I take it that you mean "Dubai" located in the United Arab Emirates, rather than "Duba"? If so, I just returned from Dubai this past Wednesday, and I can state, unequivocally, that other than its lovely turquoise beaches, it ain't all that. The traffic is horrific, and the taxi drivers WORSE.

Correction: That should read lovely turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf and its sandy beaches, which is a fair point in Dubai's favor, but does not, by any means, make up for the many negatives of the place.

I was in Dubai last February and stayed at the Burj Al Arab, which was amazing! I am sorry Girlspytravel didn't enjoy it, but I certainly did and think it is worth a visit. Definitely book a boat trip out to see the palm islands and "the world." It is truly an engineering marvel. I also enjoyed four wheeling out on the dunes! I would most definitely recommend it!

Dubai is not in Saudi Arabia, in case you did not realize this. Can it be true that an OAT tour would include Saudi Arabia?

No, I'm afraid I didn't think Dubai was all that, however, I might have had a different perspective had I been able to spend what, some $2,000 a night for the self-proclaimed 7 star wonder known as Burj al Arab? The one that advised me that I could not wear jeans to afternoon tea, even if they were expensive jeans? But then again, maybe not.

I did however REALLY like Abu Dhabi, which is becoming a real center for culture and the arts. Abu Dhabi is bringing both the Guggenheim and the Louvre in two fantastic museums opening in 2012. It is beautiful, clean, quiet and no traffic issues. Dubai, on the other hand, has horrific traffic and even worse taxi drivers, and is building...Dubailand, the world's largest amusement park.

I had a very lovely and expensive lunch at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi (where the Prez. stayed last Jan.) and loved this hotel, as well as its gorgeous beach, with lovely marble pavilions set along the beachfront. Emirates Palace is allegedly the most expensive hotel ever built at US 3 billion, but they were exceedingly friendly and unpretentious at this hotel, which I appreciated, unlike the Burj. They had a magnificent art exhibition (some 7 rooms worth) going on last week while I was there called the "Arts of Islam." I bought an art poster of the exhibition.

I will say this, South-if you feel homesick for the USA (if you are American, that is!) you need not feel so in Dubai! NAME YOUR FAVORITE FOOD FRANCHISE, AND YOU WILL FIND IT IN DUBAI: Let's see: of course the usual, Mickey D's, Burger King (both, by the way, offered veggie burgers in Dubai outlets, why, pray not in the US?), the Colonel, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin'Donuts, Seattle Coffee Co, Costa Coffee Co., Cinnabon, Applebee's, Chili's and TGIF, just to name a few right off the top of my head. And as far as shopping malls? Well that's pretty much all you have for entertainment-so if going to Hallmark cards and other mall outlets gets you going, you're gonna love it!

Hi, it is Duba which appears to be a port town on the Red Sea. OAT is offering a new tour this year that does a full-day excursion in Saudi, including a lunch with a nomadic tribe. It includes a 7 day cruise. It starts in cairo, fly to Luxor, pick up the cruise, head to Sinai, Saudi, Azaba, Petra and Amman. It has a post trip to Israel Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. At Christmas we did an OAT tour of Thailand and Cambodia. After reading negative posts I was really worried about our choice. The trip was terrific and so when this became available, we decided to do it. I have enjoyed reading your comments on Dubai and would love to hear anything else you have to add to Saudi Arabia information. I have learned so much by reading everyones post. You guys and gals are awesome!

That's Aqaba. I was never good at typing. sorry.

I for one would love to know how your trip turns out. In the past very few tourists would be entitled to a visa for Saudi Arabia. Unless you were Muslim and on Hajj pilgrammage, of course, or for specific business reasons.

I will post a report but we don't leave until Dec.16-Jan 7. This is one of the main reasons we decided to do the OAT tour--that and the fact I loved Peter O'Toole (those blue eyes in his white attire still makes my heart flutter)in Lawrence of Arabia and the idea of going into Aquaba. LOL It also gives me a reason to research the history of the area which I never would have done.

just to clarify - Aqaga is in Jordan.

Girlspytravel - I'm with you....Dubai is not my favorite place. However, my younger son LOVES it. As I type, he is returning from a school trip to Beijing and he has 10 hours in the Dubai airport! I can guarantee that he will arrive tonight and hop off the bus with a HUGE box of Dunkin Donuts!!!

Duba is in Saudi, on the coast south west of Tabuk. I agree fascinating that they are including, should be very interesting. You are right that was 'Lawrence' territory where he spent a lot of time, should be interesting.

Off topic though in this topic - Dubai I like, great mix of peoples, never had any problems with taxis, though places like Al Ain and if you go out of Dubai are intertesting. I think Oman still is one of the best places in the area out of those emerging destinations.
$ 2,000 a night, wow! For that price you should be able to wear what you want ( within reason ).

That's what I get for posting before caffeine.... thought the OP had typed "duba" instead of "aqaba."


I have not been to Oman - but my DH was there for a conference a few years ago and everyone I know who has gone has really liked it.

Duba is on the very northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia, very near to the point where Saudi Arabia meets Jordan.

I spent a week in Saudi Arabia in May 2001, but spent more time in Riyadh and Jeddah.

My guess is that the Saudis, perhaps, are opening Duba to cruise ships to bring in some tourists, who they will let travel around that area. The snorkeling likely is great, as it was near Jeddah, but I doubt there's anything to see.

Saudi Arabia is very difficult to visit as a tourist, and I had to be very creative to be permitted to visit for a week, and there's a lot to see, but I'm not sure if its that interesting around Duba. The most interesting thing about Duba may be the fact that its in Saudi Arabia and you will have gained entry into the Kingdom.

Duba is where they run some ferries across to Egypt, or at least did.

The scenery will no doubt be quite barren, but do report back to us after the cruise as I for one would be fascinated to read your experiences.

Thit cho, would love to hear your take on Saudi. Were the people friendly, etc. I believe this will be a fairly restricted visit. There's an old train station they said we will visit, the lunch, the tour of the harbor and then watch the sun set. I'm just excited about having the opportunity to do that little. The trip also has appeal because we love water and I think the bay of Aqaba will be lovely.Again any information will certainly keep my interest sparked since Dec. is a long way away. Also what did you see that was worth dragging home? Thanks again ya'll.

I looked at the OAT itinerary, and its as I described -- it appears that the Kingdom is now permitting cruise ships to stop in the very northwestern corner (and there are some sites, like the train station, and likely amazing sand dunes).

I spent my time in Riyadh (including visits to the camel market, which was written about in yesterday's New York Times, the ruins of the old city, chop chop square and the zoo, which was pretty good) and Jeddah (mostly in old Jeddah and snorkeling in the Red Sea). The people were very friendly, and I spent a large part of each afternoon at a juice bar (no alcohol) or smoking a sheesha, spending time with local men -- the cities generally close down in the afternoon.

There's not a lot to do, and I wasn't able to get to some places that I wanted to visit, like the camel slaughterhouse (although I did see the goat and sheep slaughterhouse) or Madain Salah (similar to Petra).

Since I "snuck" in with a business visa, I may have been the only solo, American tourist during the week I was there (I didn't have any business meetings, but did manage, thru contacts, to get the business visa), and there were no facilities to help me make arrangements.

Its a very interesting place, but I'm not sure how representative Duba will be -- but at least it allows you to visit one of the world's most difficult countries.

Thit Cho, how about posting some pictures of your Saudi visit? I know I would love to see them, and I'm sure others would be highly interested too. Thanks!

southeastern, I took my photos in 2001, before I had a digital camera, so I don't have electronic copies (only print). Sorry.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is determined to bring his country into the 21st century and has launched a number of ambitious projects since coming to power. Plans call for the development of five new economic cities in various regions over the next 20 years. Slowly but surely, the Kingdom is opening up to outsiders but society is very traditional and progress is slow. Without a company to sponsor your request, it is still very difficult to get a visa for KSA, and virtually impossible if you are a non-Muslim female, unless you have some very special contacts in the right places!
Women are expected to wear a black "abaya" (similar to a grad gown) when out in public, and in some places, such as Riyadh, the capital, a headscarf is also mandatory. Chances are, the authorities will be more flexible with one-day female visitors, as long as they are fully covered.

I know that OAT is issuing everyone "grad gowns" to wear as to not offend. They show a picture of it online. I think this will be exciting even if it is only for a day. I'm also sure we will be "talked to" before going ashore. Glad to see things are opening up a bit.

Would be interested in any feedback you can give me on the Oat's Egypt/Red Sea/Jordan trip. We leave on 2/15/2009

Rusty1cub

Saudi Arabia- Do not wear any symbols of Christianity, crosses on necklace, bracelet, pendants, etc. If you do, the associated limb may be hacked off. Tell me, in the name of God why anyone would want to even set foot in that country? Unless it is to make lots of oil money!!!!

regards - tom

"Tell me, in the name of God why anyone would want to even set foot in that country? Unless it is to make lots of oil money!!!!"

To get at least a teeny glimpse into a country that few of us will ever see??? Heaven knows I wouldn't care to live there, but to see the unknown? Sign me up.

Please report back!

Tom, I have visited, and it sounds like you have not, and its a very enlightening trip. I note the last sentence of your post, which I hope was tongue-in-cheek, but notwithstanding religious intolerance, the US has not hesitated in doing business in Saudi Arabia, and notwithstanding Bush's shouting about bringing "Democracy to the Middle East," he was too petrified to broach that topic vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia.

Its a very interesting destination, very near the top of the 120 UN countries that I have visited.

Its a stragetically important country, and I feel very lucky to have visited.

To me, its much more interesting to visit new places, especially those whose ideas are so different from many of our own. To me, that's much more enlightening than multiple repeat visits to the same national park, but I do understand the appeal of the familiar to some.

Boycott-
A boycott is a form of consumer activism involving the act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with someone or some other organization as an expression of protest, usually of political reasons.

And in my case more so "human rights" than political.

regards - tom

I was on a Red Sea cruise last year. We stopped at a few of the places you will be visiting. Here's a link to the trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?screen_name=Femi&fid=4

If the link dosen't work, the report is titled 'Sailing to Eritrea'

I was in Duba (Diba) and Tabuk on Christmas Day this year. I found the day tour to be educational and interesting. Granted, it was controled but our guide answered any and all questions we presented to him. He also said they were developing tourism and there was 600,000 tourists last year and they hoped to have a million this year. He worked hard to provide an excellent day. I believe it is important to explore other countries,religions, cultures, foods, etc. first hand rather than believing only what you see on the news.

I would agree with Southeastern! And while human rights issues may still have a long way to go in KSA, "the times, they are a-changin"! It's probably not a great idea to display crucifixes or other signs of reglious affiliation while visiting KSA, but you certainly won't have a limb hacked off for doing so - get real, Tom! Incidentally,some people here boycott American products, to protest American-supported Israeli aggression in Gaza.