Active Winter Sun Holidays in Dubi (Dubai)

Dubai or Dubi as many people seem (including me) seem to spell it by mistake, is an excellent location for a winter sun holiday location where it is possible to view a completely different way of life as well as go to the beach, perhaps play a bit of golf as well as experience some of the finer things in life. In this post I am going to focus on some of the more physical activities you can enjoy on holiday in Dubai.


Dubi as a active holiday location?
Desert safaris, camel racing, sand skiing, golf and exploring the wadis in a 4x4 vehicle are all very popular in Dubi.

Dubai Golf Holidays
Dubi also has some of the best Golf courses that you could ever wish for and is an excellent location for a golfing holiday. one of the best and probably most well known golf courses in Dubi is the Dubai Emirates Club and actually has two 18 hole par 72 courses: The Majlis, which is where the famous Dubai Dessert Classic [Dubai Desert Classic] is played and the Wadi which was redesigned by Nick Faldo in 2006. Like most golf courses in this region it is a magnificent oasis of green grass and water features reclaimed from the desert sand and well worth a visit to anyone who loves their golf. If you want more info try this guide to all Dubai Golf Courses including the emirates golf club Dubai.

Scuba Diving in Dubai
Scuba diving is often forgotten by people looking for some adventure in Dubai, which is a shame as there is some pretty good dive sites and centers in Dubi.

Hotels in Dubai that have a dive center include the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (00 971 4348 0000) and you can expect to pay around £15/US$30 per trip if you have your own equipment, or if you ar new to diving in Dubai around £280/US$500 for a full PADI open water qualification. Children are also welcome and they have dive courses suided for them as well.

Another location is the The Scuba International Headquarters is a fully licensed PADI 5 star Instructor Development diving centre in Dubai located on the Al Wasl Road and has a purpose built on-site swimming pool for training.

Wadi Bashing - 4x4 Holidays in Dubai
Wadi Bashing involves bouncing a four wheel drive vehicle (4WD) through dried up creeks and river beds. There are many companies that run safaris to Wadi Hatta or the Hajar Mountains, so should not be very difficult to organise.

If you are more of an independent traveler you can try camping under desert stars or again organise the trip through a company.

Jebel Shams lays claim to the title "Grand Canyon of the Middle East", climbing up to nearly a mile-and-a-half above sea level. The eastern emirates have plenty to offer too. Ras Al Kaimah to Dibba is a classic route, climbing from sea level to over 6,000ft and back again. It's always advisable to take a second car and tow rope in case one gets stuck. Most major car-hire firms are represented at Dubai airport an important point is 4x4's will need to be booked in advance.


For more info on Holidays in Dubi check out Dubi Holidays & Beach Holiday Guide

Winter Sun Holidays in Malta

Yay! I am off to Malta in the middle of March 2008 and I can hardly wait.

So why a winter sun holiday in Malta?
I have been asked a few times why I decided on Malta as a destination to visit in March, well a few reasons really.

Cheap Flights to Malta
Traveling out of Season you can often really get some great deals, not only did I get a cheap flight to Malta, but booking the flight and hotel through Lastminute.com I managed to get the flights and 8 nights accommodation at the four star Paradise Bay Hotel with a sea view for £350 which I think is a real bargain. Even though this is a cheap holiday to Malta, I still felt a little gutted because if I had made my mind up a few days earlier I could have had the same flights and hotels for £280!! (I was booking the holiday in February about a month in advance)

Scuba Diving Malta
I have a PADI open water diving license which I got on a trip to Mombasa in Kenya a few years back, and which I have not used since then, so I was also looking for a holiday destination with some warmish water not too far from the UK, Malta has a few diving schools and companies on the islands, the one I have chosen to go with is called Paradise Diving Malta which is located within the premises of the Paradise Bay Hotel which I was staying at, one of the reasons for choosing the hotel! For 7 dives and a refresher course, I have been quoted a very reasonable 220 Euros which includes the full diving kit. During the summer they make all of our dives by boat diving off Malta, Gozo, Comino and Cominetto. The dives include visiting four different ship wrecks, numerous caverns, chimneys and reefs. As they say on their website, Paradise Diving Malta has some excellent dive sites that are about 10 to 20 minutes away by speedboat and they cater for all levels of diver.

The Weather in Malta
Because the island archipelago is south of Italy and not far from Africa, it has a very Mediterranean feel to it's climate, similar to that of Southern Greece. Generally the weather is warm, sometimes hot in late summer Autumn.

I will post a few more articles once I get back from my holidays in Malta with my conclusions. For now check out the Beach Holiday Guides to Holidays in Malta