Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 76/w13

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 13, Edition 76

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

🌙 Eid al-Fitr staycation roundup.

🔎 Know about Karama

❌ Hilton Dubai Jumeirah to close (temporarily)

🤝 Rotana join GHA

🛬 Etiihad Holidays extra £250 off

🏨 Jumeirah Beach Hotel deals

If there is anything in this edition you’d like want to know more about, or there’s something else about Dubai/UAE I can help you with, please feel to email me here

Or, click on the poll at the end of the newsletter, where you can say what content you’d like to see more of.

Thanks for reading 👏

Shaun

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

EID AL-FITR ROUNDUP

Ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr break, Dubai International Airport is expecting 3.6 million passengers, and has warned about potential traffic congestion at Terminal 3.

Dubai Airports are also advising passengers to make use of ‘DXB Express Maps’, which is an online tool to assist with real-time information such as directions, congestion and other information within the airports. Look for the QR codes around the airport to access DXB Express Maps.

UAE hotels are reporting ‘100% confirmed occupancy’ and some claim revenue uplifts of 40%, given the popularity of UAE hotels with GCC tourists along with Dubai residents on staycations.

Here’s a roundup of staycation deals if you’re tempted. If you are, do check the terms and conditions as staycations sometimes stipulate UAE or GCC ID.

🔗 The best staycations for Eid al-Fitr (Conde Nast Traveller Middle East)

🔗 7 fabulous Eid staycation deals (Emirates Woman)

🔗 21 Eid al-Fitr staycation deals (What’s On)

🔗 10 ultra-luxury staycations (Khaleej Times)

KNOW MORE ABOUT DUBAI

Why Karama Is an Area Worth Exploring

Time Out have a nice article about Karama, so it made me think it could be worth expanding a little on.

Karama is close to Bur Dubai and Satwa, and it’s on the south bank of the Creek (which saves time on travelling compared to being based in Deira, for instance).

It’s a very popular area for South Asian expats and tourists, mainly due to places like Meena Bazaar and and abundance of sub-continent focused cafes and restaurants. Whilst Ravis is really in Satwa, it’s close enough to count - and you should definitely give it a visit.

There are both hotels and hotel apartments around that are great value, and the one I’d always tip is what used to be Four Points by Sheraton Downtown that’s now rebranded to Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai. It’s in Al Mankhool (which is close enough to be considered Karama I’d say), and has a cracking pub along with being part of Marriott Bonvoy. Some rooms are apartment style with washing machines, mini kitchen, bigger fridge etc.

The only real downside to Karama is there isn’t a Metro close, with Max Metro perhaps being the likeliest option. Dubai Frame is nearby, and Karama is one of the last parts of Old Dubai as it moves towards ‘New Dubai’ at Za’abeel roundabout and onto Sheikh Zayed Road.

Karama is also close enough to ‘Old Dubai’ haunts such as Al Seef, Creek (think, cheap abra crossings), Al Fahidi, Oud Metha and Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood so it’s a superb location to see another part of Dubai with a distinctly different vibe than Downtown, Marina, Business Bay etc.

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So if you’re ever looking for reasonably priced midscale hotels, and interesting parts of Old Dubai to explore, along with some awesome food offerings (Al Ustad Special Kebab isn’t too far away for instance), why not consider Karama?

HOTEL NEWS

Hilton Dubai Jumeirah to Close (Temporarily!)

I’ve not seen this announced in local media, and (for me, at least) it only notified on the Hilton Honors app and not the main hotel’s website.

Apparently, the hotel will be closed for renovations from June 16 - August 26, 2025 for “upgrades to guest rooms, lobby, restaurants, lobby bar, main pool and gardens”. The good news is, McGettigans JBR will remain open throughout, with direct street access.

Comment

It’s not unusual for Dubai hotels to choose to do renovation or maintenance works during the off-season, so it’s good Hilton had advised of this closure in advance (even if it’s not really been in the media yet).

As always, I’d advise calling (not emailing!) the hotel direct if you have any bookings to see what they advise to do if you’re affected and not aware of this closure.

Rotana Hotels join Global Hotel Alliance

Rotana are a UAE hotel chain that I’ve mentioned a few times, including some cheap Happy Hours at Media Rotana and their recent expansion plans. They have some great midscale properties around Dubai and Abu Dhabi such as Amwaj Rotana, along with some decent F&B outlets within them.

They’ve now announced plans to join Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), which will bring Rotana’s 36 properties into the alliance. Brands such as JA, Sun International, Kempinski, Anantara, Nikki Beach, ASMALLWORLD and Viceroy are also members of GHA, and they have a paid membership program called Discovery that brings member-only benefits and special offers. You can often find membership of GHA on discount sites or on promotions (one year it was comped with annual subscriptions for Business Traveller for instance).

So if you’re a member of Discovery, it could be worth checking if any deals or promotions for Rotana are open to you.

🔗 Global Hotel Alliance

Which Is the World’s Tallest Hotel? It Depends.

According to this post, it reads that Gevora Hotel in Dubai is no longer the world’s tallest hotel. The thing with world records and Dubai, other than they have so many and they seem to change more regularly than other places (see: infinity pools, Address Beach Resort, Aura SkyPool) is it seems to depend on terminology.

Where the ‘tallest hotel’ thing gets confused is it depends on if it’s mixed-use, or the whole building is entirely the hotel, or even other things (ie a higher floor). JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai used to be the tallest entire hotel, but was beaten by Gevora Hotel.

However, the J hotel claimed in that article is only part of Shanghai Tower, so whilst the hotel may be higher up than Gevora, surely that doesn’t count? If it does, could Armani Hotel within Burj Khalifa then count, as it’s in a taller tower than Shanghai Tower? I’ll leave it to the marketers and bloggers, who will no doubt say, they all count 🙂.

Talking of hotel records, do you know which is Dubai’s oldest hotel? Clue it was previously The InterContinental Dubai.

FLIGHT DEALS

Etihad Holidays Extra £250 Off With Code SPRING250

Etihad Holidays* are offering an extra £250 off bookings over £1750 with promo code SPRING250.

🔗 Etihad Holidays Extra £250 Off*

HOTEL OFFERS

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel Quirky Pricing Trick STILL Works

Over the past couple of years, there’s been an interesting quirk with pricing for Jumeirah Beach Hotel (JBH). Whilst Jumeirah generally have been pushing prices up (and arguably cutting back on service), JBH had some low pricing available via Classic Travel* on their ‘Passport to Luxury’ rates.

So much so, it was possible to ‘stack’ or ‘double dip’ by booking a package rate such as Escapes or Flavours on a Passport to Luxury (PTL) rate, effectively doubling the benefits. The interesting part was that whilst Passport to Luxury, like most VIP partner programs, is usually more expensive due to being Best Available Rate, in these cases it was actually cheaper than just the non-PTL rate or direct bookings.

As is often the case when rates appear that seem to be quirky or ‘mistake rates’, they often disappear in short order - usually because bloggers and others ‘kill the Golden Goose’. However, I recently checked a few dates and it seems it’s still possible to get decent pricing, even lower than direct, with both package and PTL rates.

So if JBH is on your radar, it could be worth checking Classic Travel* and having a click-about. Be sure to check all the rate conditions, as not all are Passport to Luxury, and you can always check what’s included by clicking the ‘Rate Plan Description’ link (the pink arrow in the screenshot below). The pink rectangles indicate the rate plan/rate condition, and the first/higher is PTL on Semi-Flex, whereas the second/lower one is PTL AND Jumeirah Escapes on Bed & Breakfast.

🔗 Classic Travel*