Dubai, the land of opulence and luxury, offers visitors to this United Arab Emirates city mind-blowing sights and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This once desolate desert landscape has completely transformed over the past 40 years and now features some of the most iconic, record-breaking buildings on planet earth. From the world’s tallest building, the world’s tallest hotel, the world’s largest picture frame, the world’s tallest landmark sign, the world’s deepest swimming pool, and the world’s largest shopping mall, Dubai has broken records left and right, and isn’t stopping anytime soon.
Now, your first thought when you think of Dubai isn’t “affordable” I’m assuming. It’s true, you can burn though cash here like nowhere else. However, if you are determined to discover the city on a budget like me and a notoriously expesinve city like Dubai affordable, I have a secret for you—the offseason.
Why Dubai?
Time for some quick backstory: I’ve had quite a long fascination with the United Arab Emirates during my college years studying international business management. Nearly all my papers I wrote in college dealt with doing business in either Paris or Dubai, with hopes of one day even working there. When I graduated, I finally had the opportunity to visit Dubai with my cousin. After weeks of research, I was able to craft the perfect itinerary that wouldn’t blow the budget by visiting Dubai during one of its hottest and therefore cheapest months, August.
The busy season, undoubtedly, is in the winter due to the severe desert heat becoming bearable. Unfortunately, I knew that would make the city of my dreams out of my budget. I, being raised in the hellish heat of Arizona, thought it would be a piece of cake dealing with UAE heat. I was wrong. This was a totally different ball game that I was not fully prepared for.
Massive Savings
Before I delve into the impossible heat and its struggles, let me tell you why it was worth it. We stayed at Fairmont the Palm on the Palm Jumeirah for only $133 a night. The Palm Jumeriah is the iconic, artificial palm-shaped island dotted with luxury hotels. That same room in the high season goes for well over $350 a night.
There’s nothing suspicious about a 5-star hotel listing rooms for $217 less per night, right? Considering I’ve paid so much more for a Best Western in the middle of nowhere back in the states, I probably should have been concerned. It wasn’t until we arrived that we found out why the price was so unbelievably low. Take Arizona’s temperatures and pair that with Florida’s humidity and you have Dubai in August. We’re talking 115°F with 80% humidity here.
Dubai is like Manhattan in the summer when everyone flocks to the much more mild Hamptons to cool off in the peak summer months. All the hotels, the beaches, even the malls were fairly empty. There was no worry about needing reservations at restaurants or battling crowds at the tourist attractions.
Hotels weren’t the only thing discounted due to lack of demand. Activities were discounted too– I was able to find a Groupon to jet ski by the Burj Al Arab and try out flyboarding for the first time! Some restaurants even offered off season promotions and menus. Across the board, visiting Dubai in the summer proved to be noticeably more affordable.
Happy Hour is Your Best Friend
The one thing that remains expensive year round, though, is alcohol. Dubai, being in a Muslim country that practices Sharia law, still has some restrictions with alcohol which makes drinks very expensive. The average cocktail is priced around $30. The way we got around the exorbitant price was to limit drinking to happy hours, which would drop the price to a more normal range of $15-$20. We were experts at finding all the happy hours in town by the end of our trip in our efforts to make Dubai affordable!
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
Before you go booking your stay in Dubai in August, let me touch back on the heat. The price you pay for an affordable experience is constant sweat. At the pool, Fairmont the Palm had pool boys running around with chilled towels for your head to combat heat stroke. They also kept their pools refreshingly chilled. The sea, however, was like bathtub water. I was able to enjoy it for ten minutes at a time before having to come out to cool off. The sun does not play around, so you have to take extra caution to stay safe.
It’s also worth noting, as a woman in a Muslim country, there is an expectation for you to cover up in certain settings like mosques. This didn’t help with the heat and humidity at all. My clothes would be drenched with sweat within minutes.
Fortunately, most activities in Dubai are indoors where there is sweet, sweet air conditioning. The biggest struggles were dealing with the heat at the beach and during the city tour and trying to walk around outside (which I quickly learned was not viable). Once indoors, the heat no longer mattered and all we were left with was affordable luxury without crowds.
Final Thoughts
If Dubai is on your bucket list and you are willing to make a few sacrifices to your comfort, I highly recommend visiting during the offseason summer months to take advantage of all the city has to offer with a far more reasonable price tag. I’ve never stayed in such a luxurious hotel in my life before, and it just happened to be one of the most affordable hotels I have ever stayed at as well.
Dubai is built with its climate in mind, so if you plan accordingly you are bound to have an incredible time. It’s not for the faint of heart dealing with the most extreme heat and humidity, but in the end it was worth it, in my opinion. Making Dubai affordable can be a reality, if you know when to go!
…And if you want to fly for free to Dubai, find out how *here*
