Dubai City Information

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel: Enjoy the luxury

Dubai is a tourist center of the choice for the whole world and so there are many hotels in the city to cater the needs of ever increasing number of tourists in the city. There are hotels according to the funds of every tourist. In the city you will also find the 7 star hotels for those affluent people who want lavish luxuries during their stay. In reality there are lots of hotels available in Dubai that it is very hard to decide a correct one for you. Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel is a best hotel with the luxury experience.

Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel is located at the banks of Dubai creek and presents very good views of Dubai Creek and Dubai City Center. It is very close to Bastakiya, Burjuman, Dubai Museum, Grand Mosque and Dubai Creek Yacht and Golf Club.

The tennis courts are also available in the hotel premises where you can play tennis. You can also relax at the health club which has steam room and sauna. Five star services are also available in the hotel for you if you are a beauty conscience person.

There are a number of hotels which you can select for your stay. But while selecting a hotel for you always keep in mind that it should be near to the place where you have work and other important point of consideration should be that the hotel should be within your range.

If you are looking for an up standard luxury hotel then this hotel may be your choice because it is the hotel in Dubai which has luxurious facility. Hotel is situated in the most convenient location as of the city. The hotel provides all the luxury and modern amenities and you should expect much extra services from this hotel because it is high standard luxury hotel.

The Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel is 11 storey building and has 262 guest rooms. All rooms are equipped with modern amenities such as 32 inch flat screen LCD TV, Coffee & tea production facilities, High Speed broadband facility, Interactive TV, Telephones with Voice Mail facility, 24 hour Room service, 24 Hour Laundry facility, Digital Safety Deposit Box, Mini bar, Iron & Ironing board, In-room Refreshment center etc.

Dubai attracts most of the visitors in the summer season because of its beaches and adventure safari sports. So if you will be visiting to Dubai in season of summers make it sure that you book your hotel in well advance so that you may get the proper hotel for your comfortable stay. More or less all the hotels have their personal websites and their services and rates may be confirmed from their websites. If you feel confused about your stay then you can without hesitation prefer to stay in this hotel since this is the best place for those who want the best of luxuries. Those who stay here will have a wonderful experience which they will keep in mind throughout their lives. Room Rates of Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel are also very expensive.

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Sheraton Dubai: A high class hotel

Sheraton Dubai gives the comfort just like your home. Hotel has very professional & friendly staff. The hotel is very near to the famous Gold souks, Deira City Centre Mall and Burjuman Shopping Mall You can reach all these places within 15 minutes by car. The cars are also provided by the hotel. The hotel is located on the Baniyas Road in Deira and offers beautiful views of the Creek.

It is a very high class hotel where the guests can spend their holidays or business trips in comfort and style. The hotel has a very unique infrastructure and style and there are many rooms in the hotel from where you can see the beautiful views of the Creek from the windows of your room. Another advantage of the hotel is that it offers free internet access to the guest unlike other hotels that charge for internet facilities.

When you arrive in the hotel you will be will be welcomed by professional and friendly staff members of the hotel who will take care of all your needs and requirements. You may need whatever thing, they all are provided to you in a manner that you enjoy every second of your stay in the hotel. Hotel is definitely the best place to stay while you are in the city. You will simply love the quality of services and facilities available in the hotel and all these at very competitive and reasonable rates.

The hotel is equipped with the best facilities for their business guests like meeting & conference rooms, boardrooms, workshop room and many similar facilities are available within the hotel area. The each and every room of the hotel is marvelously ornamented. The interior decoration is also remarkable. Vivid colors and bountiful textures are the things you will love. All comforts of the visitor have been taken into consideration while planning the hotel. The rooms are spacious and sophisticatedly furnished. All the rooms of the hotel are equipped with all modern amenities.

Hotel encompasses a state-of-the-art health facility, four outside temperature-controlled swimming lakes, tennis courts, a deluxe spa and a hair & nail beauty salon.

An innovative fitness facility gives floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the scenic gardens & swimming pools. The gym is equipped with all the modern fitness equipment. The gym has personal work out areas - a stretch & abdominal area, free of charge weights and cardiovascular zone, aerobics studio and power plate. Fitness club also offers a welcoming and inspiring atmosphere for like-minded persons.

Along with fitness centre hotel is also equipped with all modern amenities including 24 hour concierge facility, bellmen/porters, express check-in and check-out facility, multilingual staff, secretarial service, currency exchange facility, dry cleaning service, 24 hours medical service, safe deposit box facility, luggage storage, car rental desk, 24 hours room service, beauty and barber shop, florist, Jacuzzi, spa pool, courtyard pool and spa facilities etc.

With the growing stature of Dubai as a tourist hub and many visitors coming to Dubai for various purposes many hotels have come up in the city. These hotels cater the needs of all kinds of visitors. Some are affordable hotels while others are star hotels. But the Hotel Sheraton Dubai is the wonderful place to stay.

Sheikh Mohammed: The ruler of Dubai

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the mastermind behind Dubai’s sudden and rapid success. He was born on July 22, 1949. He is the third of four brothers. Sheikh Mohammed is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). But before all that, he is the ruler of the great city, Dubai (all as of 2006). He and his government advisors realized in the mid 2000s that Dubai will soon run out of oil (oil was never a big component of Dubai GDP) and that it could sustain only so much of its trading activities. Trading will ultimately max out at some point. So, the Sheikh formed a master plan to branch out what Dubai has to offer to the world. He took all the wealth assets and invested it in transforming Dubai into a city for tourist and sports.

Dubai attracted many foreigners who realized the opportunity of doing business in Dubai because of tourism and sports. Soon the new Dubai was built and offered all kinds of tax breaks for companies to do business. Now, there are buildings everywhere and they are running out of space so fast that they are building land on water by dumping sand. These artificial lands are very astonishing. They are the Dubai Palm Islands.

When Sheikh Mohammed was crowned prince of Dubai in 1995, Dubai’s true transformation started. When his older brother passed away, he became the official ruler of Dubai. He ruled in Dubai for 10 years. Under his supervision during this time, the world’s only 7 star hotel and very popular Burj Al Arab was constructed. He also led the Dubai Palm Islands and Burj Dubai which is going to be the world’s tallest building. Sheikh Mohammed’s style was more business savvy. He also set up a conglomerate called as Dubai Holdings. He also formed many other companies, heavily invested all over the world in all kinds of projects.

Sheikh Mohammed’s first wife was also called senior wife. She is his first cousin who he married in 1979. His second wife (junior wife) is the daughter of the former king of Jordan who he married in 2004. She is also the half-sister of Jordan’s current King Abdullah. He has 17 children with these two wives. He is a well cultured person. He had undergone private tutorial while growing up. He is also very zealous about life. He has miscellaneous interests including art, poetry, charity and horse racing. His children also share his interests. Till now he has made billions of dollars in donations to mounting underprivileged provinces. He assured $10 billion to an educational foundation in the Middle East in 2007.

To catch the interest of Sheikh Mohammed, get concerned in horse racing and be very good at it. He is very well known worldwide for his involvement with horse racing. He is the owner of world famous Darley Stables and Godolphin Stables.

The Sheikh also carries a passion for cars and boats. He owns the world’s biggest yacht measured at 163 meters.

One of biggest deal activities of Sheikh Mohammed was in 2006 when he tried to purchase the Liverpool Football Club.

Understand the Dubai Sharia Law and follow them while in Dubai

For doing business in Dubai, or for simply staying for sometime either for work or pleasure, it is important to understand Sharia law. This law is the basis for Dubai’s legal system (although constantly changing to meet modern needs). When the constitution of the UAE was developed, it was written that Isla (the predominant religion) is the state religion (unlike the USA where the separation of church and state is emphasized). All legislation was initially derived from the religion, whether civil, criminal, and business. Sharia law is now most commonly used in social cases like divorce. As the time progressed, it became less pertinent to civil cases. But there are several components of the Sharia law which are valid to business deals.

The important components that should be familiarized with are as follows:

Interest Rate is a perfect no. Interest or Riba or free money as seen in the Muslim world is considered as Haram or unearned or forbidden or cursed. Muslims do not believe in receiving income that is not earned or getting free money.

Full Disclosure: All contracts must take account of as much detail as possible. Basically, there should be no surprises and both parties must have every single detail clear (values, dates etc). This is also referred to as Gharar in Arabic. There should be no vagueness at all in other words.

Passive Investments are also a no. Passive Investments are very well tied with the interest issue. Muslims do not believe in getting free money on investments. Any investment must apportion equivalent peril and recompense to each investor concerned. An investment is always risky as it’s not necessary that one get the investment capital back. This is just a small list, not an inclusive one.

Other aspects of Sharia Law which are common to most legal systems globally are not included in this list. For example, it is a given that there is a component that all parties in a contract must be proficient and not enter into a contract by force. It has to be an agreeable contract and both sides have to be competent.

The Dubai legal system is complicated to begin with as it has different court systems for different purposes. All legal documents, contracts, all court proceedings (including transcribing) and court legislation (law) are written in Arabic. It is needless to say that this system is different from the Western world. The underlying principles of the local law in Dubai are logical and they can be understood why they are the way they are.

As Dubai and the UAE have evolved, so has the law. This system is getting less and less confusing over the years, as there is more published guidance issued on the various common cases affecting businesses and individuals. This string is due to the mass expatriate population that works and lives in Dubai.

It is always best to hire a qualified professional to guide through the legal needs as the legislation is instinctively intricate and ever changing. Remember while in Dubai you will have to follow the Sharia law.

The Shangri-La Hotel Dubai: A 5 star hotel with luxury experience

Dubai is a tourist center of the choice for the whole world and so there are many hotels in the city to cater the needs of ever increasing number of tourists in the city. There are hotels according to the budget of every tourist. From the non-star budget hotels in the city you will find the 7 star hotels for those affluent people who want lavish luxuries during their stay. In fact there are so many hotels available in Dubai that it is very difficult to choose a right one for you. The Shangri-La Hotel Dubai is a 5 star hotel with the luxury experience.

It is a very good hotel which you can choose for your stay. It is a hotel which provides high class facilities at comparative affordable rates. The professional staff of the hotel is well trained and gracious and it promptly attends all your requests.

The hotel is a five star hotel that is popular because of its world class facilities, good reputation proven record and excellent service.

It is located at a strategic location in the Al Jabber multipurpose complex which looks the gulf and is the centre of business and commercial activities in Dubai. It is just one kilometer away from the World Trade Center and Dubai Convention Center. Burj Khalifa is only 3 kilometers away from the hotel and Deira City Centre is only 11 kilometers away from the hotel. This means that the hotel is very near to almost all the business locations, shopping centers and entertainment points of Dubai.

The hotel has 301 beautifully designed rooms, suites and 126 furnished apartments. All the rooms are very well furnished and are decorated with original artwork. Rooms have all the modern amenities international channels on satellite TVs, intent connection, telephones with international dialing facilities, mini bars, coffee and tea making plants, slippers and wardrobes. Internet facility is also available in public areas. A good thing about this hotel is that it is less expensive than other similar hotels in the city.

There are separate rooms for people coming to Dubai for business. These rooms have internet facilities, direct dialing phones, desks. Housekeeping services are available round the clock. You can also avail of the wake up alarm facility which the hotel provides. Moreover iron and ironing services are also provided to the customers.

The hotel also provides you with fitness facilities. It has a fitness club and outdoor swimming pool. If you are a health conscious person there are a lot of goodies for you. You also get the facilities of steam room and sauna. Spa is available. Massage and treatment rooms are also available in the hotel for you. There are facilities to care for your beauty needs also.

You can have your favorite dish in the hotel restaurant. If you want you can relax in the hotel lounge. In the hotel there is also a night club where you can enjoy the nightlife of Dubai. Complimentary parking facility is also provided by the hotel.

The best thing about this Shangri-La Hotel Dubai is that even if arrive in this hotel when there is no room available even then the staff will serve you with a cup of coffee and make you feel comfortable so that you may pass your time.

Sunday, 18 September 2011

High rents in Dubai

While planning to move to Dubai, one should plan about the finances and should budget the living expenses. As rents in Dubai are expensive, rent will be the biggest component of the cost of living in Dubai. What are rents in Dubai like? It’s important to understand this.

Expats from all around the world were drifting in hundreds by the day to take advantage of the market expansion in Dubai. Dubai’s financial system was flourishing at that time. The increased rents in Dubai happened suddenly, it was not linear or ongoing. It was exponential in nature. There were no rules and regulations about the rental rates, so the landlords kept on increasing the rents to as much as the renter could afford. The tenants were also making good money as the companies were thriving and so were salaries at that time. So they are able to afford the sky high rents.

This same case can be seen throughout UAE especially Abu Dhabi as it is the next in line for economic expansion. As housing stabilized and the market slowed down because of the economic crisis of 2008, the rents fell very fast. Many investors in real estate in Dubai were not reclaiming their monthly credit expenses in rents and lost their reserves. But still the rents in Dubai are high as compared to elsewhere.

There are very less number of houses in Dubai available for rent. So the rents of available properties are quite high. It is also not easy to buy a property in Dubai. Even if you are able to afford the cost of the property there will be very few properties which are ready to move.

After rent the expenses on entertainment and social activities are the second highest expenditure you are likely to incur. It is quite common in Dubai to have your meals outside in some hotel frequently after working hours.

After these two most heavy expenses you will have to spend the major portion of your money on utility bills. These utility bills are comparable and even higher to those in the west. Then you have to spend money on your insurance, car, schooling of your children and health. Many other expenses like these may make your spending budget high. When all the above are added living in Dubai becomes very expensive.

It has already been said before that the rent of the properties Dubai are very high. So if you are going to Dubai for a job you should negotiate with your prospective employers so that they provide an accommodation to you along with the salary and perks. You may also ask your employers to give to housing allowance which is quite common in Dubai. If your company is not providing accommodation then you may consider sharing an accommodation with others. You may also negotiate with your employers on matters like your fuel cost, family visits to home, health insurance and schooling cost of children etc.

So, before you go to Dubai you should keep an eye on the rents in Dubai so that you can save some money for you when you back home after completing your contract in Dubai.

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Some trips for traffic and renting a Car in Dubai

In a new place, when one is away from home, renting a car is must. But before renting a car in Dubai, some information below will be valuable in preparing ourselves. Dubai has become like the United States where it’s difficult to wander around without our own car. But after 2009, when the Dubai Metro was complete things have changed a little.

It is more expedient and not very pricey to hire a car in Dubai. The road infrastructure is very good, at least the freeways and main roads. Renting a car in Dubai is mostly suggested to get pleasure on holidays. The fanatical speed racers on the freeway are the only thing to agonize. But it’s better to stay out of their way. By renting a car, one can explore the other areas of Dubai like Jebel Ali and the village of Hatta. By doing so, one can see the true picturesque areas of Dubai. For experiencing the desert milieu, the sand dunes, desert landscapes and mountains, one will have to take a trudge towards the suburbs of Dubai, as there is not much to see in terms of it within the city.

Arranging the rental car in Dubai with the internet and phone before getting there is recommended. This can be done within minutes from anywhere. Supplemental rental insurance must be asked because in another country, the original insurance policy might not carry over to the rental car. Rental contract should be read in detail before pulling out of the rental parking lot. Function of the car lights, mirrors etc should be checked and guaranteed that they are working. Other than this, check whether the wipers and the washing fluid are functioning as it will be needed if or when it sand storms. When finalizing rental agreement, supplement insurance should be asked that covers the rental car. It is most important to make sure that the rental car is insured. If using a credit card for booking rental, that credit card company should be asked if they automatically cover rental cars.

There are road rules to be followed in Dubai. But no one really cares to follow them. So, one can say that there is no concept of road etiquette in Dubai. Some follow, but mostly don’t. While driving in Dubai, pay attention to the signal lights and roundabouts where it can get quite crammed especially during scuttle hour. It is better to stay in our lane and let the racers pass by as there is a lot of road wrath in Dubai. Road accidents are already a big dilemma in Dubai, and drunk driving is strongly disheartened through stern penalties.

On drunk driving, heavy fine amounts are charged and the person is even getting kicked out of the country.

Morning and afternoon peak hours cause a lot of traffic jams and even accidents. A 5 mile commute can take more than an hour at times. This definitely annoys. The other major problem one has to face is of parking. So the best option is to find the closest parking garage and pay to park even if it costs high. But it is good news to hear that bigger shops and malls have their own parking. Hopefully, after the above tips you will find yourself more comfortable in renting a car in Dubai and you will be able to hire a right car for you.