Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter 88/w25

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 25, Edition 88

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

💸 Bag heaps of value buying points/miles

⚠️ FCDO updates travel advice (again)

🛬 Flight suspensions

🐔 Cheeky Nandos gets bigger

🍺 A&E makes online alcohol shopping easier (discounts too!)

👮‍♂️ Dubai brings new rules in for content creators

🏩 What’s going on at Delano Dubai?

🧑‍🎨 Dubai’s art scene

📊 UAE and Abu Dhabi hotel performance

🛒 Palazzo Versace up for auction - again, with a far lower price

The reason why I regularly post polls is twofold - I may be wrong in my guesses what people may like, plus the feedback helps the newsletter to improve, have an engaged audience and contain valued content.

For example, last week it went resoundingly in favour of ‘same sections every week’.

So that’s what I’ll set up in future editions, i.e. a set number of sections even if some may be lighter than offers. Unless there aren’t any deals/offers that week.

PS. Of late, I’ve been struggling to publish on Thursdays. As it turns out, sending today was more useful due to FCDO updating again last night and flight suspensions making it more timely, so it’s had me wondering - which day would you prefer to receive on?

PPS. You can always email me here also.

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

DUBAI NEWS

FCDO Update UAE Travel Advice. Dubai Airports Warns of Delays

Following recent incidents between Israel and Iran, FCDO updated their travel advice for UAE twice since - specifically, the Safety and Security page. As always with these things, I’d recommend keeping abreast of objective news sources and travel providers if you have travel booked. Also to understand why the FCDO update their advice, as this edition explains.

FCDO have not issued ‘Do Not Travel’ warnings as yet, and there’s a lot of geopolitics involved and who knows what will happen next. The most important thing to know is you can’t just do a ‘man look’ for a quick headline or one-liner to ask “is Dubai safe”.

Simon Calder’s excellent podcast had a recent episode on how airlines have been affected that’s worth a listen. Long story short, flights between UK and DXB are taking different routings which may extend flight durations - particularly important if you’re connecting through Dubai on a tight connection time.

Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) have warned travellers of significant delays and cancellations. Two US carriers have already “paused” flights to Gulf destinations, including United’s route from Newark (EWR) to Dubai (DXB).

Flightradar24 is a decent source of information, as it contains live departures and arrivals, detailed information for particular flights and airports. The below link will go directly to arrivals at DXB, and this one to flight history for a specific route (in this case, EK18 MAN-DXB).

Whilst Influencers love Dubai (and vice versa), Dubai does has very strong laws about online content, and has issued 20 “mandatory content standards”.

Fines for contravention are steep - up to one million dirhams - and there’s a need for business and media licences.

Even if you’re not an influencer, I would suggest the golden rule whilst in Dubai and UAE is don’t do anything online you may regret - even if it may be normal or acceptable ‘back home’.

This could include sharing content, messaging, commenting or anything online that could be taken as negative, insulting, hateful, false, aggressive, condescending, critical towards another person, entity, company or culture. In other words, just be nice - or not at all.

As it’s now officially Summer in Dubai, remember some attractions may either close or reduce operations such as opening times, or conduct maintenance. Here are 13 main attractions remaining open during Summer.

Majid al Futtaim Capital have been ordered by judicial review to restructure their board following the death of their billionaire owner, which could have implications for the future of the retail giant which includes Mall of the Emirates in its massive portfolio.

Back in April, plans were announced for a 5 billion AED development for Mall of the Emirates with a view to increase retail, lifestyle and exhibition/event spaces.

In the meantime, Mall of the Emirates continue to expand their store offerings, with the news Ulta Beauty will open their first Middle East branch there by the end of 2025.

HOTEL NEWS

What’s Going on at Delano Dubai?

Banyan Tree and Delano Dubai announce Anders T. Dimblad as Cluster General Manager. In other Delano news, Ennismore have announced Delano Miami is due to reopen in November 2025.

Delano Dubai is a hotel I’ve always had a watching brief on (and referenced a few times in previous editions), especially to see how it compares to Delano Miami and because Ennismore are really doing well in Dubai with their brands. Also, it’s always interesting to see when a hotel reflags if it performs better than its previous incarnation.

There have been mixed reviews on it, and there’s been a bit of an ‘online push’ for it recently. By that I mean :-

• sponsored posts in local media, such as this one and this

• lots of PR-led articles in various other outlets

• a surge of glowing reviews on platforms (which although not necessarily spurious, can sometimes be indicative of campaigns such as ‘stay for praise’ bloggers or even side-gigs for bulk reviews).

This could indicate something innocuous such as a marketing push, using various tactics to build awareness and (hopefully) business. Or, it could mean things are not doing as well as expected.

Yet on the other hand, this ‘live trip report’ makes for a great read. Being objective and open-minded, it doesn’t necessarily mean this guest had a typical experience, and it may just be because he spent a lot of time pre-trip building a relationship with the hotel team that he reaped the benefits.

What’s thrown me a tad is when I was doing one of my routine trawls of hotels in Dubai and price points, I noticed Delano was elevated far higher on some sites than what I’d expect it to be - and over more established, expensive hotels.

This may be dynamic pricing, or it may be they’re pushing for higher prices for other reasons (eg lower occupancy levels). It could also mean they’re doing well, so trying to push up their rates whilst they can - as Dubai is a fickle market for hotels with wide variance.

They also pushed out a day pass offer pretty early on, which may mean they’re trying to cash in on the lucrative market Dubai has on for these, but sometimes that’s a gamble as it can affect guest experience if access is restricted to walk-up day passers rather than overnight guests.

All I know is, it looks like time will tell but it’s certainly interesting to follow.

Will Palazzo Versace Dubai Have a New Owner Soon?

The ongoing saga of Palazzo Versace Dubai, which has been on-off for auction on a few occasions, could be drawing to a close with news of a potential buyer and a new auction. Some reports speculate the starting price is $163 million, someway short of the estimated value of $380 million.

Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah will undertake renovations from June over the summer, including Social restaurant and “refreshing” guest rooms.

This is why it’s advisable if you’re booked to Dubai or Abu Dhabi over the summer months, a proactive call to the property to ask if any operations are reduced, or renovations ongoing, can be helpful. Whilst most hotels will contact guests in advance (such as with Hilton Dubai Jumeirah) it’s not always the case, especially if the hotel consider it minor or if people rely on agents to keep them informed.

Minor Hotels has signed a management agreement in collaboration with Seven Tides for Dukes The Palm, starting 01 August 2025.

This agreement will bring Minor Hotels’ key count on Palm Jumeirah to 1,524 across three properties, including NH Collection Dubai The Palm and Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort.

FLIGHT DEALS

Cheapest Business Class Deals to Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

Turning Left for Less did an interesting roundup of the cheapest Business Class flights to select destinations, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

As always, do shop around, play with dates etc. because there can be a lot of deals to be had with flexibility. It goes to show the general price point for Business Class flights that can be achieved, and that some carriers tend to offer more value on certain routes.

FOOD & DRINK

African & Eastern (A&E) Expand Online Alcohol Purchase Options

If you’re a drinker in Dubai, you’ll know how peaky pricing can be.

However, if you’re a tourist, you may not be aware that you have options other than just hotels, bars and restaurants, as you can purchase alcohol in shops around Dubai as well as from Dubai Duty Free.

One of the two main merchants for alcohol in Dubai, African & Eastern, have recently expanded their online shop. The other main merchant, Maritime & Mercantile International (MMI) also have their ‘home delivery’ shop here.

It’s also worth checking Entertainer Dubai app (see banner below for promo code), as both merchants have outlets in there and offer things like 3 bottles ‘free’ on Prosecco and grape. MMI are also on My Emirates Pass with 10% for Emirates passengers.

🔗 African & Eastern Online

Bluewaters is a decent spot to look for dining out these days, given places like Demon Duck and The Spaniel (as well as the Pods and the giant croissant place!). Brew Dog has its first Dubai outlet there also.

The Spaniel was recently added to Entertainer Dubai with offers for Brunches, breakfast and Main Course.

There’s still ten days left in June to try out Restaurant Month at JW Marriott Marquis Dubai.

It’s a good opportunity to try set menus for low prices at restaurants like Tong Thai, Izakaya, Prime 68 and Rang Mahal. Signature Dining restaurants such as Prime 68 are 245 AED, whereas casual dining are 145 AED.

Following on from the recent ‘One Big Dubai Tip’ about brunches, here are another 15 new brunches in Dubai.

Kaimani Beach looks interesting, as it’s part of the new-ish J1 Beach development, and Fogueira is always a great shout as it often flies under the radar.

Here are another 23 weekend brunches for you, courtesy of Emirates Woman, including Nobu Dubai and the evergreen Bubbalicious.

Nando’s have opened their biggest UAE restaurant on The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR).

Located in Rimal, it’s spread over two storeys, and brings the total number of outlets in Dubai to 16 (and they’re all in the Entertainer on Buy One Get Free (3 vouchers).

EMIRATES

Emirates/Uber Announce Partnership - Perks, Cheaper Flights?

Emirates and Uber have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will include perks for Skywards members.

Uber rides will “soon” be able to earn Skywards miles, though it remains to be seen how this “cheaper flight tickets”* may work in practice. Will it be a discount, or just using miles for redemptions or upgrades?

Uber is expanding pst ride-sharing and food delivery into travel bookings in Europe and UK, including rail and flights, so my guess is this what could happen with Emirates and UAE.

If you are flying on Emirates with children over the summer, be sure to look out for their new in-flight freebies.

KNOW MORE ABOUT DUBAI

Dubai Art Week may have come and gone, but here’s a reminder about the art scene around Dubai. Al Kersal Avenue is a good starting point for exploring, and do look up artists like Anja Bamberg.

Dubai’s RTA now offer free wi-fi at all 43 bus and marine stations.

‘Modest Fashion’ has been in the news of late, and it’s a growing market in Dubai. It’s basically women’s fashion aligned with local, cultural and religious norms.

It actually makes a nice change from the way some think Dubai has leaned too heavily in recent years, ie chasing the influencers and party place vibes.

Despite what some may feel looking on the Internet and social media, it’s still sensible to dress respectfully in many areas around Dubai, especially malls, government buildings and religious sites. Not every area needs to be like FIVE Palm Jumeirah.

ONE BIG DUBAI TIP

Strategically Buying Points/Miles Can Work Out Great Value

Fancy saving over 50%+ on a Business Class flight?

If you don’t mind getting a calculator out to check a deal, you could consider purchasing points/miles and save chunks of change on hotels and/or flights.

Note - I will use Marriott as an example here, as their hotels are more popular in Dubai and I believe Bonvoy is more powerful program, but Hyatt, Hilton and other major chains all allow points purchases.

Marriott Points are one of the most useful to hold in ‘points and miles’ game, mainly because of their wide range of transfer partners and bonuses for transferring above certain thresholds (ie 60,000 transfer to 20,000 with select airline partners, then receive a bonus of 5,000 on top into the airline program).

I often will strategically buy points/miles, though it often will depend on the promotion and if I have a plan for them. I wouldn’t advise buying them just because it may seem a good deal alone.

Marriott Bonvoy Buy Points With 40% Promotion (Available to 19 July)

Marriott currently have a promotion offering up to 40% bonus points on purchases. For example, 150k points can be purchased for $1875.00 and will receive an additional 60k as a bonus. This equates to around $0.0089 or .89 cents per point.

Whilst you can normally buy Marriott points year-round, the bonuses are limited time offers. The usual cost cost of purchasing points on non-bonus is around 1.5 cents (so this promotion saves around 40% (ie the bonus amount!)).

The key with buying and transferring is not just how to buy them for a decent rate, but knowing how best to redeem them. If you’re lucky, 210k may get you 3 nights in Dubai at a top property, whereas flight transfers are where I feel the value can be had (i.e. upgrades or award flights).

Examples of Redemption Costs With Marriott Bonvoy Points

Although Marriott Bonvoy use dynamic pricing for award nights (ie redemptions using points) a ballpark figure for somewhere like JW Marriott Marquis Dubai in Business Bay would be around 55,000.

Here are the points needed for 1 night for 15 Sep in Dubai for a few Dubai hotels, with cash prices for the night in brackets :-

• Hotel Boulevard, Autograph Collection = 54,000 (465 AED)

• Aloft Palm Jumeirah = 32,000 (500 AED)

• The Heritage Hotel, Autograph Collection = 49,000 (555 AED)

• Marriott Marquis Dubai (Jewel of the Creek) = 27,000 (587 AED)

• Lapita, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Autograph Collection = 22,000 (559 AED)

• Le Meridien Mina Seyahi = 50,000 (799 AED)

• W Dubai - The Palm = 62,000 (835 AED)

• Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai = 57,000 (860 AED)

• Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert = 77,500 (2,090 AED)

• Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa = 102,000 (3,489 AED)

Note - an added bonus with Marriott is if you book five nights with points, you will receive the cheapest night free (so 1 free for every 5 booked nights).

180,000 will transfer into 60,000 airline points with a bonus of 3 × 5,000, so 210,000 would be 60,000 + 15,000 + 10,000 so 85,000 points in all. As an example, Qatar Airways charge 75,000 UK to Cape Town one way in Business Class.

Comment and Analysis

First thing to note - don’t rush into this, because it takes some nuance and context to understand all the angles.

Yes, you can attain great value, especially if you leverage all the angles, such as buy points at a bonus to get the ‘acquisition cost’ ie cents per point value down and transfer to a more lucrative program (ie sweet spots in award charts, or a partner airline program that may offer better value).

However, you also need to think about availability (ie if the hotels/airlines have award nights/flights available on your dates), how flexible you may be to change dates to increase value/availability and most of all, if there are any charges or restrictions (i.e. adding on taxes and surcharges on flights).

As you will see from the example with hotel awards, there is not a ‘set in stone’ value of a point. That is, some hotels may have high cash rates, and low award/points rates, and that’s where the real value can be had. For instance, Marriott Marquis Dubai can still be booked with low cash rates as it’s not really taken off to the price point the brand may expect, whereas Al Maha is THE aspirational redemption one should consider for a unique experience in Dubai (IMO).

To convert AED to USD, multiply by 3.675.

You can analyse the rates in two ways :-

• to see which hotel in Dubai at what time offers the most awards value compared to cash rates (by dividing the cash cost by points). Al Maha is .034 AED per point, whereas Aloft Palm Jumeirah is 0.16 AED per point.

• Compare what you spent, ie your acquisition cost, which for $1875 divided by 210,000 points = $0.0089 per point, to see which hotels may offer more value based on what you bought the points for. If we compare Al Maha, we’d be getting 0.034 AED per point or $0.12 (0.034 AED x 3.675), which is more than we bought the points for. In simple terms, you are getting more ‘value’ (redemption cost of points compared to cash) than ‘cost’ (acquisition cost of points).

The trick with somewhere like Al Maha, which can run 2-3 thousand USD per night, is to stay flexible and look for when the dynamic pricing drops to the lower points rates. It doesn’t always follow that nights with high cash rates will also automatically have high points rates.

Conclusion

It’s not just the ‘value’ of a points/mile, but also where the add-on value comes in (ie booking 5 nights for 4, or transferring 60,000 to an airline program and getting an ‘extra’ 5,000 in the airline program) to play. This is why I would always say whilst buying points/miles can offer really good value, it’s also risky - and takes a little time to understand.

It’s only a personal opinion, but I find airlines far more lucrative (and often, simpler) to redeem points/miles with especially if you can find ‘sweet spots’ to eek the most value from them. One example of a great ‘sweet spot’ is using Iberia Plus for Business Class from Spain to East Coast America for only 34,000 (for which 100,000 Marriott Points would transfer to 38,333).

The Qatar example is a good one, but always be aware that loyalty programs can either devalue (ie start charging more award points/miles for the same route/hotel) or bring in dynamic pricing (ie points/miles costs go up and down at different times).

The ‘value’ of a mile or point is always debatable. Two years ago, I redeemed 80,000 Virgin points for a 7 day Med cruise that had a gettable price of around $2,500 for cash rates at time of purchase. That same cruise last year was around the same cash price, but 120,000 - and some are now going for 200,000 or more!

Now you will see why I say I don’t recommend a speculative purchase but a ‘strategic’ one.

ABU DHABI

Bulgari Resort & Mansions to Open in Abu Dhabi (2030?)

Branded residences are really the ‘in thing’ these days in UAE, as seen by DAMAC’s latest launch of ‘DAMAC Chelsea Residences’ which included a short-term shirt sponsorship.

Abu Dhabi is jumping in with news that a Bulgari Resort & Mansion will open on a new private island resort ‘megaproject’, scheduled to open in 2030, and will feature 60 rooms and suites and a Bulgari penthouse.

Abu Dhabi Hotels welcomed 417,000 guests in March, according to preliminary reports from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), and the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD).

Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) was 486 AED, with an average occupancy of 69% across 171 hotels.

An interesting breakdown of revenue is room bookings brought AED345 million, AED228 million from F&B and AED38 million from other sources. This is why ‘ancillary revenue’ is such a key focus for hotels, as beach/pool day passes fall into this category - and it’s over 10% of the revenue rooms bring.

The UAE figures for Q1 (ie not just March) are :-

• 29.3 millions hotel nights

• 8.4 million guests

• 13.5 AED billion in hotel revenues

• average occupancy rate of 81.3%