Jumeirah Beach Road guide

In recent years, a handful of new standalone boutiques have popped up along Jumeirah Beach Road, occupying villas and terraces. Spread out along the strip, they range from the fashion-savvy boutiques nestled in the mosque corner to the homewares and interior design stores in Umm Suqeim 2. If you want to explore this shopping hub, it’s best to go by car, as you don’t want to drop before you’ve had time to even shop. Here are some of our picks along Beach Road.

Ikea in Dubai

Ikea has flatpacked itself all the way to the Middle East with the 25,400 sq m outlet in Dubai Festival City offering miles and miles of inspiration to nest builders
Ikea has flatpacked itself all the way to the Middle East with the 25,400 sq m outlet in Dubai Festival City offering miles and miles of inspiration to nest builders. Home to every conceivable type of homeware, it’s the place where those new to the city swing by for basics and more expensive items alike. Expect self-assembly kitchen, bedroom, dining and bathroom accessories in abundance, designed to Scandinavian standards and tastes, of course.

Dinner on a doughnut in Dubai

Dinner on a doughnut

There are many perks that come with this job, whether it’s exploring the city via its diverse cuisine, eating out at flashy new restaurants every week, or meeting the young, up-and-coming chefs who are champing at the bit to make a name for themselves in Dubai’s highly competitive dining scene. But the assignments I enjoy the most are those that are slightly more bizarre, which is why I was excited and intrigued in equal measure about Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club’s latest dining innovation: a barbecue mounted aboard a floating doughnut.

Dining on doughnuts is one thing, but dining upon one is another matter altogether, especially when it’s floating on Dubai Creek. Of course, said doughnut isn’t made from deep-fried flour dough (which isn’t renowned for its flotation properties); instead it’s a name given to the doughnut-shaped floating barbecue stations that have recently launched at Dubai Creek Club restaurant The Boardwalk. The boats have been imported from Germany, where they’ve long been enjoyed by holidaymakers on the Bavarian lakes. What made them of particular interest to me was the fact diners are provided with a cool box
of food and drink, a smouldering, charcoal barbecue and left to their own devices for a couple of hours.

Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai

 Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai is recognized as the tallest and most luxurious hotel in the world. Gracefully shaped like the sail of a boat and perched on its own man-made island, the hotel is close to the famed Palm Jumeirah Island. Guests will enjoy the beauty and relaxation of coastal accommodations while maintaining a reasonable distance from downtown Dubai including historic Hatta Village and the Old Bastakiya District.
Location
Burj Al Arab is located 25 km from Dubai International Airport. It towers over Jumeirah Beach and Wild Wadi Water Park and is surrounded by the Arabian Gulf. Nearby Umm Suqeim Park is a relaxing retreat.

Rooms
Arabian nights are spent in luxury in the two-story suites with views of the Gulf. Exquisite decor is accentuated with jewel tones, chandeliers and spiral staircases, with amenities such as rain showers and pillow menus.

Restaurant
Burj Al Arab Hotel features seven restaurants meeting the highest standards in culinary perfection. The Culinary Flight takes guests on a gastronomic tour of five of the hotel's restaurants.

General
With a reception desk on every floor and butler services, guests of Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai can rest assured their needs will be met. Assawan Spa offers treatments inspired by the surrounding elements, and with an upgraded stay guests can enjoy a Rolls Royce with a chauffer. At night the hotel is illuminated by choreographed lighting.

Additional Information

    25 km to the International Airport (Dubai)

Vista Lounge and Bar In Dubai

In the case of many of Dubai’s bars, your wander to the bar involves mooching through a mood-killing shiny mall or outdated hotel reception bleating brain-melting muzak. However, the route to Vista at the new Festival City Intercontinental is so awe-inspiring good you may want to strut up and down it a few times as though it were a runway. The grand, high-ceiling ed entrance, flooded with light from the full-length windows during the day, is on a par with the Skimpiness when it comes to lobby scores (Yes, we subconsciously compare hotel receptions. How ‘Dubai’ is that?).
And if you liked the reception – you may well become a little overcome once you reach your final destination. Vista is divided into three distinct areas. Round the first corner and you hit the piano bar, where a tuxedo ed tinkle taps the ebonies and ivories, droopy chandeliers sparkle and couples rekindle romances or start something special around the cost tables.

Skyyline Bar in Dubai

It may not be the fanciest hotel in Dubai, but Festival City’s Crowne Plaza has one of its most popular bars
It may not be the fanciest hotel in Dubai, but Festival City’s Crowne Plaza has one of its most popular bars, in the form of Belgian Beer Café. We wouldn’t be surprised, then, if this new opening was a way for the hotel to take the strain off the BBC.

But that doesn’t make Skyline inferior to its sister. While its huge space doesn’t have the charm of the BBC, and its beer selection is nowhere near as wide (it’s dedicated to Skyy vodka, after all), it’s an excellent place to lounge about on the whopping white sofas or red hammocks while watching the sun set on the Burj. Its massive size also makes it an ideal rendezvous spot for large groups.

Eclipse Bar Dubai

Take a trip to the 26th floor of the Inter Continental's French-themed bar
It’s all about the views. Which is kind of fortunate considering the decor at Eclipse – while undoubtedly plush (the carpets could successfully cushion a fall from a 10-foot drop, let alone one from grace) – is a little, erm, ’80s. But somehow this works for, rather than against a bar where service is sleek and gracious (complimentary mishmash to offset the arctic air con, mobile table lights if you find reading the menu in the low light difficult, a selection of tasty bar snacks that are more amuse bouche than Walkers crisps) and the atmosphere elegantly subdued.
The emphasis here is on champagne, with an excellent selection available by both bottle and glass. There is also a decent range of cocktails and spectacular 26-storey views over the Creek and beyond.