairah hotels that are not on the FIRST coastline for a beach holiday.
6. In hotels (5 *) there is animation and evening music. and dance. program (in small quantities and not in all hotels), but be prepared to entertain yourself.
7. Not all of the above Fujairah hotels provide transfers to Dubai for free, or even not at all. Continuation - read in the review of the hotel "Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort".
