Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 109/w46

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 46, Edition 109

Here’s your latest edition of Dubai news, deals & tips, every Friday, in 10 mins or less.

🚗 Hire a car in Dubai - or not?

❌ Sonder collapses, Marriott terminates, bookings AWOL.

🖤 Black Friday is coming - beware!

🚋 DWC x Etihad Rail

🤽‍♂️ Grand Hyatt Waterpark opens!

🚚 Dubai food trucks

🧳 Home Luggage and Check-in

👨‍✈️ Etihad Guest - positive changes?

🏩 Abu Dhabi hotels rise

🍴 Ciel Dubai Marina dining deals

PS. You can always email me here also.

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BLACK FRIDAY DEALS

A Note on Black Friday, Travel Tuesday Deals

Black Friday is traditionally the Friday after Thanksgiving, but these days it’s open season, and it’s really more marketing than actual value or money-savings.

As I mentioned last year, some travel providers actually upped their prices during their supposed ‘Black Friday’ deals, so as always - you do need to compare and check if it’s really a deal.

What I will do over the next few days if I find any deals that may be of interest, I’ll start updating last year’s ‘Black Friday Travel Tuesday Deals for Dubai’ page on Eat Drink Stay Dubai.

I will continue to update that page as deals come and go, so do keep checking back over time.

🔗 Black Friday Travel Tuesday Deals for Dubai

DUBAI NEWS

Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) + Etihad Rail

In a wide-ranging interview with FlightGlobal, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths mentioned there are hopes to connect the upcoming Etihad Rail system to the airport, and allow luggage to be checked at train stations.

It’s a really good article and well worth a read, especially with nuggets of information such as Emirates and Fly Dubai account for over two thirds of traffic at DXB, which has seen a 22% growth in passenger numbers in the last decade.

Whilst the ‘busiest airport in the world’ is often down to how it’s measured (number of flights or passengers, international + domestic or not etc.), Dubai International (DXB) has overtaken Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta (ATL) in terms of numbers of seats (5.3 million) this month.

Home Check-In Services at Sharjah (SJH)

Sharjah Airport Authority has launched its Home Check-In Service, which will allow passengers to have their luggage collected and boarding passes issues at home/hotel. This adds to the growing trend of home check-in services offered in the UAE for certain airlines and airports.

🔗 Etihad Airways: Home Check-In

🔗 DUBZ: Home Check-In Service for Emirates

🔗 Land and Leave Luggage Delivery

Dubai Garden Glow will move to a new location this season, next to Dubai Frame at Zabeel Park Gate 3, but will also open up during the day from 10am rather than 5pm (as in previous seasons).

Although no opening date has been officially confirmed, it will include an upgraded Dinosaur Park and Fantasy Park.

🔗 Dubai Garden Glow (official site - watch out for the copycat sites!)

The Ned is believed to be looking to expand its member clubs into Europe, Los Angeles and Dubai.

Will be interesting where in Dubai - I guess DIFC would be the contender.

The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) has announced a change in leadership, with the CEO stepping down with immediate effect to be replaced by its Chairman, Jim Murren, on an interim basis. (Archived page here).

The GCGRA is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, and will cover the five categories of legalised gaming the UAE is looking to introduce.

ETIHAD

Etihad Guest Introduces Full Flexible Options on All Seats

Etihad Guest will now allow every seat to be purchased with miles, as ‘GuestSeat’ awards will now be rebranded as ‘Saver Awards’.

Tier Miles can now be earned on redemption bookings via Comfort and Deluxe fares, starting from 25% up to 50% across all cabins.

🔗 Read the Press Release for more information

ABU DHABI

Abu Dhabi Hotels Are ‘Having a Moment’

Abu Dhabi hotel revenues for the first half of 2025 have risen 24% year-on-year, with cultural tourism and heritage sites being two main reasons.

The F1 Grand Prix race week continues to be one of the busiest weeks of the year, with hotels above 80% occupancy between 03 and 08 December and one suite at Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island rising to over over 127,000 AED!

Whilst we’re on the subject of Abu Dhabi, here are a few beach clubs so you don’t feel it’s all Dubai.

Abu Dhabi continues to be a prime location for filming and producing blockbuster Hollywood movies, as this ‘BTS’ video for the upcoming “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” indicates, with Yas and Saadiyat Island featuring prominently.

ONE BIG DUBAI TIP

Should You Hire a Car in Dubai?

As the cost of fuel is comparatively low, and also because the layout of Dubai is linearly and sporadically developed, it can seem a good idea to consider hiring a car to get around.

But to slam on the brakes on that idea, it generally isn’t - especially for first-timers.

Of all the circumstances and reasons one could suggest why you should, I’d suggest the only time it may make some semblance of sense was if you were looking to do lots of distance, particularly driving around the UAE or other Emirates on the main highways.

If all you are looking to do is to move around the usual attractions, malls and areas, here are ten things to consider to enable you to make a balanced decision.

1. Public transport is reliable, convenient and economic - be it taxi, bus, Metro, Tram or even marine transport!

2. Hire car companies may seem cheap, but they don’t make all their money on the hire, but rather things like damage, charges for processing documentation of speeding fines, deposits, excesses and other charges.

3. Driving standards are very likely different than what you may be used to, and local laws such as ‘minimum speed lanes’ often will catch tourists out. Then you have a fine to pay, and an uplift to the hire company for them to process it. Very few first-time tourists leave the UAE without occurring fines and charges on self-drive rentals.

4. Traffic and congestion can be a nightmare in certain areas - and you’re better being a passenger than a driver in these instances.

5. Navigation is far from instinctive. Western cities tended to develop gradually and radially, whereas the road layouts in Dubai will often be counterintuitive including things like service roads, under/overpasses and massive junctions. It’s not unusual to see where you’re looking to visit, say a mall, but then have to ‘box around’ for a few kms going back on yourself and around. You very rarely can just ‘hang a left or a right’ off a road.

6. Driving culture in GCC countries can often rely not just on the driver, but “God’s will”, as there is far greater faith in the powers of the Almighty rather than things like indicators/flashers/turn signals. If you see local drivers flashing lights at you, it often is not for the reasons the UK’s Highways Code may suggest and it means, get out of the way.

7. Insurance and accidents can be handled effectively by police, hire companies and other stakeholders, but they still can be a hassle too. Even in Western countries, hardly anyone reads all those hire forms they have to sign so imagine how you’d fare if they’re all in Arabic?

8. The hire market in Dubai is not just the big companies such as Avis, Hertz and the like, as there’s a far bigger ‘B2B’ and reseller market. So much so, in the worst case, you could hire a car from one company but there may be several parties involved in the business processes.

9. Signage is not automatically obvious to Westerners, and there is a lot of technology out there to catch contraventions, be it tolls, speeding, red light jumping, manoeuvres etc.

10. Parking is not always as easy as you may imagine. Yes, you can use NOL card or apps in some car parks, or even valet parking, but sometimes you may be stuck in off-site or underground parking that isn’t always close.

With all of the above said, I do understand the benefits of having your own car and the freedom it can bring.

All I would say is, go into it with your eyes open, and be mindful of all of the above.

Check the All-in Cost With Add-Ons, Not Just a Daily Rate

After all, once you hire a car it’s not just the daily cost that comes into the equation, it’s things like having your money tied up in deposits, or if anything untoward happens such as charges you didn’t expect, speeding fines or otherwise.

Before you hire, ensure you’re fully ‘au fait’ with the all the add-ons to the contract, and compare that cost to your likely runs out by other means eg Metro, taxi, Uber, Careem, Bolt etc. Google Maps is excellent for this - look for the ‘Directions’ section.

A decent baseline for costing is a taxi in Dubai should run around 2.5 AED per km.

Have a look at these past editions for tips about getting around Dubai via Uber/Careem, taxi tips and Blacklane chauffeurs.

If You Still Really Must Hire a Car in Dubai, Try This

Last but not least, as a tip - if you’re still convinced you must hire a car, don’t hire from the airport, but rather taxi to the hotel for the first night, then look to collect at one of the many hire companies around Al Quoz.

You will likely find the pricing more competitive, with no airport uplifts, and the car would likely be easier to return.

FOOD AND DRINK

Ciel Dubai Marina Opening Deals

Fancy an unlimited Asian breakfast for 79 AED at East 14, Ciel Dubai Marina, Dubai’s latest winner of a ‘World’s Tallest Hotel’ record?

Along with breakfast, there are several opening deals across their restaurants including lunch at Silk Road from 89 AED, an evening buffet at Journey to the Orient from 99 AED and West-14 with a whopping 50% discount on food and drinks.

And here is Whats On suggesting their picks for ‘the best rooftop pools in Dubai’.

Food Trucks in Dubai

There’s a terrific food truck scene around Dubai, as this list indicates.

SALT is perhaps one of the best and most famous, with several locations around the city - and they’re celebrating their birthday soon!

You can also find food trucks, pop-ups and stands at outdoor events such as Ripe Market/s.

Last but certainly not least, rather than go looking for one food truck in one location, why not go to one location with several, such as the various ‘Last Exit’ sites?

🔗 Last Exit

HOTEL NEWS

Marriott Terminate Sonder Agreement With Immediate Affect

The biggest news of the week for hotels is also the worst: Sonder has collapsed, leaving guests with bookings stranded.

Sonder was an Airbnb competitor, that entered into a licensing agreement with Marriott International, to allow their properties to be listed and booked. That agreement has now been terminated with immediate effect by Marriott.

What the collapse of Sonder means for Marriott, and what to do if you’ve booked.

Grand Hyatt Waterpark Officially Opens

Wow, this has taken some time - even by Dubai standards 😄

There will be sixteen attractions across the Waterpark, but one thing to note - don’t assume all hotels bookings will offer access.

This thread on Trip Advisor shows how some guests didn’t have complimentary access, including a Hyatt Globalist in a Suite.

The following copy is from the official property page at Hyatt.

EMIRATES

Emirates Warn of December Travel Surge

Emirates have warned travellers to expect a surge in numbers through DXB airport in December, as they expect more than 2.3 million departures and 2.5 million arrivals.

During Dubai Airshow, over 2600 Emirates members of staff will serve 300,000 meals to attendees. Here’s how they’ll do it.