Destination
Dubai holidaysfrom Nairobi
Sands of wonder, and a stopover that became a holiday.
Dubai is the easiest long weekend Kenya has. Direct from Nairobi, and by the time you have checked in you can be in a souk in Bur Dubai or on the sand at JBR. It works as a stopover on the way to Asia and just as well as the whole trip.
Two cities share the name. One is Downtown and the Marina: glass, malls, the tallest building anyone has built. The other is the creek, Meena Bazaar and the spice and gold souks, where the city started and still trades.
Abu Dhabi is an easy day trip from here, and for some people it ends up as half the holiday. You go for Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the corniche, and Louvre Abu Dhabi under its perforated dome. We book it either way: out and back in a day, or a two-centre stay with a few nights at each end. The UAE page sets Dubai and Abu Dhabi side by side.
Where you’ll stay
We book the whole spread, because the right hotel here depends entirely on what you came for.
Old Dubai and Downtown. Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai and Park Regis Kris Kin for value near the metro; Heritage Hotel and Hotel Boulevard, both Autograph Collection, and Kempinski The Boulevard for Downtown addresses.
The creek and the malls. InterContinental Dubai Festival City for creek views; Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, with Aspen chalets over the ski slope; Sheraton Mall of the Emirates for direct mall and metro access.
The water. JW Marriott Marina, Address Beach Resort at JBR, whose infinity pool holds a world record, and Jumeirah Mina A’Salam inside Madinat Jumeirah.
Practical notes
Draft: awaiting owner verification. Indicative only; confirmed in writing with your quote.
- Our packages are built on five nights with Emirates economy flights and return transfers, and are quoted per person sharing.
- Dubai visa fees and the Tourism Dirham charged at the hotel sit outside the package price.
- November to March is the season, with warm days and evenings cool enough to eat outside. October and April are shoulder months, hot in the afternoon but workable. July and August are hot and priced accordingly. The best time to visit Dubai goes through it month by month.
At a glance
Practical facts
- Plug & voltage
- G/M
- 230V · 50Hz
- Currency
- AED
- UAE dirham
- Time zone
- UTC+4
- (GST), no DST, 1 hour ahead of Nairobi
- Driving side
- Right
- Languages
- Arabic
- English
- SIM & data
- A TravelNet eSIM, live on landing. Or an e& (Etisalat) or du tourist SIM at the airport with your passport.
- Tipping
- Not expected, though it is common, and restaurants often add a service charge, so check the bill before you add to it.
- Tap water
- Desalinated and treated to a high standard, though most people here still drink bottled out of habit and taste. Ask your hotel about their supply.
Comparing countries? The full table puts every destination we plan side by side, and when to go does the same for the months.
Getting there
The flights for this trip are ticketed at the same desk as the rest of it: Emirates and flydubai among the 66 airlines we ticket. Ask for the fare when you ask for the trip, and one person holds both.
Why go
Dubai in six lines
- Downtown, with Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Dubai Frame
- Old Dubai, with Bur Dubai, the creek, Meena Bazaar and the souks
- The beach strip, with JBR, Marina and Madinat Jumeirah
- Desert dunes within an hour of the city
- Abu Dhabi, with Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the corniche and Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Direct Emirates flights from Nairobi, and a five-night template
Privately crafted
There's no set itinerary here
Every Dubai journey we plan is built from scratch: your dates, your pace, your city. Tell a travel designer what you have in mind.
Talk to a travel designerExperiences here
What you can do in Dubai
Any of these can be built into an itinerary, or be the reason for one.
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