Dubai is so vogue right now
The United Arab Emirates city is not only family friendly and affordable, but it provides adventure, great shopping and cultural experiences too
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Your support makes all the difference.Summer in Dubai
If you’re yearning for a reasonably priced family summer holiday, look no further than the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai. Families in search of an affordable summer break can enjoy great-value offers such as kids-go-free and complimentary half board. Just a six-and-a-half-hour direct flight from the UK, Dubai is one of safest cities in the world and caters incredibly well for children, thanks to shaded pools, indoor attractions and water activities galore. Together you can splash in various water parks or the calm warm waters of the Arabian Gulf that lap at miles of pristine beaches.
Water babies
Atlantis The Palm boasts one of the world’s top water parks: Aquaventure. A sprawling adventure playground with Aztec towers, water slides that whoosh beneath ray-filled tanks, lazy rivers, lagoons and the chance to swim with dolphins, meet sea lions and – for those aged over eight – the opportunity to come nose to nose with sharks on a bubble-helmet safari.
Shopping
Dubai has more than 95 malls, including the largest mall with entertainment complex in the world: The Dubai Mall. While parents will enjoy browsing the excellent outlets, children will prefer KidZania, an entire mock town where they can pretend to be adults for the day working as firefighters, chefs, builders – you name it. And don’t miss the mammoth 10-million-litre Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo home to sand tiger sharks and stingrays.
Snow fun
Once you've topped up your tan, why not cool off on the snowy slopes of Ski Dubai. Located inside the Mall of the Emirates, Ski Dubai offers ski lessons and tobogganing, as well as one-on-one encounters with their resident king and gentoo penguins.
On the bounce
Are the kids bouncing off the hotel walls? Take them to Bounce – a giant web of over 100 interconnected trampolines located in the up-and-coming arts quarter of Al Quoz. They can somersault until dinner time and practise their basketball dunk. There’s even a mini version for smaller children.
Good Night
Dubai has more than 600 hotels – from five-star beach resorts to desert retreats – to choose from, with most offering summer savings of 30 per cent. Try the Marriott Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa with 18 on-site restaurants and bars to choose from, plus a Junior Jungle Club where kids can take to the water slides, sandpits and rope climbing while mum indulges in a massage or yoga class at the Elixir Spa.
Alternatively, try the Mövenpick Ibn Battuta Gate with its rooftop pool, the Safar Spa and Ibn Battuta Mall for retail indulgence on your doorstep.
- 5 nights for two adults and one child at the Movenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate from now until 31 August from £699pp.
- 5 nights for two adults and two children at the Marriott Habtoor Grand Beach Resort from now until 25 August from £569pp.
Book now at valueaddedtravel.com