Dubai is one of my favourite cities so when the opportunity came up for a 4-night trip with Emirates and Jumeriah Hotels I couldn’t turn it down.
It’s a very relaxed city and while food and drink can be expensive if you dine in some of the exclusive restaurants, there are many affordable options available. One of the things that does stand out
about Dubai is the level of service that you experience, and that’s whether you’re eating at your hotel’s restaurant or simply grabbing a coffee at the local Costa.
It was only a quick 4-day visit, however we packed in so much it was an incredible experience. We went on a night-time desert safari, took a seaplane flight over Dubai and got to view Dubai from the observation deck on the world tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
There’s way more to Dubai than just shopping. From the cultural highlights of the Creek, to the glitzy Marina, there’s plenty on offer. We went Dune bashing in the desert, which was amazing, but you can also ride camels or go sand boarding. We got a great cultural insight with a Bedouin Camp experience where we enjoyed a full BBQ dinner in tents, we got fire dancers, and the sunset was magical.
Whilst on the Jumeirah Palm we made the most of the location. It’s got a boardwalk, tons of restaurants, beach clubs, and a pretty good nightlife. The whole area is quite high-end, but it has a relaxed feel with everyone walking around in shorts and flip-flops, although many of the restaurants in the evenings are more formal.
Anyone who’s an adrenaline junkie absolutely has to go up the Burj Khalifa. The lift up takes 60 seconds to cover 124 floors and the speed even makes your ears pop. Of course, a view always gets better with a cocktail and we got the chance to enjoy one at Gold on 27, the 27th-floor bar at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. You might have seen this hotel on the BBC documentary. It’s considered the most luxurious hotel in the world. Staying here may not be an option, but I’d recommend visiting the bar as taking in the Dubai sunset from Gold on 27 is impressive.
We were also lucky enough to take in the Dubai panoramas from a seaplane, which as well as being an exciting way to see the city, it gave me a real sense of how quickly the city is being transformed, with skyscrapers going up in every direction.
I get asked all the time where people should stay, but it totally depends on what you’re after from your holiday. If you’ve got your eye on Dubai for a relaxing beach holiday, I’d recommend Jumeirah Beach or The Palm. Jumeirah Beach is more of a long, white-sanded strip with things to do (water skiing, promenades, great swimming) and it’s a more central location. The Palm is more a cluster of beaches with resorts like the Atlantis. Both offer stunning horizons, plus endless drinking and dining opportunities. There’s also Kite Beach and the wide-open walkways at the fancy new La Mer beach.
If you want to explore the neighbourhoods, I’d suggest checking out both the Marina and the Creek. The Marina is pretty amazing as a setting in itself. Docked boats are surrounded by loads of curved skyscrapers and glass, and the waterside cafes and restaurants provide really relaxing settings. You’ve got Skydive Dubai, Dubai Marina Mall, cinemas, and the Dubai Marina Walk where you can shop, drink, dine, and even get your daily Starbucks by the waterfront.
For winding walkways and the smell of spices, head to the Old Souk. This covered market has a real old feel, there’s a Gold, Textile, and Spice Souk, the locals are really friendly, and you can pick up stuff you’d never find in the UK. My tip is to visit around 11am before it gets too crowded.
For the shopaholics, Dubai has everything from Gucci to cut-price Nike, with a mall for everything you could imagine. The Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates are the most famous. These places aren’t just a couple of floors with shops. They’ve got fountains, aquariums, human waterfalls, and even a 155 million-year-old dinosaur display at the Dubai Mall. If you’re in Dubai to shop, there are even hotels linked- you literally roll out of bed and shop. Cheaper shopping at the Dubai Outlet Mall is also great, and there’s endless food wherever you are.
Wherever you go (and whatever your budget), you’ll be impressed. Standards are high in Dubai. Rooms are large, dining is superb, and attention to detail is the reason why Dubai has earned it’s reputation as number 1 for luxury.
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Andy and Claire was very helpful and Helped sorting my trip for 2026 Thanks to both
Great service and costs. The staff are excellent they are knowledgeable and very very helpful. I have used them many times and have recommended them to my friends I will continue to use them in the future
Just booked a holiday for two to Argentina and Brazil. Absolutely brilliant service. Kadie [rovided lots of help and support whilst making choices. Cannot wait for the holiday.
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I have been using this company for nearly 20 years now and I have always received amazing service , all the staff are great and very reactionary to any issues and prompt whilst dealing with enquiries and bookings !i look forward to my continued rely with them ! Rick
Booked a trip to Budapest-Vienna-Prague with Claire at eShores. Whole experience was amazing Claire was extremely patient with me and extremely helpful. Can't wait to go on holiday now, but already planning where to go after that.
I rang eShores having read about their way of working - I liked that their office is relatively local and their team big enough to have experience of all continents yet small enough think for all the colleagues to know each other I rang with a vague outline of what I hoped to do for…
Anna the travel consultant is very efficient and listens carefully to what we want from a holiday. I would recommend eshores to anyone planing a multi centre holiday
Leanne was brilliant she tailored our trip to Greece exactly as we wanted Very efficient and helpfull
I have used E Shore twice for holidays both times with Michelle, she has the patience of a saint and has been amazing. Will definitely use them in the future
Had contacted a few travel agents about my holiday. None, repeat none of them were as knowledgeable is Matt, who was dealing with my enquiry. His knowledge of my destination & what I was hoping/ looking for was tremendous. The lengths he went to & patience he displayed was tremendous. Really made my choice to…
Dave is as very helpful. He made booking a fairly complicated holiday easy. We haven’t been on the holiday yet, but hopefully with Dave’s expert help it’ll be great.
I have used eshores before to organise a holiday. The service was second to none and the holiday was excellent. Everything went perfectly. For that reason I am using them again. I know I will be well looked after and safe. With eshores you can choose, mix and match different countries, transport etc and nothing…
We’ve just booked our Vietnam holiday through Andy at eShores, and I can’t recommend him highly enough. From the very first call, Andy was friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely interested in what we wanted from our trip. He took the time to listen to our ideas and then put together a perfect itinerary that combined all…
Kadie from eshores has become my favourite go to for holidays and trips. Having just returned from a visit to China Hong Kong and Thailand organised by eshore I can say that it was one of the best holidays I had enjoyed for many years
I have dealt with Hannah a couple of times and found her very helpful and knowledgeable, it is really nice to be in contact with someone who one feels is genuinely interested in what you as a customer.
Nick has been extremely patient and helpful, he has now found the right flights and accommodation for us flying from the UK to Cairo, in February.
Laura has been very helpful in assisting us twice and responds quickly to our many queries. Our recent holiday to Lake Garda was a great success and we hope Madeira next year will prove likewise
Excellent service from start to finish. Our hotel package was designed totally to our requirments. Matt was super efficient and was more than happy to go that extra mile to ensure our package was the best..i would definitely recommend eShores and i will be using them again in the future.
Nick was a pleasure to deal with, He was patient and happy to make changes to our trip several times, I'd recommend dealing with him and eshores, Thanks nick
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