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Hotels with Services for Children/Families

People traveling with children know how hard it can get. Kids get tired, they don’t like the places you take them too, they complain and sometimes even catch a cold, and above all – they love to play and spend time with other kids. So what to do when you are in Dubai, far from your child’s playground and kindergarten and there are no grandparents around to help you? We will try to tell you which are the best so-called ‘family hotels’, most suitable to stay in when you are traveling with your dear children.

Le Royal Meridien is a hotel specially oriented to host entire families. It has a small water park which can provide you with a person to spend some time with your child while you go shopping or just need to rest. They have a special ‘kid’s club’ whit all kinds of entertainment for the youngest and three swimming pools with slides where your kid can learn to swim for the first time. This is not a downtown hotel, but it is one of those that you don’t even need and want to leave.

The Anantara Dubai  Palm Resort & Spa is said to be one of the best places to stay if you have your kids with you in Dubai. Everything looks prettier than on a post card. Bright colors catch your kid’s eye immediately. In the sector of resort specialized for children there is something for each and every child; swings, slides, mini swimming pools, man-sized dolls of cartoon characters and super heroes. There are monitors trained to work with children of all ages and entertainers like clowns and magicians. You can also hire a nanny within a resort and she will take more than a good care of your child. They often organize excursions for groups of children taking them to Dubai Zoo and Museums.

Majestic Hotel Tower Dubai is very popular among family people because it has wonderful pools specially adapted for children and they have shuffles taking you to and back from the beaches of Dubai. That is important because not all of the beaches are approachable and not all of them have free entrance for everybody. These shuttles will take you and your entire family to those that are opened and have special programs for children, and kids are known to love beaches.

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina is also among the most popular resorts among families. They encourage parents to leave their kids at the hotel and go sightseeing or waterskiing while their children stay in the resort building sand castles, enjoy food specially prepared and arranged for them, play quiz games with the monitors, teachers and babysitters and go on a pony rides in the beach.

Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel is always the first choice of those parents who imagine their boys and girls becoming sportspersons one day. This hotel has a range of tennis, basketball and squash courts with professional trainers who are always glad to help your children making their first steps as tennis players or basket ballers.

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Taxi Costs in Dubai

Some people have the best possible experience with taxis in Dubai, while some complain about rides being overcharged and nothing according to their previous calculations. There is a reasonable and logical explanation for that: Dubai is one of the most popular tourist attractions and it is only natural that you will have a chance to run onto so called “wild taxi drivers”. Regular cabs in Dubai need to have  meters and very clear sign saying “TAXI”. When you get off your plain on one of the two biggest airports (DXB or DWC) you should be smart. Surely there will be some friendly folks approaching and offering a ride to your hotel, but you shouldn’t say ‘Yes’, because they are most probably the unregistered taxi drivers who will charge you way above the standard fare. The thing you should do is look where the people are standing in line and waiting to get in one of the Taxi cars and very soon someone will approach you and direct you to the next available vehicle.

Taxi ride from the airport will be somewhat expensive than any ride around the town, because like in any taxi in the world you have the starting price, which is higher at the airport than downtown when you hail the cab. In the first case flag fall is 20 Dirhams and in the second is 5 Dirhams. After that just watch the meter to make sure it is counting the kilometers regularly, and there will be no reason to worry or complain about the taxi fares.

Taxi in Dubai seems much expensive to those coming from Eastern Europe, because they are used to much lower rates, than to those coming from Western world. If we conclude that 26 kilometers ride, which is 17 miles, from the National Airport to Dubai Mall costs 60 Dirhams (around 17 Dollars), that is not expensive at all.

Dubai laws are strict and very respectful when it comes to woman and they intend to keep them safe and unharmed; natives, expats and tourists. That is why they came to an idea to form a special Taxi division only for woman. This taxi is called ‘Oink Taxi’ and you can recognize it by its pink roof. Drivers are always females and they will always stop when a woman is haling for a cab. They will not stop for men. If there is a mail accompanied by a female, and she is the one stopping the Taxi – Pink Taxi will stop. Vehicles other than Pink Taxi will stop for both genders equally.

For those using the Metro – there are taxi ranks as soon as you leave any of the subway stations, and for those who don’t want to bother with chasing cabs around the city, hailing them and waiting in queues for the next one available, RTA developed a special smart phone application that makes the whole process much easier and shorter.

We can conclude that Taxi system in Dubai is not much different than in other big cities. Use your smart phones to calculate distances and be smart yourself and everything should be fine!

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Things You Never Knew About Dubai Art

From the dry and warm sand dunes of the Middle East, comes a cultural scene like never before. You’ve guessed it, the emerging hub of arts and culture in the region. The place has a lot more to offer to art fans from around the world. So far, you may have known Dubai as the hub of tourism and investment, but who knew it will make its mark on art as well? Perhaps it was just a matter of time when the world would see Dubai emerging as a hub of art.

The tell-tale sign that it would become such one day was when communities from all corners of the planet began flocking in towards the city. If you’ve ever visited Dubai, chances are that you must have visited one of the many renowned art galleries in the city as well. Here, you don’t just see art on the canvas; rather they look alive and running. Here is more on why Dubai is becoming a hub of art and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future:

Art Beyond Boundaries

You are standing in an art gallery in Dubai, glaring at a painting and thinking if it was made by a man or just a photograph. Don’t worry, such feelings often popup while visiting art galleries in Dubai. wondering why? The reason is simple – these galleries feature art work from some of the most talented artists in the world. From nature to facts of life, you will find them all under one roof. Sculpture is another popular niche and takes a notable spot in Dubai art galleries. You will find a wide range of sculptures from depictions of ancient classic Greek ones to the Buddha. If you are more into modern art stuff, you will surely appreciate the artistic photography by famous photographers.

Abstract art is a must have for any art gallery, and Dubai galleries are no exception. In fact, you will find a number of different forms of abstract and pure art from different parts of the world. Keep in mind that if you could understand a masterpiece of an abstract art, you know the true worth of art.

Art is all about facts and bringing you closer to the truth. From happenings in our surroundings to political and social events that changed the course of history, nothing has depicted them in a better way than art – and no art worthy of your time and money can escape Dubai art galleries.