All stories about "Dubai"

"Fueled by unprecedented competition for guests, hotels are pouring millions of dollars into pools—not bathtub-size afterthoughts, but sybaritic, resort-style pool complexes and waterside amenities," writes Portfolio. Oh, amen. The business magazine has compiled a photogallery of its dozen top picks, including several blindingly obvious selections—and a few surprises. Above, of course, the glory that is the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
· Gallery: Best Hotel Pools [Portfolio]
· Hotel Pools Booming [Portfolio]

Here at Gridskipper, we love chronicling all the insane construction in Dubai. It's easy to get distracted by the elaborate theme parks, island cities, and rooftop tennis courts and forget that not too long ago the area was practically a desert. After the jump, a photo that dramatically illustrates the breakneck speed of development in Dubai over the last few years.

Dubai's Emirates airline is now the first carrier to allow cell phones usage during flights. Phones will be permitted once the aircraft has reached a cruising altitude, but passengers won't be allowed to place or receive calls at certain times including during night flights. The first test of in-flight phone service of took place on a recent flight between Dubai and Casablanca, but Emirates says plan on offering airborne cell phone usage on their entire fleet, which flies to more than 60 countries. They also expect to be able accommodate Blackberries and the like. [BBC]

With last week's announcement of Busch's four-park deal in Dubai -- they'll be running a Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica water park -- it's worth revisiting what's been going on with all the developments we've covered in Dubai before. And there are plenty of new schemes in the offing as well. Someone somewhere really should maintain an obsessive blog about what's popping in Dubai real estate (hello Curbed?), but failing that, here's a roundup of some of the biggest, weirdest, and most expensive skyscrapers and manufactured metropoli in Dubai and environs. Not comprehensive by any means, because I have a life, you know?

Plans continue to evolve for Dubailand, ostensibly the world's largest amusement park. When we last mentioned the project, the massive park was expected to cost a mere $5 billion and to take up around 180 million square feet. Looks like that wasn't extravagant enough, as Dubailand is now estimated to cost $20 billion and cover 3 billion square feet. The park will boast 7 themes, a minimum of 55 hotels, and expect 40,000 visitors a day. [via]

The supposed severing of an underwater cable in the Mediterranean Sea has crippled Internet service in the Middle East, particularly in high-tech regions like Dubai and the cities of India. Various conflicting reports on causes and effects have issued from different nations and companies in the region, with one Egyptian official blaming a "boat's anchor"; repair times range from at least a week to unknown. Meanwhile, "India's Internet bandwidth has been sliced in half," and Dubai's private sector has been crippled by significant loss of both data and voice communication. So far, the Kraken has not been formally implicated. [CNN]

One would think Dubai's got it all -- a forthcoming superhero park, the world's tallest free-standing structure, an indoor ski resort, the list goes on. But one thing Dubai doesn't have and is sorely missing is a perfect Disney-like replication of the quaint city of Lyon, France. Until now! Or, until soon.

Police in Dubai announced today that they had arrested 170 prostitutes and 12 pimps in raids on 22 different brothels. The police chief claimed that similar raids were a frequent occurrence, despite the fact that they are not usually publicized. According to the BBC, Dubai is the "most liberal" of the United Arab Emirates and home to a "booming sex industry." Of course, getting a rep as the sexiest Gulf state is roughly akin to winning the swimsuit round at a retirement home beauty pageant. [BBC]

Say that ten times fast! The undulating installation above is the Performing Arts Centre in Abu Dhabi, designed by Zaha Hadid and unveiled earlier this year. Hadid's organicus maximus is just one of a great many huge, expensive edifi going up as part of the $27 billion Saadiyat Island development, which also includes what will be the world's largest Guggenheim museum, as designed by Frank Gehry -- not to mention a branch of the Louvre as envisioned by Jean Nouvel. Just this weekend, Abu Dhabi hosted a high-dollar Western-style art fair at the Emirates Palace, often called the world's most expensive hotel. What gives? Isn't this the sort of attention normally lavished on the neighboring emirate of Dubai?

Or rather, world's tallest "free-standing structure." There's much Freudian angst that goes into measuring the world's tallest buildings, which is why the Burj Dubai 's final constructed height is nominally secret. Right now, though, it's 555 meters (1,831.5 feet) tall, and experts suggest its final height is meant to be a rather staggering 818 meters (2,684 feet) when completed in 2008. Expect a lot of finagling at the end, when various masts and radio towers will be tacked on to get that extra bit of size the ladies like.

Dubai tower now world's tallest free-standing structure [AFP]

Our pal Matt Gross takes his "Frugal Traveler" column to Dubai for the New York Times. Cue nostalgia music, as it reminds me very much of my own wanderings through the city last year -- like myself, Gross quickly figured out that Dubai's authenticity lies principally in its polyglot globalism, rather than any homegrown culture. He also earns sincere props for actually driving himself around town, which I wouldn't even do on a bet. Not to mention that he actually spends a pretty fun weekend in Dubai without spending more than $500 (not including airfare of course).

Seeking the Real in a Desert City Known for Artifice [NYT]

-- Chris Mohney

This time last year, I attended the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai to check out both the expo and the city. Though the show was global, it was particularly fascinating to see how tourism officials worldwide marketed their destinations to the Arab world. I don't remember if there was an American presence -- I'm inclined to think not -- so I guess it's not surprising there's no United States booth at the ATM this year. Well, that's not exactly true. The Department of Homeland Security has a booth demonstrating the mandatory fingerprinting system required of all Arab visitors to the U.S. I wish I was joking. The aforelinked article mentions how DHS personnel, after cheerfully explaining our national paranoia, then try to give tourist tips about Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon. Hearts and minds, won! Right there on the convention floor. Now bend over for the cavity search.

U.S. tourism officials skip Middle East travel convention [AP]

-- Chris Mohney

Dubai may be the world capital of overwrought hyperbole when it comes to hotels, diversions, and nightlife, but there are a few oases catering to the more laid-back visitor. Believe it or not, there are a few Dubai tourists who don't want to ski down a giant sealed tube, or eat at a restaurant owned by a Bollywood star, or sleep in a hotel shaped like a giant elephant. At least not every day. For a break from the madness, consult our low-key lowdown.

Marvel Comics has inked a $1-billion-plus deal to open a theme park in Dubai. The arrangement licenses Marvel characters to United Arab Emirates supermall specialist Al Ahli Group under the approving eye of Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with the park scheduled to open in 2011. Probably no Captain America ride, but then he's dead. What about Arabian Knight? He's a Saudi apparently, but at least he's region-appropriate. Maybe the park can offer discounts to Halliburton employees.

The Al Ahli Group & Marvel Entertainment Announce Partnership to Bring Marvel's Renowned Super Heroes to Major New Theme Park in Dubai [Press release]

-- Chris Mohney

What used to be a grungy, class-less piss-up hole for the masses in Dubai - The Lodge - has recently been renovated and relaunched as 'Chi'. Located in the same compound as Cyclone, Dubai's hottest whore-club-in-denial, Chi is unbelievably stunning. Split into Chi Gardens, Lounge and Club, it has got the whole Thai theme going on. With Buddhas everywhere it has an exotic yet spiritual vibe to it- almost as if it was made to offer residents a purified party spot in an un-pure area. Outside they have private cages with beds in them and the VIP area is a hall with what looks like 50 beds. Hmmm. Depending on which night you go, you can enjoy cheesy beats, rhythm and blues, hip-hop or live rock and indie music, or even a movie! The club has tied up with Dubai nightlife promotors Urban Education who are known for bringing down the hottest international DJs, and over the next few weekends the likes of Ibiza DJ's Jason Bye and Olav Basoski, Hybrid, and Defected will be spinning their tunes at Chi. Dress code is Sharp and the place is open till 3am every night.

Chi [Official site]

[Text: Abha Malpani]

Previously: Cirque du Soleil is to Dubai As David Hasselhoff is to Germany, Thyme and Oil Cafe: Healthy Junk Food?, Arab Gondola Ride, Don't Worry, Be Organic, Dubai Hits Cover of National Geographic, iPod Inspired Building, Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival

Despite the inherent cheese factor, the Enya-meets-porn music soundtrack and enough Spandex to span the globe, Cirque du Soleil has become one of the biggest international act ever (other than Robbie Williams, of course) brought to the Middle East. Part of the Dubai Shopping Festival, the Canadian troupe is performing Quidam in Dubai until February 10. The show comprises 50 performers from 13 countries who tell the story of an anonymous world transformed into a place of hope and connection through tying themselves into knots, flipping through the air and much much wildly theatrical gesturing. Ticket sales show that over 40,000 people in Dubai have seen the show already, and that it has broken the Middle East record of ticket sales for international entertainment. They are saying that since this show is just a test for the Middle Eastern market, it is much smaller and nothing compared to the sort they do in Las Vegas. Hard to believe, as the show is stunning as is. Held in a special tent built next to Ibn Battuta Mall, and tickets are priced from AED150-800 ($40-220), tickets aren't cheap. We recommend the AED350 ($95) tickets for reasonable seats. Schedules and other details on Quidam can be found here.

Quidam in Dubai

[Text: Abha Malpani]

Previously: Thyme and Oil Cafe: Healthy Junk Food?, Arab Gondola Ride, Don't Worry, Be Organic, Dubai Hits Cover of National Geographic, iPod Inspired Building, Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival

Zaatar w Zeit Café (that is Arabic for Thyme and Oil) is a famous Lebanese chain that opened in the UAE in 2005. It only serves Arabic wraps and Arabic pizza; and is perhaps the only place open 24/7 in Dubai for food as well as delivery. The food is light and the bread is made in-house so it melts in your mouth; it gives you the satisfaction you get after hogging at Burger King, minus the feeling sick bit. My favourite wraps there are haloumi cheese, chicken and alioli, and falafel. Representing modern Beirut, the staff are cute young guys dressed in orange apparel and visors. Located on Sheikh Zayed Road and in Mall of the Emirates, the food is served in under 10 minutes, so you can be out in a jiffy if you choose, or stay and watch the soccer on the big plasma TV inside, or simply chill.

Zaatar w Zeit Café [Official site]

[Text: Abha Malpani]

Previously: Arab Gondola Ride, Don't Worry, Be Organic, Dubai Hits Cover of National Geographic, iPod Inspired Building, Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival

An imaginative and authentic way of getting an all-round binocular view of Dubai is by taking an abra ride along the creek that divides the city. An abra is like a small fisherman's boat with a motor, that serves as a regular, cheap and fast mode of transport, mainly for the resident skilled labourers. A taxi ride from one side of Dubai to the other would cost you a minimum of Dhs10 ($2.70) and with the traffic these days, would probably take you atleast half-an-hour. Crossing by abra, on the other hand, takes around 10 minutes and costs 0.50fils (about 15 cents). If you can't stomach rubbing shoulders with construction workers after a long day at work, you can rent out an entire abra for yourself, for as little as Dhs50 ($13.50) and it will take you on an extended tour of the creek, at any hour of the day. A good way to notice Dubai's contrasts with the old buildings and souks on one side and the new, modern high-rises on the other. If you are lucky you will even get some Arabic tea. I fail to understand why this simple tour is not publicized as part of the (very) few traditionally cool things to do in the emirate. You can also take the extravagant 'Dhow Cruise' across the very same creek for around Dhs.250 ($68) a head. That cruise includes a 3-course meal, alcohol, belly dancer, DJ, piano player, orchestra if you want, the works. That tour is heavily publicized and you don't have to worry mixing with the riff-raff.

Creels of Dubai

[Text: Abha Malpani]

Previously: Don't Worry, Be Organic, Dubai Hits Cover of National Geographic, iPod Inspired Building, Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival

Organic to me has always had some sort of unsavory connection to hippies. Dreadlocked, pot-smoking self-righteous peaceniks. On the other hand, there are many farmers in India who make a no-frills living from organic farming, and there is nothing vaguely hippiesh about them. Just like there is nothing hippie about the Organic Foods and Cafe in Dubai. The latest fad, it claims to be the only certified organic supermarket in the UAE and uses the tagline 'where food tastes the way it used to'. Which is, sorry to say, rather horrible. Although perhaps super healthy, the food is dry and everything has an aftertaste of grass. However, what is amusing and worth a trip is the gigantic supermarket of organic food and products to which the cafe is connected. It is stocked with organic cereal bars, lemon poppy seed cookies, Optimum Zen cereal, multigrain raisin spice, garden veggie crackers and organic Indian food instant meals made in the US - and those are just a few I could vaguely relate to. The natural body care products are made by frutarians and grown on the Common Sense Farm. Peppermint body wash, extra-mint muscle rub, natural mint toothpaste and lemon cypress lotion are the ones that caught my eye. They might smell a bit pungent but they guarantee to get your natural juices circulating, making you more beautiful in the long run.

Organic Foods and Cafe in Dubai

[Text: Abha Malpani]

Previously: Dubai Hits Cover of National Geographic, iPod Inspired Building, Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival

'Sudden City: A feverish dream of the future springs from the sands in Dubai' reads the headline on the main feature of National Geographic's cover story for January 2007. The feature that spreads over 20 pages has some phenomenal photography, a glimpse of which can be seen here. Authored by American Iranian journalist Afshin Molavi, a recent interview with him on Dubai through his eyes in the Gulf News Weekend Review gave new light to the critisicisms that Dubai is subjected to by its residents. Perpetually accused of have no culture or soul Molavi says that when you can walk into a Kerala music concert, then walk into an Iranian art exhibition and end it with a jazz show, all the in same city - it doesn't get more culturally diverse than that. The inability to integrate Dubai into a melting pot is, in Molavi's opinion, a result of its transient nature. He ends the interview emphatically with reference to its characterization as being too commercial: "Maybe those people are spending too much time in their five star hotels, they might do truly well to get out and embrace the city." The full interview can be read here.

Sudden City: A Feverish Dream of the Future Springs From the Sands of Dubai [Nat Geo]

Previously: iPod Inspired Building, Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival

In what is either a great homage to Steve Jobs or a sign of the End Times, Dubai-based real estate firm Omniyat Properties and architects James Law Cybertecture International plan to construct a 24-story tower in Dubai modeled after the Apple iPod. The name ? iPad. It will sit over a six-degree-angled "docking station," just like the music player (pictures here). No word yet if it will offer a shuffle function.

iPod is inspiration for new tower in Dubai: "iPad" [Boing Boing]
Major Dubai building project takes iPod as its inspiration [Guardian UK]
IPad (and Tower of Pisa) Photos [Gizmodo]

[Ian Mount]

Previously: Asha's: Fame Corrupts (and Cooks Curry), Go On Then and Sing, Douchebags of the World Unite!, Dubai Goes Prehistoric, Dubai International Film Festival