Burg al Arab
This last couple of weeks I was in the United Arab Emirates for work. I worked in Abu Dhabi for 6 days and then moved on to Dubai for a bit of relaxation. My focus for the first portion was solely work so I didn’t take in too much of the town. But I did have the following observations: It was always hot and beautiful weather – each day it was between 40 – 43 degrees centigrade (104 – 110F). Given the burning hot nature of this desert community, during the day it seemed that everything was pretty slow, while activity really picked up at night.
It also appeared to be a somewhat unexciting town. The thing to do seemed to be shopping. They had a large mall with all the finest shopping, right next to what seemed to be the other interesting attraction, the Emirate's Palace . The Emirate’s Palace is trying to be the Burg al Arab of Abu Dhabi, which I guess it does achieve on some level. This country is one of extravagance, on every level.
UAE is a Muslim country and you immediately are introduced to the black berkas worn by women and the long white robes resembling dresses worn by the local men. This is also the first time I had ever seen sheiks.
I stayed at the Sheraton on Corniche Road which was very, very nice. It features a swim-up pool bar, and from what I’m told is the place to be in Abu Dhabi. Every day after being cooped up inside all day I went straight to the pool or the private beach of the hotel to cool off. Over the week it allowed me to watch workers erect a large outdoor tent on the beach. After a few days it became apparent that this was for upcoming Ramadan and what most hotels do. It is put up during the entire month of Ramadan for the feast, called Iftar, which occurs every night after sunset. All guests are invited to attend for AED122 ($33) nightly from 7pm to 2am.
Ramadan started the last night I was in Abu Dhabi. During this time no one eats, drinks, smokes, or drinks alcohol during daylight hours. Any tourists are expected to adher to this as a sign of respectful of the religion, which means that almost every restaurant is closed during the day. This presents a problem for folks who are not near a grocery store. Luckily, the hotels typically keep at least one restaurant open and serving food, but it is usually covered so that the people eating are not seen from the outside.
At the same time, almost every bar and club closes for the entire month, as noted in this excerpt from the Sheraton:
"Our restaurants and bars have adjusted operating hours during Ramadan. We only serve alcoholic beverages during dinner from 19:00 hours in our restaurants. During the entire holy month of Ramadan, all the bars and restaurants will be closed.
There will be no music and/or live entertainment in any of our restaurants, bars or the lobby."
I thought this rule would only apply to the places in the more traditional Abu Dhabi, but was soon proven wrong. After my week in AD I shot down to Dubai, where I had booked in at Madinat Jemeirah's resort at the Al Qasr hotel for a few days. After a busy week in AD, I was looking forward to a life of luxury afforded in Dubai and found it at this resort. And I mean, I really found it!! This hotel is by far the nicest I’ve ever stayed at and certainly a great way to spend a few days. Every detail was painstakingly considered.
It is an Arabian style hotel and you cannot look around without wanting to take a picture of every picture perfect view. And it is located right next door to the Burj al Arab, notably one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in the world. You know the one – it is the one where Andre Agassi was serving the tennis ball off the top. I felt lucky to be next door in such an amazing place. But, I definitely paid for it. The picture above shows the Burj with my resort in the foreground.
Once arriving there, I found that Ramadan is the same everywhere. Basically nothing is open during the day and many places are also closed at night. This meant a forced vacation because I could literally do nothing during the day given that the markets (called souks) had highly reduced hours and only opened later in the evening. And I couldn’t go to any mosques or to restaurants or other attractions. Basically all entertainment stops for the entire month. That meant time hanging out on the private beach or at the hotel pool instead.
One night I did trek out and saw the world famous gold souk in Dubai. This was an amazing place with well priced gold in all shapes and sizes. It is pretty remarkable, but you have to really like gold. Since it was after dark, I was also able to grab a quick bite of shawarma at a recommended roadside cafeteria.
But other than that, I spent a heck of a lot of time relaxing at the resort. And I gotta tell you, you really didn’t need to leave there. The resort had everything you could possibly need, including restaurants (only opened after 7pm for Ramadan), an enormous souk (only opened after 7pm), bars (closed for the month of Ramadan), clubs (closed for the month of Ramadan), a water park called Wild Wadi (with the most incredible rides – they’d never allow it in the USA), a private beach and pool, and cool little aftars (boats) to drive you around in case you were too lazy to walk to places in the above 100 degree temperatures.
Overall, my time spent in the UAE was amazing and I would definitely like to return. When I do, I will remember these key things:
* This is a land where money is no object. High fashion and extravagance on every level surround you in Dubai. I will come with no boundaries in mind.
* I will not return during Ramadan. Everything is closed it is hard to see the “real” country during this time.
* I would try to visit in the January/February timeframe. It is not only a cooler time of year, but apparently all the shops have incredible sales during this time.