General information about Dubai

Clothing

Perfect freedom on Clothing !! You wear as your wish according to the environment you fly !! Smart slacks, shirt (ideally long-sleeved) and tie are sufficient for most meetings, Nevertheless, bring a lightweight suit or blazer/jacket and trousers. You may not need the jacket for every occasion, but all buildings are air conditioned, so much of the year it is quite comfortable to wear a jacket indoors. Good grooming is respected and remember to bring sufficient clothes to enable you to change if you are attending a number of meetings per day. It can get quite cool at night in the winter when a sweater may be required in an informal setting.

Currency Matters

The dirham (pronounced dir-ham) is the official currency of the UAE. Dirham notes are in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 denominations. The dirham is divided into 100 fils, coins include Dh1, 50, 25, 10 and 5 fils (10 and 5 fils are rarely used). The value is written in Arabic only but Arabic numerals are easy to memorize (see section on Arabic Language).
There are no currency regulations and foreign currency of almost any denomination is readily exchanged in the UAE. The dirham is index linked to the dollar and the official exchange rate is Dh3.671 = US$ 1.00. The best exchange rates are generally available at private moneychangers found throughout the UAE, but especially in the more popular souqs and shopping centres.

Customs

Customs clearance in the UAE is fast and efficient. No customs duties are applied to personal belongings however, since the UAE is an Islamic country, religious propaganda, potentially offensive printed matter, CDs videos or films should not be brought into the country. All personal imports of such materials are checked at customs. Since strict copyright laws are being enforced in the UAE, pirated video and audiotapes or illegal computer software will be confiscated.
Needless to say controlled substances such as cannabis, opium etc, are banned and the penalties for handling these drugs are severe. If a blood test for illegal drug usage proves positive, you can be charged with a criminal offence – even if you used the drug before arrival in the UAE. The importation of firearms and dangerous weapons is also restricted.

Duty free allowances

2000 cigarettes; 400 cigars; 2 kg tobacco; 2 litres of spirits and 2 litres of wine (non-Muslims only) and perfume. It is prohibited to import alcohol into Sharjah and you are generally not allowed to bring alcohol into the country if you are travelling by land..

Night Life

There is ample opportunity to pursue an active nightlife in all of the major urban centres in the UAE, except for Sharjah which does not have any bars or discos. The choice of night-time activities is obviously more limited in the rural areas.

Bars range from sophisticated cocktail lounges to informal traditional British and Irish pubs and Western style saloons. In addition, there are numerous piano and jazz bars. Clubs and discos host both local DJs and big international names. You can also visit local nightclubs with Arab singers, belly dancers and musicians. World famous groups and individual stars from the the West, the Arab world, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East are frequent visitors.

The hotels, in particular, vie with each other to stage the best live shows. Cabaret is standard fare in the hotel nightclubs, but it is during the winter season and on national holiday weekends that the hotels come alive with food festivals, stage shows and themed nights. Talented groups from countries such as the Philippines and Sri Lanka have wide-ranging repertoires featuring African beat, salsa, country and western, rock, R'B, reggae, jazz. Close your eyes and you could be listening to the original artists.

If it is a more cultural experience that you require, plays, ballets, classical music and operas are also perfomed by visiting groups on a regular basis. Even the West End of London has been transported to the UAE in the form of dinner theatre.

Shopping

Throughout the Gulf the very best of the world's goods are available - and in Dubai in particular, the prices are exceptionally keen. The gold souk is deservedly famous for its range of styles and quality of workmanship.Bargaining is acceptable for intricately worked pieces. Goods available include exotic spices and perfumes, exquisitely worked robes and materials, traditional brass coffee pots and heavy Bedu silver jewellery. Prices of electronic goods, watches, cameras and suchlike are amazingly low. Most major centres have excellent air-conditioned shopping malls which also house restaurants and coffee shops. At Dubai International Airport, the duty free shop carries an enormous range of items. It consistently wins awards for both the quality of its service and its extraordinarily low prices.

Time to visit UAE

The best time to visit the UAE is from October up until May.
In October the weather may still be quite hot (up to 35C), blue skies are the norm and the evenings are warm. At this stage the tourist season is well under way.

Daytime temperatures are ideal during November, December, January and February (around 24C) although the evenings may be a little cool (13C). North-westerly winds (shamal) sometimes blow during these winter months, bringing choppy seas. Most of the annual rainfall occurs between December and March, but this tends to be in the form of short heavy downpours that rapidly clear away. Indeed some winters are totally dry.
By March–April, temperatures are beginning to rise during the day (early 30s) but humidity is still low and the evenings are warm. May can be quite hot again (late-30s).

June–September are to be avoided, especially the July–August period which is very hot (high 40s) and humid (100 per cent). However hotels and golf clubs and other facilities offer very good deals during the summer months and it is worth remembering that hotels, shops, in fact all buildings, cars, buses etc are air-conditioned.

Holy Ramadan

You should also consider whether you would like to visit during the Muslim holy month of Ramadam. During Ramadan (the exact dates move forward by approximately 11 days each year), Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. Visitors are requested not to eat, drink or smoke in public places during this time. Most restaurants are closed during the day, although you will generally be served food in your hotel, either in your room or in a secluded area of the hotel. In general, the sale of alcohol is prohibited during Ramadan, however alcohol is served in some emirates after sunset.

Despite these restrictions, there are certain advantages in visiting the UAE during at this time. You may be able to obtain discount rates on some hotels and once the daily fast is broken (by the iftar meal after sunset) the streets are a hive of activity which lends a carnival atmosphere to the towns.

Time Zone

GMT + 4