Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 43/w32

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 32, Edition 43

So here is this week’s digest of the ‘Dubai news worth knowing’, all in 10 minutes or less of your time.

👇 A few things worth knowing about Dubai this week 👇

🚣‍♂️ Dubai Creek Harbour

🍽 Sunday Roasts in Dubai

🍾 Dubai’s oldest (best?) bars

💸 Dubai Summer Surprises

🗞 Tittle-Tattle: Four day week, Calvin Harris to open Ushuaia Dubai, new Cluster GM at Mina Seyahi, Brewdog to open at Bluewaters.

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DUBAI

Dubai Creek Harbour: Worth a Stay?

Prompted by a recent review of Vida Creek Beach and previous editions highlighting some lesser-known and up-and-coming areas of Dubai, this week let’s shine a light on Dubai Creek Harbour.

Dubai Creek Harbour is an Emaar-developed area between Festival City and Ras-al-Khor (home of the Wildlife Sanctuary), and already has four hotels (all Emaar brands ie Palace, Vida and Address).

It’s also the proposed location for Dubai Creek Tower, which is planned to take Burj Khalifa’s World Record for highest tower. Whenever that may be, of course, seeing it’s been on the drawing boards for nearly 10 years.

At present, the hotels there are extremely good value - but the location needs to be factored in. As seen from the Google Maps images below, it’s one of those areas in Dubai that can be filed under ‘developing’.

Click the first image to open up Google Maps, or look at the Satellite overlay in the second, and you will see the big area of ‘not much’ and then the concentration around the small Creek Harbour.

So for a tourist, one may need to balance hotel cost vs transport cost (and availability) for getting around to other areas of Dubai. There are several areas similar to this in Dubai due to constant development, and it’s sometimes easy to sucked in to a hotel ‘deal’ in an area with not much going on around it.

There’s no Metro station nearby, so you’d be reliant on taxi or Uber/Careem.

Also bear in mind, as usual with Dubai areas that are heavily planned for development, many of the graphics you may see may be ‘artist impression’ or slick-looking to sell properties, and may not always reflect what’s ‘on the ground’ presently.

Comment

If you’re looking for a place to stay that may seem close to Downtown and have reasonably priced hotels, Dubai Creek Harbour may catch your attention.

However, I’d always suggest to consider where you’re looking to travel out to, and by what method, and perhaps also what’s immediately around the hotel. In the case of Dubai Creek Harbour, you’d likely be limited to walking around to the other hotels or being reliant on car transport.

Then it’s a consideration of what ‘value add’ may Dubai Creek Harbour offer compared to Festival City, Al Jaddaf or even Business Bay which all are either closer to main areas such as Downtown or have more going on around.

Then again, as Aneesha says in that review, if you’re looking for a convenient stopover location in a lovely hotel, it could work for you.

PS. Do given Aneesha and Identity AE a follow on Instagram 👍

🔗 Places to visit: Dubai Creek Harbour (Visit Dubai)

🔗 Dubai Creek Harbour Area Guide (LuxHabitat)

EAT

Get Your Brit On: Sunday Roasts in Dubai

As a Brit, I’m happy to see the traditional Sunday Roast go from strength to strength in Dubai.

Here are nine Sunday Roasts to put on your hitlist, according to Fact Magazine.

Time Out also have their list of best roast dinners , which could be worth checking if you’re a heretic and looking for a Sunday roast on a different day.

Comment

I’d always tip a trip out to Reform Social Bar & Grill at the Lakes, as it’s a lovely spot to get away from the hustle and bustle. Along with the food and drink, they have open area which hosts regular events/festivals.

I’m not really a fan of picking 'my best’ or ‘favourite’ - leave that for the influencers and blaggers - but D&A (Dhow and Anchor), The Duck Hook and the Eloquent Elephant are worth a pop. Also note Bubbalicious now offer a Sunday “Roast by Bubbalicious” which is a little more toned down than their Saturday brunch.

DRINK

9 of Dubai’s Oldest Bars (And IMO, Still Some of the Best!)

What’s On published this list of 9 of Dubai’s oldest bars, and for me - they’re still some of the best.

My feelings for Barasti are well known, but Fibber’s, McGettigans, Zero Gravity are almost ‘rites of passage’ I’d suggest.

There’s a reason they’re all ‘old but gold’ and not going anywhere anytime soon. Good craic, super deals, decent scoff - what more do you want?

The problem with these lists is keeping them short…. there are heaps of fab bars around Dubai, and not always in the tourist/expat hotspots either. A trip down the ‘Dark Side’ in Deira makes for a unique experience, let’s leave it at that (or maybe that’s a story for another edition …..)

DUBAI DEALS

Dubai Summer Surprises: Kids Go Free, Sizzling Summer Eats

Dubai Summer Surprises runs from June through to 01 Sep 24, and offers activities and promotions for families, shopping, dining and much more.

Some deals are on certain dates, whilst others may be for the duration, and some typical deals are

• up to two children stay in hotel rooms at no extra charge, along with kids clubs, play sessions etc.

• “Kids Go Free” offers at LEGOLAND Dubai, Madame Tussauds, The View at The Palm, Dubai Crocodile Park, La Perle by Dragone, Ski Dubai and AYA Universe.

• Sizzling Summer Eats - up to 30% discount at over 100 restaurants

🔗 Dubai Summer Surprises (Visit Dubai)

🔗 Sizzling Summer Eats (Khaleej Times)

DUBAI NEWS/TITTLE-TATTLE

Calvin Harris has been announced for the grand opening of Ushuaia Dubai on Sat 26 Oct 24 at Dubai Creek Harbour.

Note - don’t confuse Dubai Harbour (close to Marina, Mina Seyahi) with Dubai Creek Harbour (as mentioned above, on Dubai Creek by Ras al Khor).

🔗 Ushuaia Dubai Harbour Experience

There’s a new Cluster Cluster General Manager at Mina Seyahi. Ugur Lee Kanbur replaces Tolga Lacin, who was one of the longest-serving managers in region, and will cover the three properties there (Westin Mina Seyahi, Le Meridien Mina Seyahi and W Mina Seyahi).

Tolga has apparently joined up with Ennismore who are busy launching their concepts locally with brands like Delano, So, Mama Shelter etc.

Good luck to all! 🍀

Dubai to trial four day working week for government workers during the Summer.

So basically, the Friday half-day working isn’t working for the Summer.

Brewdog to open their first outlet in Dubai at Bluewaters.

Slated to open Q4 2024, it’s planned to be first of up to eight Brewdog outlets to open by 2025 in Dubai

Looking for a quiet drink in a smooth bar? Try one of Dubai’s ‘speakeasies’

I’m not quite sure how they missed Flashback at Paramount Dubai, but they do great shows that are well dropping by to sample.