Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter: Wk 48

Good afternoon.

Before we get into it, a word of gratitude to all you lovely readers. This is now the 7th issue, and thanks for reading and all your feedback thus far.

I can’t stress this enough - do let me know your thoughts, good, bad or indifferent, especially if there’s things you’d like to see more of.

My aim with this newsletter is to keep your trust, inform, advise and help you on all things Dubai, and long may that continue. With your help, reading and feedback especially. Thank you 👏

Do feel free to share this link to anyone you know may be interested in reading or subscribing 👉 Eat Drink Stay Newsletter

Today’s digest is a 6 min read.

• 🚆 New Metro Line approved ✅

• 🎲 Dubai’s possible location for casinos?

• 🏉 win tickets for Dubai Sevens

• 👪️ a great source of info: Dubai Family Leisure Guide

• 🙋 Reader Question: best place for NYE in Dubai?

• 🏨 10,000 bonus points with The Dubai EDITION

• 🗣️ Tourists behaving badly - please DBAD

Enjoy.

Cheers, Shaun

PS. Enjoy the National Day weekend and events

If you 💖, 😡 or anything else about this newsletter, why not drop me a line? 👉 [email protected] (or just reply to this email) to send me an 📧 

NEWS

Dubai Metro to Get a New Line - the ‘Blue Line’.

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) have announced a new Metro line, the Blue Line.

Estimated to cost around 18 billion AED, it’s expected to be open by 2029 and will add 14 stations and 30 km of track (over half of it underground). It will run around Dubai Festival City, Mirdif, Al Warqa and more as part of Dubai 2024 Urban Master Plan.

NEWS

Another Week, Another Dubai Island Mega Project

Wasl have confirmed a contractor for their long-mooted project “The Island”. Interesting to note the contractor is Chinese, which or the tinfoil-helmet brigade may hint to future uses of the properties. Or not.

Clue 🕵️: could this be the advent of ‘licensed gaming’ in Dubai given the properties linked with The Island are MGM, Bellagio and Aria?

COMPETITION

Competition: Win Tickets for Dubai Sevens

20 tickets for this weekend’s Dubai Sevens are up for grabs in this competition 👉 Win tickets for Dubai Sevens with Mr Toads

INSIDER TIP

If You’re Interested in Family Travel in Dubai, Check This.

Do take some time to check out Dubai Family Leisure Guide by Lil One of The Ashes. You’ll not regret it.

Especially if you’re interested in brunches, family experiences, hotels, beach/day passes etc. One of the best sources of info around Dubai with honest experiences, advice and information - not your (ab) normal influencer tat.

For instance, here’s a guide to Christmas Family Brunches in Dubai and an article on Pool Days around Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.

If you’ve missed an earlier issue, or just want to read again, here’s the link to the issues archive 👇

Also, if you know someone who’d love to subscribe to be kept in the loop, they can also sign up on that link.

READER QUESTION

Where’s the Best Place in Dubai to Watch NYE at Burj Khalifa?

When I read this question, I was sooo tempted to answer with a pithy response. Not least, because it’s almost answered itself but also because everyone that asks this clearly has no idea what it can be like at Downtown Dubai on NYE. Think Ground Zero meets The Walking Dead.

But I’m better than that - I think. So I just said, Barasti, closely followed by online if you must watch the fireworks at Burj Khalifa. Some of us still remember the Sandance debacle, and the real ‘insanity’ about Dubai and NYE is people keep falling for the same sort of thing.

Emaar do a tremendous online show that’s far better than attending in person. There are no two ways about it - if you’re trying to join the hordes at Downtown, prepare for either chaos or costs (or both).

The craziness around New Year and Downtown Dubai often comes from tourists who want the experience, but don’t want to pay for it. They seem to think they’re the first one to come up with this idea, naively overlooking how its the one night in the year Dubai goes OTT for inflating costs.

The smart money is on avoiding Downtown, so why not check out all the other places around Dubai this NYE to celebrate?

If you really must try to get Downtown, check this article or keep your eye on Emaar’s website.

DEAL: HOTELS

Get a Bonus 10,000 Points With the The Dubai EDITION

Just outside of Downtown Dubai, The Dubai EDITION is already a decent value proposition - it’s one of the cheaper EDITIONS around for instance.

Using promo code M11 on bookings up to 03 January 2024 to gain a bonus 10,000 points with Marriott Bonvoy at The Dubai EDITION.

More info here 👉 10,000 bonus points with Dubai Edition

DEALS

How was Black Friday for you? Did you get lucky?

Not with Emirates sadly. Whilst many other travel companies got in the spirit of deals, Emirates didn’t. Bah Humbug.

Maybe their focus was on National Day deals - let’s see.

If you’re still on the hunt for a deal, there are still a few knocking around so maybe check here 👉 Black Friday Travel Deals for Dubai

COMMENT

If You’re Going to Dubai, Please Don’t Be a D*Ck

The British press, well the ‘Daily Fail’ and its ilk, love to take every opportunity to bash Dubai. Consequently, people get the wrong impression and tend to focus on the local laws rather than the poor behaviour of the offender. Like the recent example of the ‘Sassy Trucker’ for instance

Dubai and the UAE hold people to account to their laws; isn’t that a good thing? The simple equation is, “FAFO”(Google It) - in other words, don’t “F Around” and you won’t “Find Out”.

As a fitting example, here’s a recent example of someone who:-

1. thought it was good idea to be abusive when travelling through Dubai airport to be abusive to staff

2. when faced with the consequences, rather than accept responsibility for personal failings thought it would be a good idea to appeal. Then ended up even worse off, in jail and fined.

If you can’t be nice, respectful and situationally aware of local laws and cultural norms, maybe don’t travel.

“THAT’S SO DUBAI”

Why Get Married in Dubai, When You Can Get Hitched in the Air?

Never mind a big fat Greek wedding, how about ‘love is in the aisles’ with this onboard wedding of one UAE family?