Choosing a hotel & area in Dubai for the BEST holiday

Feeling overwhelmed trying to find the perfect hotel in Dubai? You’re not alone. There’s so many incredible options!

From luxury resorts, boutique gems, to budget-friendly picks, it’s easy to feel stuck, especially if you’ve never been or don’t know which area to base yourself in Dubai!

I’ve been travelling to Dubai 2 – 3 times a year ever since I moved to Riyadh, and over the years, I’ve stayed in hotels in nearly every part of the city. When I used to live there, people were always asking me where’s best to stay too! So I’ve had a lot of experience over the years.

This guide will help you narrow down where to stay based on your travel style, trip goals, and budget. Whether you want to shop, beach, explore, or soak in the city’s more glamorous side. Let’s find your perfect Dubai stay!

choosING The RIGHT hotel in Dubai

Start with planning activities first

It’s best to decide what activities are more important to you first because with traffic and travel, going from one end of Dubai to the other is tough! It takes a long time and will cost a lot in taxis if you haven’t hired a car.

Dubai doesn’t have one main city centre like European cities, where everything is usually located nearby, but instead has its main Downtown area and lots of other hubs acting like towns on their own. Each area has their own feel and very different experiences as a tourist.

I highly recommend using the planner I created to help you narrow down all the activities Dubai has to offer and build an itinerary that saves you both time & money.

I highly recommend concentrating on certain areas for each day, eg Day 1-3 in northern parts of Dubai and Day 4 & 5 in southern Dubai.

You can also plan your hotel stay based on the type of holiday you’d like to enjoy in Dubai. Beach holiday versus a city break.

Dubai area activity mini guide:

• Dubai Marina, JBR & JLT – Located in the south of Dubai, mostly a tourist area with a focus on beaches, you’ll find lots of beach clubs, restaurants along the boardwalk-style area and lots of tourist focus ‘fun in sun’ activities. Along with a large amount of nightlife.
• Palm Jumeriah – A similar style to Dubai Marina, but quieter, more expensive and more exclusive. The View at Palm is located here, along with both Atlantis and Royal Atlantis. Ideal for those who love staying in resorts or want a romantic private escape.
• Downtown Dubai, Business Bay & Trade Centre – Located closer to the north of Dubai, this area is perfect for those who prefer a city break. Explore the many famous attractions such as Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. A lot of nightlife is located here too.
• Dubai Creek, Deira & Bur Dubai – Located in the north of Dubai, perfect for those who want to focus on the historical and cultural side of Dubai, including Shindagha Museum, Spice Souq & Gold Souq. Dubai Frame is also not too far away. Close to the airport.
• Al Barsha & JVC – Located in central Dubai, there isn’t many tourist attractions here except Mall of Emirates but due to it’s location it’s good for being able to split your time between visiting the north and south of Dubai. You’re also not too far from Miracle Garden, Butterfly Garden & Global Village.
• Expo City & Dubai South – Not many attractions here except Expo City. The area is very quiet and mostly surrounded by industrial sites. Close to Al Maktoum Dubai Airport.

Once you’ve narrowed down the activities you’re most interested in, then you can start narrowing down the hotels based on amenities, price, proximity to transport and reviews.

Choosing the best area for your Dubai hotel

Now that you know which activities you want to do, it’s time to narrow down the areas! I’ve got this handy quiz that give you the right questions to decide what type of Dubai holiday is for you!

Dubai area hotel mini guide

This is one of the most important factors of deciding where to stay and so I recommend to first plan out what attractions and activities you’d most like to do on your holiday in Dubai.

Now we’ll look into what each area offers in terms of hotels and affordability:

• Deira & Bur Dubai – Offers more affordability and is possible to walk to the historical parts of Dubai during winter. Streets are more crowded here, and navigating pavements with a pram (buggy) can be a bit difficult! Lots of metro stations, I’d recommend using public transport instead of hiring a car due to the traffic. Hotels are catered more to south asian tourists, so you’ll find lots of Indian restaurants and are overall geared to their tastes. Many hotels, hotel apartments & holiday lets.
• Dubai Creek – More luxury hotels and some resorts on the creek plus offers affordability compared to Palm Jumeirah. Also geared more to South Asian tourists as well and close to the historical areas.
• Downtown Dubai – One of the most expensive area to stay in Dubai as it’s a small concentrated area with mostly luxury 5 star hotels close to the Burj Khalifa. Caters to a wide range of tourists. Perfect for New Years Eve as you’ll be in the heart of the action and avoid all the traffic.
• Business Bay & Trade Centre – Offers a more affordable hotel stay but is still in very close proximity to the Downtown area. Caters to a wide range of tourists.
• Palm Jumeirah – Expensive area to stay, similar prices to Downtown Dubai and lots of 5 star luxury large resorts which can be even more expensive than Downtown hotels. Can be difficult to get on and off the Palm, depending on where on the frond you stay. Also perfect for New Year’s as Atlantis also has a large fireworks show.
• Al Barsha & JVC – Ideal location for those who want affordable hotels and to access both north & south Dubai. Mostly hotels, hotel apartments and holiday lets.
• Dubai Marina – Very touristy area with large public beaches along with a mix of hotel resorts, hotel apartments, holiday lets and hotels.
• Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) – Located across from the other side of Dubai Marina, you can easily cross using the metro bridge into Dubai Marina and use the Dubai Marina tram to get around. More affordable hotels compared with Dubai Marina.

If you want a full guide to all the areas in Dubai, then, make sure to read my previous article which goes into all the main areas of Dubai in much more depth.

Best hotels in different areas of Dubai

• 

  11 Best Hotels near Dubai Airport & Dubai Creek

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  The absolute best 10 Hotels on Palm Jumeirah Dubai

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  19 of the best hotels near Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall

final Questions to ask yourself before booking your Dubai hotel

Will I hire a car or use public transport?

It can be quite far to walk from your hotel to the metro, depending on your location in Dubai and some places aren’t accessible by metro at all. There is also a bus network so it is possible to rely only on Dubai’s public transport if you’re looking to save money.

If you’re planning to visit during summer or the months either side of summer, then you may find it too hot to walk to bus stops or metro stops unless the hotel has a fully connecting air conditioned tunnel. These are mostly hotels connected to malls where you can get to the metro via the mall.

Finally, some roads are difficult to cross, with bridges for pedestrians being very far away from where you need to cross. This can greatly increase the walking time, and overall, Dubai isn’t a very pedestrian-friendly city.

What do I need for my kids?

As any parent knows, travelling with children definitely has a huge impact on the type of hotels you choose.

There are quite a few options in Dubai that include water park access, babysitting services, kids clubs and other useful extras for parents.

There are also options such as hotel apartments, where you’ll have a kitchen in the room along with a washing machine. Perfect for travelling with small children who constantly spill things down them or have accidents! You won’t have to worry about an expensive dry cleaning bill! (Though Dubai has lots of cheap dry cleaners too if you don’t use the hotel one)

Here are some of my favourite hotels in Dubai with kids:

• Jumeirah Beach Hotel – Free access to Wild Wadi along with great beach access and several different pools for the kids to choose from. You can also get a golf buggy to connected resorts.
• Atlantis The Palm – An expensive but incredible hotel for families who don’t want to give up on luxury. You’ll get free access to the Lost Chambers Aquarium and Atlantis waterpark by staying here with lots of options.
• Lapita at Dubai Parks & Resorts – You’ll get access to Legoland Dubai, Legoland Waterpark, Motion Gate and the new Real Madrid Theme Park. Perfect for football fans!

For a full guide with more options, along with the pros and cons of each hotel. Then I highly recommend to read my full guide to the family-friendly hotels in Dubai.

Am I travelling with a pet?

You’ll be happy to know that Dubai has a good selection of pet-friendly hotels. Some hotels have doggy play areas, and others provide handy extras for your pets, such as water and food bowls, so you don’t need to pack them with you!

It’s too much to write in one post, so I’ve created this handy full guide to all the different pet friendly hotels in Dubai. Along with their positives and negatives!

How much would you like to spend?

There are a range of hotels for every budget in Dubai, from the more affordable to the ultra-luxury. You’ll also find a good range in nearly all areas.

There are two main areas which I find tend to be more affordable and that’s Dubai Creek area close to the airport along witb Al Barsha or Barsha Heights close to Mall of Emirates.

I’d avoid areas like Downtown Dubai, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina if affordability is your main factor. And yes, it is possible to have a Dubai holiday on a budget!

What amenities do I like to use in the hotel?

There’s a wide range of hotels in Dubai, if you’re travelling as a family you can find hotels with kids clubs or babysitting services.

Many resorts such as Atlantis and Jumeirah’s hotels in Umm Suqeim are huge resorts that means you don’t even need to leave your hotel if you don’t want to. You’ll find everything from shops, hairdressers to restaurants and night clubs.

Do I enjoy an alcoholic drink in the hotel?

Firstly, what is a dry hotel? A dry hotel is a hotel that doesn’t serve alcohol.

These are that common in Dubai compared to other Gulf countries however you may still find the odd hotel that is a dry hotel. Usually they’ll make it very clear on the website that they don’t serve alcohol but make sure to check the booking fully just in case.

What reviews does the hotel have?

It can sadly be common for reviews to be fake across the entire world and I’m sure you’ve experienced visiting either a restaurant or hotel to only find out the reviews don’t quite match what you expected.

So make sure to read the reviews in detail before you book, genuine ones will tend to include more detail and I tend to distrust ones where I see a lot of the same staff mentioned many times. Usually this means the staff are pushing guests to do reviews and asking to include their name.

I hope these tips help you find the right hotel in Dubai for you!

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Read more: Guides to help plan your Dubai visit