Note to tourists
I want to share my impressions about the rest in Dubai, we returned less than a week ago, and maybe for someone my review will be useful. We flew through Borispol by Arab airlines. I’m a terrible coward, I’m afraid to fly, so I didn’t sit near the porthole, but closer to the aisle and imagined all the way that I was on a bus. There was no shaking, we did not fall into air pockets. We were not spoiled with entertainment on board, a bite to eat - for a fee, somewhere around $ 10 per person. The flight attendants were very kind, and one even knew Russian. In general, this is a separate issue: the language barrier. Do not think that because of the invasion of our vacationers, the locals quickly learned to speak Russian and understand you, as, for example, in Turkey. Nothing like that, without exception, everyone speaks English, and this creates certain difficulties for those who do not speak English (when choosing equipment, for example, phones, laptops, tablets, etc. ). As for the dutik, we got alcohol both at the Kiev airport and in Sharjah (we flew there), no one stopped us and made no comments. As for going through all the services at the airport, it took the most time to scan the retina and passport control, expect about an hour and a half in total.
We were met by the RoyalPark travel company, the bus with the bulk of the tourists left, but they immediately provided additional transport, and after half an hour we were at the hotel (it is also worth noting that the women on the receiving side gave very nice bouquets of roses, little things, but nice ). We stayed at Citymax Hotel, 3 stars. There was a Russian-speaking girl Natalya at the reception, not very friendly, but she didn’t need much - to give the keys to the room, we didn’t contact her again.
As for the rooms, they are small, but very clean, comfortable, with everything you need - a free safe, a refrigerator, sockets with adapters, a kettle, bags of milk, coffee and tea, a TV (though with one RBC channel), etc. d. The room was cleaned every day and there was no lack of clean towels. There is a very decent, clean, small pool on the HG floor with sun loungers.
Breakfast is a stable European buffet with vegetables, fruits, croissants, cheese, ham, cereals, muesli, scrambled eggs, eggs, sausages, yogurts, tea, coffee, juices, monotonous, but satisfying.
Advice. Be sure to ask reception for the timetable for buses to and from the beach.
And this circumstance is connected with one unpleasant memory. If you think that, having stood in line second or even first, having stood for half an hour or an hour, you will definitely get on the bus, then you are very much mistaken. OUR TOURISTS, LIKE RADIATION DOVEES OR REFUGEES DURING THE CIVIL WAR, STORM THE BUS.
Therefore, if you are traveling in a group, like us (there were four of us), don't huddle, take a taxi, it will cost you a dollar from the nose. The rate of 3.66 is officially supported by the state, unlike the euro: the difference in different banks is from 4.83 to 4.87.
Everything will be sold to you for dollars and recalculated, but not in euros.
Advice. If you decide to organize a cultural program for yourself, on the Jumeirah open beach (an open free beach where we were taken from the hotel) from 12 o’clock there is a seller of tours Veronica from the Arabian Night travel company. Their tours are 30-40 percent cheaper than those sold at the hotel, so take your time, find her (we asked a big and very friendly black man on the beach to call her). For example, a sightseeing tour of Dubai from 14.00 to 20.00 costs $25 per person, a full-day trip to the ocean with lunch costs $60.
As for nutrition. If you leave the hotel and turn right, and then right again and walk straight for about 15 minutes, then there is an excellent non-stop supermarket near the open-air restaurant "Lebanese Village" and there is also a currency exchange. You can buy everything you need, very tasty, not very expensive, and organize a party in your room. This is economy class. Sitting in the same Lebanese village will cost you about 30-35 dollars per person (soup, for the second - assorted grilled meats and a very primitive salad of cucumbers and tomato with carrots). The choice is yours. But keep in mind that alcohol will not be everywhere and will cost a lot. Here, opposite McDonald's, you will find an underground metro station (the fare is comparable to the cost of a taxi, you didn’t go yourself, I won’t tell you).
Further. Sacred words for every tourist who came not only to lie on the beach, but also to make some purchases: Deira, Nasser Square, Karama. These are areas of the most inexpensive shops, shopping pavilions, an alternative to various malls and boutiques. If you are not chasing a specific trade brand, you are not afraid of fakes, and you are guided by the golden mean price and your own inspiration, then you are in the right place. I want to warn you - for a penny you are unlikely to trade something of more or less quality, but after all, China is different. By the way, the Emirates bought $5 billion worth of goods from the Chinese, so it is everywhere. However, when I entered a store with some popular name like “Loretta Pettinari” or “Claudio Fracasse”, I was not sure that the product was original (as you know, all the double bass is made on Malaya Arnautskaya Street in Odessa, read - in China). Since I was not inspired by the idea of buying things for the price of a helicopter, I looked more at discounts and sale models, my husband bargained to the point of insanity, and everyone was satisfied. There are also a lot of goods in the Global Village, it makes sense to go there and see or just take a walk, but the pavilions of this global village are quite far from the city, a one-way taxi costs 50-55 dirhams and this village is open only until February 3. My personal experience is a 3x4 Persian silk carpet traded by my husband for $200 (they asked for $600). Of course, one can argue that this is not silk, but a fake. However, in the opinion of an amateur, it is difficult to distinguish two identical carpets (the exact same one was offered to us on the way to the ocean for 300 at the original price of 900). Therefore, I advise you not to find fault, the quality is the same. And if you want the original - welcome to specialized salons with the appropriate prices. With fur coats is a different story, at first everything is very expensive and show off, no matter what store you go to - all the sellers look like academics, and arrogance and aplomb - like a provincial who returned to his native Zhmerinka from a tour of the Golden Ring. Therefore, immediately orient them in what price category you are looking for, having reduced the price of dollars by 400-500, they will show you options for the same 400-500 dollars more expensive, in the end there is a chance to negotiate. We bought our daughter a shaved mink (the fur is shaved with a laser to a state of complete smoothness using a special technology) of milky color with a hood, under the belt below the hip for $ 900. I was promised that at least 4 seasons she would be worn with a bang. A Sony experia ayon 26 phone with a full headset was bought for my son in the Deira area for $ 325, knocking down the price of dollars by 50-60. We could have bought not much more expensive, but I really did not want to return home without a gift. In the end, everyone is happy.
About weather. It doesn’t happen day after day, in the Persian Gulf the water is 15-16 degrees, a breeze blows, sometimes turning into a rather noticeable wind, it’s sunny, the air temperature is 20-25.
Advice. Do not get hung up on trifles, do not get annoyed, bargain, smiling, enjoy your vacation, get to know an amazing country, do not act like an auditor who came with a check, do not expect a catch that you must be deceived, do not be rude, do not go around with a sated look , expecting that everyone around you owes you, and then, having tuned in to the positive, you will take home the most wonderful impressions.
By the way, my husband and I had travel experience to the Emirates - this is Cyprus, and Greece, and Spain, and Egypt, and Israel, and France, and Bulgaria, and Tunisia, and Italy, and Turkey, and the Czech Republic with Austria, I can’t list everything, but I can honestly say that the Emirates did not deceive us, the country is unique in its kind and worth visiting.
Good luck to everyone, bright, unforgettable vacation!