Staying in Dubai:
Getting to Dubai
As we approached Dubai, the light coming in through the plane windows was just starting to brighten enough for us to look down at the opal blue sea far below. It was difficult to appreciate just how far below it really was until we spotted a trickle of small boats on the water that were actually large dhows and the seemingly tiny wrinkles in the water suddenly materialized as sizeable waves making their way lazily to the Dubai coast.
As we appreciated the scale and colours of the sea below us, the coastline started to reveal itself. I can still recall the sudden contrast between the variegated blues I’d gotten used to and the startling mix of golden sandy hues and clean white concrete construction that suddenly met my eye - this was Dubai all right. I’m used to being kept waiting in a stack of planes circling the landing strip whenever I arrive back into the UK so I was pleasantly surprised by the landing procedure being initiated as soon as we approached Dubai International Airport. After a smooth landing, we taxied to the gate with no delay...whaddya know...here we were.
Getting up after the long flight made me feel my age. Walking on my stiff legs, I made a mental note to stop obsessing about finding only cheap flights to Dubai next time – the discomfort of sitting crunched up in my plane seat for seven hours and being stuck behind someone who liked to put the seat back as far as it went, made me appreciate the need for seating with more legroom. With the number of airlines now offering a range of options for flights to Dubai, the emirate certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of ways to get there.
Dubai International Airport earned the title of the world’s fastest growing airport in 2007 and currently handles more than 35+ million passengers every year, with expectations of reaching the 40 million barrier in 2008. From and to Dubai, flights are increasing in the ‘tens of thousands’ per year but it seems to be handling that traffic very well. As we walked through the airport, I didn’t feel it was at all crowded. In fact, the light, airy and clean environment offered a pleasant contrast to how I’d spent the past few hours on the plane flight and there were indoor palm trees too!
On our way to passport control, we met the representative from the specialist Dubai tour company who were part of our holiday package to provide car transfer to and from the resort. He gave me a little sticker to place on my shirt so that after clearing passport control and customs and collecting our baggage, we’d be recognised and escorted to our waiting car. There was no language problem, although Arabic is the official language in Dubai, English and Urdu are also widely spoken and understood.
I knew it was going too well. The steady stride had hit a brick wall and now we were caught up in a queue that seemed to be frozen in time. There are 32 passport-control desks in Arrivals and it took us a good half hour before we finally got through with the Dubai visa stamped on our passports. I was told that although this was just a "transitional situation" with local people being trained up, the negative comments on the speed of clearance from a number of airline passengers had been noted - hopefully that glitch is now corrected.
After collecting our luggage, we walked out to arrivals and my Dubai tour sticker worked its magic immediately. We were greeted by a busy looking man with a clipboard who asked us politely to wait where we were. He came back quickly and introduced our driver who approached us with a smile and outstretched hand; he took the bags from us as we walked toward the exit. The automatic doors opened and we felt like we’d walked into a soft mattress of hot air. The air-conditioned interior of the airport gave way to a high 20s exterior and with a beautiful blue sky dotted with white clouds, the weather in Dubai was certainly starting to live up to expectations. A gleaming white Rolls Royce Phantom pulled up near us to pick up some lucky guests of the Burj Al Arab as our driver placed the luggage in the boot of our vehicle. The entire section of road outside the airport exit was bubbling with activity, numerous cars and anxious drivers waiting for their holidaying passengers. Dubai International Airport is less than 3 miles from the city centre.
As I got in the car, the driver looked confused when he asked to confirm our destination. I had mistakenly said the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, one of the more famous resort hotels on Jumeirah Beach rather than the hotel we were actually destined for, the Al Qasr Hotel, which nestles in the resort grounds of the Madinat Jumeirah (translated to ‘Jumeirah City’). Once we sorted out the confusion, we were on our way. On the ride to the Madinat Jumeirah, the driver eagerly pointed out the latest additions to Dubai’s collection of skyscrapers and hotels. He seemed especially proud of the Burj Dubai, which is now officially the world’s tallest building at 629 metres. Soon my neck was starting to get sore with the head turning required to keep pace with him as he continued to point enthusiastically this way and that, building after building, each one newer than the one that preceded it. It seemed the developers’ desire to fill up every available inch of land with property in Dubai was insatiable.
The buildings were glistening in the morning sun, reflections of light hopping from one large expanse of flat panel glass to the next as we delved into the morning rush hour. One thing that struck me as the buildings shimmered on: whether or not you’re a fan of skyscrapers, you couldn’t but help but be impressed by the engineering feat of all this metal, concrete and tarmac sprouting out of sand. As we progressed it was becoming clear that in Dubai, hotels, offices and apartments will never be in short supply.
We then passed along what you could loosely term a suburb, filled with houses at varying levels of construction. There was so many of them that it soon all became a blur of building work. It seemed from what we’d seen after just a few minutes in the region, that property in Dubai is king.
