For a variety of reasons, and of course Covid permitting, we are wanting to do an alternative Christmas and are thinking of heading off somewhere nice and sunny. Will be the three of us so Mrs D and FBG who will be 9 at that point.

Dubai seems a strong contender – decent weather, decent hotels and plenty of options for a ‘laze by the pool/beach’ holiday that Mrs D is a fan of.

So, any pros or pitfalls and anywhere else we should consider?

Won’t you have to quarentine for 2 weeks upon return?

So, any pros or pitfalls and anywhere else we should consider?

What, apart from the shocking human rights record, bad treatment of women, exploitation of foreign workers, wanton hypocrisy etc….

https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/united-arab-emirates/report-united-arab-emirates/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/16/dubai-sex-tourism-prostitution

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Dubai

https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/09/dubai_sex_for_s.html

Plenty of ex-pats in Dubai so you can have a pretty conventional Christmas over there if you like all the usual Christmas stuff so as good a place as any.

As for quarantining…well we’re 10months away so how can anyone possibly predict. Dubai is pressing ahead very well with the Russian and Chinese vaccinations according to work colleagues based over there so come December they should have completed all their vaccinations and the UK will also be pretty well advanced so every chance that air corridors to places like Dubai might be open. Alot of water to go under the bridge by then.

A lot of time to go before then, but yes, vaccinations should help people avoid serious illness when/if travelling. Assuming that those vaccines protect significantly against local or novel variants.

Then you only have to worry about Dubai being a terrible place, as summarised by thegeneralist.

Pitfall is that is the worst place on the planet. Will that do?

I’ll be accused of peak STW-hand-wringing, but think of the poor sods who built, and work, in those ‘decent’ hotels:

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/united-arab-emirates

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/commentary-migrant-labour-abuse-makes-dubai-a-questionable-tourist-destination/

It’s not a regime I’d be comfortable supporting with my tourist spend.

What, apart from the shocking human rights record, bad treatment of women, exploitation of foreign workers, wanton hypocrisy etc….

I’m talking about Dubai not the UK. OK, I know you were too but my point remains.

We’re open to ethically acceptable alternatives so long as it’s nice and warm and has good beaches…

I’ll include @IHN as well as a cheeky edit – yes, am well aware of all of that but where in the world doesn’t have dubious standards at one level or another?

@footflaps – I am hoping that quarantine won’t be necessary by Christmas however this is a very tentative idea at the moment and if it isn’t the right time to be travelling we won’t…

With Dubai/UAE always look for religious holidays which are lunar based so always changing. Doesn’t completely shut down but can be very limited services during those times.
Currency tied to US dollar, so can be expensive compared to UK at the moment. Attractions pretty pricey as well but well run.

Never been at Xmas but was there this time last year pre corona (just) with our toddler and we loved it. Very family friendly. Look to stay at JBR, probably the most western feeling area but perfect for beach and getting out for a walk about. If you can afford it, hotel with own beach is great.

Ah, good, seems I’m not the only one

bad points its Dubai,
good pints its sunny, but its still Dubai

it’s rubbish. nothhing but sand, aircon, and gaudy malls that are like capitalism distilled.

I’ve not been for Christmas day but flown out boxing day for a week a couple of times for a family holiday in the sun. With kids we always found it easier to get an apartment (within the hotel complexes) as you get a bit more space and a kitchen if you don’t fancy eating out. There’s loads to do and as you say you’re pretty much guaranteed sunshine. The only caveat I have against the place is it really has no soul, I’ve been loads of times for business and quite a few with the family and although it’s nice it wouldn’t be my first choice destination. Oman on the other hand is a lot nicer, quieter and has a lot more culture, natural beauty and things to see as well as having great hotels.

There are not many parts of the world that live upto our exacting standards. Even vast swathes of the EU don’t and some isolated parts of the UK don’t. Ask yourself if places like Dubai would suddenly change overnight if us brits decided to stop going there? They wouldn’t. Not changed Iran’s behaviours. At least we have some influence while we’re engaging with these people and most ex pats working out there are doing just that.

We’re open to ethically acceptable alternatives so long as it’s nice and warm and has good beaches…

Aqaba in Jordan. You can also take a trip out to Wadi Rum and live your Lawrence of Arabia fantasies. And, of course, Petra and pretend to be Indiana Jones. We were there in January and it was nicely warm .

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/middle-east/jordan/articles/aqaba-jordan-city-break-guide/

Long story short; if your personal morals would let you willing visit Dubai or UAE then the world would be a better place without you. HTH.

nothhing but sand, aircon, and gaudy malls that are like capitalism distilled.

Apart from anything else, this. You could be literally anywhere. Why not be somewhere nice?

Quiet end of Lanzarote?
Malaysia?
Even Hong Kong is better (Port Stanley was nice when we were there).

Even vast swathes of the EU don’t and some isolated parts of the UK don’t.

Are you comparing these places to Dubai? Or letting perfect get in the way of better?

bigrich beat me to it.

Morocco is less obviously, well…Dubai-ish

What @thegeneralist and others have said!

What’s the most southerly Greek island, Crete? That’s got to be fairly pleasant in January I’d have thought.

Long story short; if your personal morals would let you willing visit Dubai or UAE then the world would be a better place without you. HTH.

Very unnecessary. You can disagree with someone moral compass without wishing them ill. Otherwise you’re a bit hypocritical.

I wouldn’t go just because of their human rights record as pointed out by thegeneralist. It’s one of the few places I have no desire to ever visit.

Thanks for all (most) of the comments. Yes, we are not oblivious to the various faults of Dubai hence the request for alternate suggestions. That said do you think all the nice hotels in the UK all pay minimum wage and treat their staff fairly and don’t rely on and exploit cheap foreign labour? not saying the abuses are as bad as some places but we are far from perfect in this respect. Plus our government is quite happy to cosy up to and support these various regimes so by association we, as a nation, are supporting their actions.

Re: Lanzarote, Crete etc. We have done Lanzarote in January a couple of times and it is just a bit on the cool side and the days are short and the nights can get really quite cold so Southern hemisphere is preferable.

Malaysia or the surrounding area is a good shout and happy to look into other areas of the Middle East. I will be sure to check with @timmys first before booking though to be comfortable I am not to be considered the very bottom of the gene pool by doing so 😀

Dubai – a holiday destination for people who don’t own any books.

Not defending the UAE or their ethics/workforce etc as it is awful. However, do the people on here that are condemning going there have the same thoughts about travelling to India/Bangladesh/Philippines as a large swathe of the workforce in Dubai are from those places and the reason they’re in Dubai is because they can earn and work and support their families far better than staying at home where they’d be left on the streets to die?

Long story short; if your personal morals would let you willing visit Dubai or UAE then the world would be a better place without you. HTH.

Personal attacks like this say far more about the attacker than the accused.

I was going to say, we’ve done Tenerife early Jan and lucked out with 25 °C weather. It is about further south tho. Did Israel/Palestine Jan 2020 (got close enough to Jordan to pick up the mobile phone network!) and it pissed it down for most of the week. So I do see where you are coming from…

So because they treat them like shit but pay a wage that makes them the good guys? Cool.

Found Dubai a bit meh, hotel, beach and shopping……then roads. Couldn’t just head out and go for a wander around so it’s a no from me. Cayman is nice, nice weather and beaches, plenty to do.

Ok, I’ll provide a positive… They have some really epic skydiving. If you want to go and do a tandem over the palm, with warm air in winter, then that’s your place. If you are into BASE, then you might also be able to jump off some really, REALLY tall buildings as well.

Ok, I’ll provide a positive… They have some really epic skydiving.

But you have to have over 1000 jumps to be allowed to land solo at the bay drop zone, less than that and you have to drop miles away in the dessert. Although I can sort of see why – plenty of opportunities to screw up and end up entangled in a sky scraper!

Pifalls – getting locked up for something that would not be a crime in the UK. Just no

What’s the most southerly Greek island, Crete? That’s got to be fairly pleasant in January I’d have thought.

It rains a fair bit in January.

Spent about 10+ days there a few years ago visiting family and to be honest I had a really good time. If you want sun, sea, really good activities for the family and nice places to eat its worth it. Don’t expect much in the way of culture / history its there just not very accessible and they don’t shout about it like the UK does. I wouldn’t go again but its such an unusual places im glad I have seen it. They also have some half decent mountain biking you just need to get up early to skip the heat.

Dubai seems a strong contender – decent weather, decent hotels and plenty of options for a ‘laze by the pool/beach’ holiday that Mrs D is a fan of.

This is basically what Duabi does best and if its what you’re after you will have a really good time.

According to SkyScanner, 4th most popular tourist destination for Brits….

https://www.skyscanner.net/media/popular-holiday-destinations

Long story short; if your personal morals would let you willing visit Dubai or UAE then the world would be a better place without you. HTH.

That Gucci moral compass is absolutely top notch. Where can I get one? Apart from the minor defect which allows you to wish death on fellow cyclists you disagree with, obv. Is it still under warranty?

Spend a week at a Somali pirate boot camp?

The kids will learn new skills

Long story short; if your personal morals would let you willing visit Dubai or UAE then the world would be a better place without you. HTH.

Really! Call me hypersensitive but I don’t think stuff like this needs to be said – Think about what you actually just said “the world would be a better place without you” thats got connotations of you suggesting this person dies. In a world of internet trolls I really think you should apologize.

Also, to add what you said is absolute nonsense if you didn’t go somewhere due to how they treat / treated people you might as well build your own island because even this one (if you’re in the uk) is FAR from perfect.

@squirrelking of course not, but if your moral compass completely defines where you’ll travel in the world you won’t be going very far afield.

Not defending the UAE or their ethics/workforce etc as it is awful. However, do the people on here that are condemning going there have the same thoughts about travelling to India/Bangladesh/Philippines as a large swathe of the workforce in Dubai are from those places and the reason they’re in Dubai is because they can earn and work and support their families far better than staying at home where they’d be left on the streets to die?

It’s slavery.

The myth of “sending money home” is just a whitewash of families having to pay back organized criminals who offered them loans to fund the trip.

“Modern slavery” makes it sound like it’s somehow better than 200 years ago.