BLING & BUY IN DUBAI

 

TAKE A TRIP TO WAG HEAVEN - AND BAG YOURSELF A BARGAIN AND A FOOTBALLER. BECKHAM IN TRICKS, ANYONE?

By Gemma Calvert

 

IT'S the shopping Mecca where Cheryl Cole, Coleen McLoughlin and Alex Curran top up their tans and enjoy five-star pampering.

Nope, we’re not talking about Harvey Nics’ beauty salon but Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

With its gold market, exclusive boutiques and bags of, er, bags, you can see why it’s a holiday hot spot for the mega-rich.
But you’ll get superstar treatment whatever your budget – take it from the girl who blagged Virgin Upper Class to and from Dubai.

Tip – dress smartly and ask confidently for an upgrade, as if you get one all the time.

We started as WAGs should – by dumping our cases, grabbing some 31°C sunshine, then glamming up for a night on the town.

By night, Dubai is like a mini Las Vegas, minus the sleaze – strip joints and even kissing in public is illegal here.

The Muslim culture means that only hotels can sell booze, but the city is packed with glitzy, glamorous venues.

And forget paying through the nose for VIP entry – clubs and bars literally pay you to come in.

Ladies’ nights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays aim to get girls in so the rich guys follow – if you bar-hop cleverly, you won’t have to fork out for drinks all holiday.

By day, Dubai isn’t quite so glitzy.

Its property market is booming, which is bad for holiday snaps – hundreds of cranes are sure to feature in your photos.

On the upside, the number of stars falling over themselves to bag a bit of Dubai means the celeb-spotting potential is huge!

David Beckham’s bought a pad on Palm Island, and Brangelina have snapped up one of the 300 “World” islands – built in the shape of the world map and 2.5 miles off the coast.

They opted for “Ethiopia” – homeland of adopted daughter Zahara.

I stayed at the swanky Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, close to the beach, where smiling butlers deliver cocktails on quad bikes.

If you don’t fancy lying on a lounger all day, try the hotel spa’s £54 Balinese massage, which is worth every penny.

And there’s no need for a pre-holiday wax – in the Mall of the Emirates, the NStyle salon offers a Brazilian, brow threading, manicure and pedicure for 90 Dirham (around £12).

Food is cheap too. Try the Jumeirah Madinat resort’s Left Bank restaurant.

Delicious red snapper and crispy dry chips with a bottle of chilled wine costs about £15 a head.

You reach it on a canal boat that gives a wow-factor view of the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel.

Like Dubai in general, the view of the 321m sail-like structure is breathtaking – rather like its room prices …

 

BEST PLACES TO MUNCH

POSH NOSH: The Burj Al Arab’s Al Munthana restaurant has fab views and Euro-fine dining.

BAR FOOD: Souk Madinat Jumeirah has so many bars, you can spend a night crawling there.

CULTURED: Bastakiah Nights offers Lebanese food in a traditional venue.

AL FRESCO: Try Barasti Bar at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi or 360 for great views of the Burj.

 

BEST PLACES TO SHOP

DESIGNER: Try Mall of the Emirates – but Marc Jacobs and Gucci are the same price as the UK.

HIGH STREET: The Mall again. Zara and Mango have ranges unique to Dubai.

BARGINS: Dubai Outlet Mall is a 30-minute cab ride away from town.

FAKES: At Karama Market, haggle for the fake designer bags.

 

BEST PLACES TO DRINK

WAG-STYLE: Boudoir at Dubai Marine Beach Resort has free cocktails on Thursdays and bubbly on Fridays. Look out for famous footballers.

LATE-NIGHT PARTY: Malecon dishes out shots after 11pm.

CHIC COCKTAILS: Bahri Bar at the Mina A’ Salam. Try a delicious raspberry Martini, £8.

 

VIRGIN HOLIDAYS

Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Five nights in Dubai with Virgin Holidays, staying at the five-star Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, costs from £695. Prices include flights, transfers and accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis.

Phone 0871 222 0307 or visit www.virginholidays.com

Hilton Dubai Creek Five nights in Dubai with Virgin Holidays staying at the five-star Hilton Dubai Creek, starts from £723. Prices include flights, transfers and B&B accommodation.

Phone number and website as above.

Photography: Folio-ID, Getty Images, PA Photos, Matrix. All prices correct at time of going to press.

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