Dubai is located on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, in the south west corner of the Arabian Gulf. It is extremely well known for its warm hospitality and rich cultural heritage, and the Emirati people are welcoming and generous in their approach to visitors. With year-round sunshine, intriguing deserts, beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels and shopping malls, fascinating heritage attractions and a thriving business community, receives millions of leisure and business visitors each year from around the world. .
Nina and I recently escorted one of our niche small group tours to Dubai for the 2010 Dubai World Cup at the new Meydan Racetrack; wow what can I say they surely know how to throw a party. We flew Malaysian via Kuala Lumpur and while it’s not the quickest way to get to Dubai, it offered us a stopover in Kuala Lumpur on the way home and the flight cost was exceptional great value for money.

I do recommend if you are considering travelling to Dubai for an extended holiday, consider going January through to March, it is winter and the temperature is much cooler than summer.
Whether you like horse racing or not I also recommend holidaying during Dubai Cup Week, you will have the opportunity to experience something so amazing and so unique, that there is nothing quite like it anywhere in the world.

During our 7 night stay, our home was at the Layia Oak Hotel Apartments located in new Dubai, close to the Emirates mall, Palm Island and the Atlantis Hotel and water park.
You just have to experience a desert safari where you take in a 4wd tour on the desert sands you will try local cuisine, ride a camel and get a henna tattoo and even smoke Apple tobacco from a Sheisha.

Other highlights included, afternoon tea at the Burj and the Arabian Nights dinner hosted by HRH Sheik Mohammed Bin Rajesh Mahktoum, the evening also included half an hour of spectacular fireworks that filled the night sky.

This was definitely not my last trip to Dubai, it is a totally amazing city, I love the mix of Middle Eastern and Western culture, I loved the service and the amazing dining experiences and I know when I go there is always something new to see and do.

I will be heading back to the World Cup again in 2011, so if you are interested in coming you can register your interest by calling one of our team members at either Mareeba or Atherton!