Planning a vacation or holiday and wondering if Dubai is the right place to visit as a family?
You’ll be glad to know that, Yes! Dubai is an incredibly family-friendly destination for a holiday or vacation. However there are both positives and negatives to keep in mind! I’ll explain more below.
Dubai offers a mix of adventure, relaxation, and entertainment for all ages. As someone who’s visited Dubai many times with my little one (now a toddler). I’m impressed by how easy and enjoyable it is to explore the city as a family.
I’ve broken down my favourite and least favourite things about the city to help you decide if Dubai is the right family getaway for you.
Positives
1) Dubai is a family-focused city
The first and most important is that Dubai is very family-focused, you’ll find baby-changing facilities in all the malls along with private luxury rooms for breastfeeding. Nearly all restaurants have high chairs and hotels have cribs.
People are used to kids being around and the locals, called Emiratis or Khaleejis, have historically had big families. Having children is seen as a big blessing in Islam so the whole country on a cultural level is family focused.
People are also very polite, moving out the way of the pram, offering their seat if you have a child or are pregnant etc.
2) There’s lots of activities for kids
Inflatable obstacle course on the sea? Splashing in a splash park? Balloon ride into the sky?
Yes Dubai has it all and more! Everything you can possibly imagine to do exists in Dubai!
From large indoor theme parks to record-breaking outdoor waterparks, Dubai has something to offer every kind of family. The toughest decision will be deciding which one to choose!
3) Lots of other families go to Dubai
It’s lovely to meet other familiies and have other kids play with yours while on holiday. Offering them the opportunity to make new friends in the sun!
This is especially true if you stay in a resort, as these are ideal for families in Dubai and offer a whole range of activites without even needing to leave your hotel!
4) Staff love kids
One of the things that truly stands out in Dubai is how much the staff at hotels, restaurants, and attractions love kids.
Whether you’re at a high-end resort, a casual café, or even a shopping mall, you’ll find that staff go out of their way to make children feel welcome. I’ve seen many lifeguards be very attentive to my little one and helping to entertain her along with even helping my friend’s kids to swim at the hotel pool.
Many restaurants offer special menus and high chairs and frequently give little treats to keep the little ones happy.
This warm and welcoming attitude everywhere you go makes travelling with kids in Dubai so much easier, especially when I’ve gone solo without my husband!
5) Child-friendly amenities
If you fly with Emirates Airlines, this will start from the moment you get on the plane. They have amenity kits, especially for babies or children along with little blankets and toys.
Dubai Airport has free strollers (though they frequently run out) and even I’ve seen them giving out free ice cream!
Some malls have toilets with a shared cubicle with one larger toilet and one smaller toilet, so you can both go without a tantrum! Plus many many more touches that just make family life easier while out and about.
6) Kid-friendly taxis and transport
From the moment to arrive, you’ll be able to get a cat seat for FREE, yes free! At the airport to put in the taxi. That means no stress trying to arrange a courier or meeting someone, you can just jump straight in a taxi and request a car seat from the taxi rank.
On top of this they even have Careems (the Middle East’s version of Uber) that have car seats. The wait time can be slight longer for kids taxis but the convenience of it is incredible.
They do typically only have 1 car seat, however, so if you have more than one child under 4, you’ll need to either bring your own or hire a car seat.
UAE car laws you need to be aware of:
- Children 4 and under must be in a car seat
- Children under 10 or under 145 cm cannot ride in the front seat
- All passengers must wear a seat belt
7) Kids under 6 eat free
The age may different slightly in some venues but generally most places operate a under 6 kids eat free policy for hotel breakfasts, buffets and lunches. Saving a lot of money on food!
You’ll also find offers from time to time, such as kids eat free with a paying adult (these tend to be more in summer when restaurants want to attract more customers).
8) Great weather for most of the year
From October to April when Dubai temperatures are pleasantly warm, ideal for families where the kids can enjoy the outdoors.
Whether it’s building sandcastles on Dubai’s beautiful sandy beaches, visiting their pristine parks, or exploring kid-friendly attractions like Legoland.
The autumn, winter & spring months also bring fun outdoor events such as markets and festivals. You’ll find plenty of options for entertainment.
Even if you decide to visit the hotter summer months, Dubai is well-prepared with air-conditioned indoor play areas and malls packed with kid-friendly activities.
9) Lots of outdoor spaces
Tying into the above, what would be the benefit of great weather is there wasn’t anywhere to go? Dubai has lots of amazing outdoor spaces, from walking tracks along the beach, to green palm-tree lined parks and outdoor plays areas.
Every outdoor activity you can imagine is available for kids in Dubai! From outdoor cinemas to bumper cars to water fountain splash areas.
10) Everything is clean & well kept
Kids love to crawl on the floor and pick things up from the floor to put in their mouth. One amazing thing as a parent in Dubai is that places are kept immaculate!
Whether you’re visiting the park and worried about rubbish (trash) left around that they’ll try to eat or if you kid decides to roll around on the mall floor. Parks are kept in amazing condition, with no trash and you’ll find even mall floors are incredibly clean and won’t ruin their clothes!
11) Many large resorts with kids clubs
Not all hotels of course have kids clubs but you’ll find many options that do in Dubai!
One of my favourite’s is The Westin at Mina Seyahi where the kids club is joined with both The W hotel and Le Meridien. There’s also a small waterpark and family swimming pool. So you’ll definitely not be short of activities!
12) Everything is open late and for long hours
Want to quickly grab something after the kids went to bed? Not to worry, the convenince store and mall is still open!
Arrived late in Dubai and ran out of nappes? Don’t worry, you can download an app to get them delivered!
Dubai is the city of convenience! Even if your child suddenly falls ill in the night, there are pharmacies and delivery companies that are open 24/7, so you can get that liquid paracetamol delivered directly to your hotel door.
Negatives
13) Dubai is expensive for activities
Compared to many places in the world, Dubai isn’t cheap when it comes to entry tickets for kids and activities as a family. Most theme parks and waterparks are pricey!
It’s very easy in Dubai to spend all your money too because there’s so many things to do!
However, there are affordable things you can do, Dubai has many free beaches, free play areas and either free for very cheap parks to enter. So it’s entirely possible to keep costs down if you’re determined to save money.
14) Age restrictions at restaurants
Many fine dining places, drinking places and even restaurants with shisha terraces have age restrictions.
For example, Atmosphere in the Burj Khalifa has an over 8 years of age policy for their dining during dinner and over 5 for their lunch. So if you have younger kids, the only option is breakfast.
If you do want to dine inside the Burj Khalifa, I’d personally recommend to visit At The Top and buy their Sky View ticket instead. As this includes lounge access with light snacks without an age restriction.
Some pubs are only 21s only even if they serve food which may surprise those of us from the UK or Ireland where we’re used to drinking venues allowing kids in the day.
So you will have to check places before you go, especially if you want to have an alcoholic drink! For a more detailed guide on what the expect with alcohol in Dubai including where alcohol is illegal in Dubai.
15) Customer service with kids is not automatic
In terms of customer service, it can be a bit mixed with kids. You’ll typically need to ask for the kids’ meal to come first, or for a small spoon and a high chair. They won’t usually automatically do it.
You may be used to other countries where they’ll automatically think about the kids to make your life easier, so your meal comes once it’s ready, but I’ve found in Dubai I have to specify this; otherwise, they’ll just bring everything together.
Also they may have crayons and paper but it’s not always automatically given even in child-friendly restaurants. So make sure to ask as they may have things but just not be trained to automatically bring it.
16) Renting baby gear can be expensive
If you want a rear-facing child seat for example or need a few extras for your Air BnB then it can be expensive to hire all the different items.
However, having said that, the companies often offer free delivery with a minimum spend and the services are very professional. Everything I’ve rented has been well cleaned and a very smooth transaction.
In other countries I’ve found they’re not as focused on the details and less customer focused. Whereas sorting everything out in Dubai, even last minute, was a breeze!
I’ve used a few different companies while in Dubai, however I found Paper Planes (not sponsored) to be the most professional with great communication.
17) Changing items on menus can be difficult
Kids can be such fussy eaters, one child doesn’t like baked beans and the other doesn’t like peas. My toddler will eat scrambled eggs but won’t eat the yolk if it’s hard.
I’m not fully sure why but frequently in restaurants it’s really hard to change anything on a menu, for example changing a side to something else or having fried eggs instead of scrambled.
Usually if you stand your ground, they will change it (unless it pre-done or cooked of course) but having to have a fight over a small menu change can be a bit annoying.
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So there you have it! What I love and don’t love about being in Dubai as a family! Hope it helps and I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time as a family in Dubai.
