Dubai during Ramadan(part of honeymoon)

butty24

Hi,hope someone ill be of help here!We are getting married the end of August.Our honeymoon plan is Dubai(4nights),Bangkok(2nights)and Koh Samui(7nights).The time we would be in Dubai is during Ramadan and seems it may be a no go area for Westerners.We would be staying at a beach hotel.I wonder will they still be serving food etc to guests during the day.As Muslims eat after dusk,the restaurants will be busy in the evening.As it will be our first stop after wedding,we will want to rest.But we are concerned one might be too restricted during the day.Any one have any views or experiences of same?We are aware it will be very hot and humid that time also.

sillysocks

I think this can vary from hotel to hotel over there.

Probably one of the better places to get advice on it would be the tripadvisor Dubai forum, imagine you might get more answers there than here.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g295424-i872-Dubai.html

irishconvert

butty24 wrote: »

Hi,hope someone ill be of help here!We are getting married the end of August.Our honeymoon plan is Dubai(4nights),Bangkok(2nights)and Koh Samui(7nights).The time we would be in Dubai is during Ramadan and seems it may be a no go area for Westerners.We would be staying at a beach hotel.I wonder will they still be serving food etc to guests during the day.As Muslims eat after dusk,the restaurants will be busy in the evening.As it will be our first stop after wedding,we will want to rest.But we are concerned one might be too restricted during the day.Any one have any views or experiences of same?We are aware it will be very hot and humid that time also.

Hi Butty,

Have a look at the article below. It says hotels will serve food to non-muslims during the day. I don't think the restaurants will be overcrowded in the evening as most Muslims will prefer to eat at home with their families

I've been to Dubai in August and you are right, it will be extremely hot and humid. But you can always to to the ski slopes (Ski Dubai) to cool off!

Enjoy your honeymoon.


http://culinarytravel.suite101.com/article.cfm/ramadan_in_dubai

rmacm

butty24 wrote: »

Hi,hope someone ill be of help here!We are getting married the end of August.Our honeymoon plan is Dubai(4nights),Bangkok(2nights)and Koh Samui(7nights).The time we would be in Dubai is during Ramadan and seems it may be a no go area for Westerners.We would be staying at a beach hotel.I wonder will they still be serving food etc to guests during the day.As Muslims eat after dusk,the restaurants will be busy in the evening.As it will be our first stop after wedding,we will want to rest.But we are concerned one might be too restricted during the day.Any one have any views or experiences of same?We are aware it will be very hot and humid that time also.

I hope you like weather in the mid 40's

I was in Saudi Arabia for most of Ramadan last year and it's a good deal more strict than Dubai. You'll more than likely be able to get food in the hotel during the day if not in a restaurant then room service will be available. In Saudi during the day every restaurant would be closed and it was frowned upon to eat in public in some places although Dubai should be safe enough due to the amount of tourists around. Hope you enjoy the trip.

butty24

Thank you Irish convert for your advice!I wonder though if you are in the malls during the day or at the waterpark,would drinking water or fluids be accepted?as it will be so hot,one will be thirsty!Ski Dubai an idea alrite!Thanks

irishconvert

butty24 wrote: »

Thank you Irish convert for your advice!I wonder though if you are in the malls during the day or at the waterpark,would drinking water or fluids be accepted?as it will be so hot,one will be thirsty!Ski Dubai an idea alrite!Thanks

I don't think it would be a problem although probably do it discretely as you don't want to make people fasting feel even worse!

irishconvert

rmacm wrote: »

I hope you like weather in the mid 40's

I was in Saudi Arabia for most of Ramadan last year and it's a good deal more strict than Dubai. You'll more than likely be able to get food in the hotel during the day if not in a restaurant then room service will be available. In Saudi during the day every restaurant would be closed and it was frowned upon to eat in public in some places although Dubai should be safe enough due to the amount of tourists around. Hope you enjoy the trip.

Dubai is not comparable to Saudi as regard strictness!

semajnayr

to say its a no go area for westeners is rubbish, plenty of westeners living there through out ramadan. but it may have some expectation gaps depending on what you're after

5 star hotels will have at least one curtained off restaurant serving food and non alco drinks all day. bars will open around 7pm. loads of extra dining options in the evening as there will be special iftar buffets in most big hotels (beach hotels). i think some of them will even bring drinks and to the beach and pool but defo no alcolhol during the day

mall of emirates - sezzam restaurant will be open as it is technically part of a hotel. dubai mall you would probably have to go over to Address hotel or souk al bahar to find something open.

you will rarely see someone drinking a bottle of water in the malls during the day and if you do, you can be guaranteed its a tourist who has forgotten. if noticed by a mall security gaurd they will probably politely tell you to stop. if noticed by police (very unlikely but still possible) it could range from a slap on the wrist to a stern warning to.....who knows. i would personally avoid doing it because i would be gutted if i was the one unlucky sod they decided to make an example of.

you can always just buy bottle of water and head into the nearest bathroom cubicle to drink it discreetly.

I've spent three ramadans in dubai and the things i notice most are

1. nightlife will be limited as no loud music allowed in bars so everything is confined to the pub scene. no nightclubs open
2. its very hot so walking around old part of town / creek becomes very challenging during the day with no water. however, its so hot anyway, the average irish person would probably find it challenging with water so its best to wait until the sun is down anyway.
3. most coffee shops are closed so you can't drop in for a coffee etc. this one can be fairly annoying on a day to day basis since all the hotels are overpriced for coffee!
4. driving on roads is noticeably worse with tired drivers
5. getting business done is virtually impossible (although obviously you aren't there on business)

on the plus, beach hotels are good value and i recommend going for dinner in an iftar buffet tent

semajnayr

forgot to mention, if you smoke it can be awkward to find a good hiding place outside of the hotel