Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 115/w52

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 52, Edition 115

Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas, and the festive season continues to bring good things to all.

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

🪂 Skydive Dubai

🍾 Emirates First Class secrets

🚨 Beware January ‘deals’

🛍️ SKIMS opens in Dubai at MOE

⏫ Skywards Double Miles

🦪 The MAINE Beach House

🏩 Pullman JLT

PS. You can always email me here also.

PPS. There will also be a ‘Special Edition’ about New Year’s Eve in Dubai out in the next few days, and next week’s regular edition will be published on Saturday 03 Jan 2026.

Please note: some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links, and will be denoted with an asterisk (*). This is a link to a partner site that may pay me a commission - at no further cost to you - and if so, helps to support me & this newsletter. For more info, please see Disclosure and Policies

EMIRATES

Emirates Baggage Policies

It’s always worth keeping up to date with Emirates baggage policies, as they occasionally update them and vary slightly by route, fare basis, Skywards status etc.

This is the official ‘hub’ on Emirates website, with links for cabin baggage rules, checked baggage rules, baggage services and how to buy extra baggage allowance.

Note - if you know in advance of check-in that your luggage will be over allowance, it’s always best to buy the extra baggage allowance in advance rather than at the airport.

🔗 Emirates: Baggage

Earn Double Skywards Miles in 2026

Emirates Skywards has a ‘flash’ promotion to earn double Skywards Miles for UK Skywards members.

Book from 26 to 31 December 2026, for travel between 01 January to 31 March 2026.

🔗 Emirates Skywards: Earn Double Miles in 2026

Did you know Emirates First Class on the A380, even in suites, has a ‘secret camera’? Here are another 14 ‘Emirates First Class secrets and tips’.

Quick Tip on Emirates Fare Basis w.r.t. Cancellations

Whilst not all fare basis/buckets on Emirates offer free cancellation (see screenshot below), here’s how to cancel for free if you’re on Flex Plus and within 24 hours of booking.

DUBAI NEWS

If you haven’t read the Christmas ‘Special Edition’ yet, you can do so here.

In it, I covered the wide range of things going on around Dubai over the festive season, including how well Dubai and the UAE cater to all religions with services for all.

Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS have opened their first permanent store in the Middle East, at Mall of the Emirates.

If you ever wondered how much tourism contributes to the GDP of the UAE, how about $70 billion (around 14%!) in 2025? (Archived version here)

What makes these figures even more interesting is that the Oil & Gas industry hovers around 30% of GDP, and it’s likely the contribution of tourism to Dubai is even higher than say, Abu Dhabi.

As if to support the recent ’One Big Dubai Tip’ about whether it’s worth hiring a car in Dubai, Dubai Police have reminded drivers about local driving laws such as fast-lane misuse and the 400 AED fine it carries.

Just as in Abu Dhabi, where ‘minimum speed lanes’ once caught a lot of visitors out, and of course, hire car companies often will add on their uplifts and admin charges for dealing with fines!

KNOW MORE ABOUT DUBAI

Skydive Dubai Turns 15

Skydive Dubai has recently celebrated 15 years of operations, with over 475,000 tandem skydives and 300 marriage proposals. It operates across two centres, with a Desert Campus for training such as solo-skydiver and Accelerated Freefall, whilst its Palm Dropzone serves as base for those famous jumps over Marina and Palm Jumeirah.

It’s not just parachuting though, for example the Gyrocopter Flights are a fun way to take the skies without the parachute!

As is often the case in Dubai, there are add-ons available for social media (Instagram) selfies and suchlike 📸

Tip - if you are considering booking a tandem jump with Skydive Dubai, do be sure to book well in advance as slots often have limited availability, especially at peak times of the year. Also note there are physical requirements for tandem jumps, such as Males need to below 100kg & BMI 30.0 or below. 

🔗 Skydive Dubai

26 budget activities in Dubai to try - take note about Al Seef and Alserkal Avenue.

The latter is a nice change and a chance to check out local art, whilst the former is a ‘faux touristy’ attraction aiming to catch the essence of ‘Old Dubai’.

🔗 Al Seef 

🔗 Alserkal Avenue

FOOD AND DRINK

Where to eat in Dubai, according to Conde Nast Traveller.

Good to see Orfali Bros and Moonrise mentioned amongst the somewhat small (by Dubai standards) list.

Dubai’s best pool days, according to Grazia.

Whilst ‘day passes’ are such a competitive market these days in Dubai, it’s well worth looking for the outliers (i.e. the ones that aren’t on every list, or maybe a bit ‘out of the way’) such as BVLGARI Yacht Club, especially if you’re looking for a bit less ‘busyness’.

The MAINE group has opened a fourth venue in Dubai at Club Vista Mare, Palm Jumeirah.

Not only is The MAINE one of the best venues for seafood in Dubai, - especially The MAINE Oyster Bar & Grill JBR at The DoubleTree by Hilton - this new outlet offers beachside tables, beds and cabanas.

🔗 The MAINE Beach House 

🔗 The MAINE

ONE BIG DUBAI TIP

Don’t Get Suckered Into a ‘Deal’ in the January ‘Sales’

Sometimes, the best tips with the most value are the short, sharp shock ones.

So here it is - prepare yourself.

We’re coming up to that time of year where travel agents and package travel providers take the bulk of their bookings for ‘future forward’ travels, so don’t fall for the January ‘booking trap’.

They will pay a fortune on advertising, such as TV, print and social media, and ask yourself - how much money could you really be saving if they’re having to pay such high prices on advertising?

Here’s the answer you may not want to hear - if you want to get the best ‘pound for pound’ deal for travel, don’t book it now. 

What you may get is advantageous payment terms, but you’ll almost certainly not be getting the best value.

Dubai hotel pricing is a very volatile market, and whilst the market is strong on this year’s occupancy rates - approximately 5% up last year and hovering around 80% occupancy - the prices are still fluctuating a lot. IF you lock in your price for a hotel now, it will almost certainly be cheaper between now and time of travel.

Flights can be worth booking ‘early doors’ as they tend to rise, or more precisely, more expensive fare basis tickets become available over time.

Hotels though, no - they vary all the time. And travel agents want you ‘locked in’ on a price they offer, rather than you getting better value going it alone yourself or using many tactics such as price drops, direct negotiation or price matching.

HOTEL NEWS

Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) is a decent hotel if you’re looking for a nice, value option that’s close enough to Dubai Marina and Dubai Metro, whilst offering great service and value.

It’s only a few minutes’ walk from Sobha Realty Metro station, and is part of ALL Accor loyalty program. One of its standout features - apart from a super-cheap Happy Hour (if you know, you know!) - is a lovely, bright and light lobby, which has just been refurbished.

The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert, has been accepted into Virtuoso’s network.

I’ve mentioned VIP/Preferred Partner Programmes such as Virtuoso many times, as they can offer exceptional value and benefits due to elevated rate conditions and exclusive perks - especially if you value service, upgrades, welcome gifts and the like.

You won’t find Virtuoso pricing available at the typical OTAs, as they are relationship-based and work via enquiries (to maintain exclusivity and ’niche’.)

One option could be, sign up (for free) to Classic Travel*, which will then enable you to search and book online.

Of course, there are many Virtuoso agents worldwide, such as QX Travel in the UK, but most will look to develop a relationship with you by enquiring about your needs, then returning with a quote, and building up from there.

Note - it’s important to understand the difference between mass-market travel agents and Virtuoso/VIP Partner Programmes. The latter is aimed at select, exclusive hotels and certainly not at the ‘cheap’ end of the market, mainly because they are working with high-end properties and customers, usually on elevated rate conditions such as ‘Best Available Rate’. They are not in the market to ‘nickel and dime’ and haggle about prices, and they’re not aimed at mass-market package holidays.

🔗 Classic Travel*

🔗 Virtuoso: Dubai