Dubai & Abu Dhabi 7 - Full PDF eBook

Although most bars remain open in the

evening (it is still legal to serve alcohol

after sundown), live-music venues and

nightclubs with dancing generally close for

the entire period – even background music

must be kept to a minimum.

b g-name i dJs

DJs spin nearly every night of the week

(except during Ramadan), with regular

one-off dance events. The repertoire is

global – funk, soul, house (lots of house),

trip-hop, hip hop, R&B, African, Arabic and

Latino. Clubbers come out in force when

big-name DJs like Pierre Ravan, Roger

Sanchez and Joey Negro jet in for the week-

end, but even on a regular old Tuesday, you

can find ardent club kids grooving beneath

disco balls to house music, the preferred

sound in Dubai. Thursday and Friday are

the big nights out, when marauding expats

join gyrating tourists on the dance floor.

For up-to-date details on what’s happening

in the club world, check out the following

websites.

̈ http://www.dubailook.com

̈ http://www.platinumlist.ae

̈ http://www.timeoutdubai.com

̈ http://www.ohmrecords.com

̈ http://www.infusion.ae

c ub l policies

The door policies obviously vary according

to the venue but it is not unusual for top

clubs to restrict entrance to advance res-

ervations only, particularly if a top inter-

national DJ is spinning the discs. Always

check websites first. Some clubs are also

guilty of unabashed racist policies, particu-

larly against southern Asians, while others

turn away groups of single men, especially

on busy nights.

Overall, the Dubai nightclubbing scene is

an opportunity for the local fashionistas to

strut their stuff, so be prepared to seriously

dress up or risk feeling seriously frumpy, or,

worse still, being turned away at the door.

Beachside venues are generally more infor-

mal although there will still be plenty of

designer tags and attitude on display.

Transport Tips

̈ it’s best not to criss-cross the city on a

weekend; traffic is abominable on Thursday and

Friday nights and taxis can be hard to come by.

̈ Stick to a particular area or two for your

nightlife entertainment, such as Dubai Marina,

Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai, Deira or bur Dubai.

̈ under no circumstances should you ever get

behind the wheel of a car if you’ve had even one

sip of alcohol because...

̈ Dubai has a zero-tolerance policy on drink-

driving and you could be imprisoned for up to

a month if you are caught under the influence

behind the wheel.

b ying u alcohol

One of the most common questions among

first-time visitors here is: ‘Can I buy alco-

hol?’ The answer is yes – in some places.

n ed e To KnoW

c stso

It’s enough to give anyone the hiccups�

You could pay anything from Dh20 to

Dh40 for a pint of beer here or Dh25 to

Dh100+ for a glass of wine, depending

on quality and vintage� Hotels add a 10%

service charge�

o ening p hours

̈ Many bars and clubs are open seven

days a week, although some close one

day a week�

̈ Alcohol service is illegal between

4pm and 6pm on Friday and Saturday�

̈ Hotel bars are generally open from

around 11am to 3pm and from 6pm to

midnight�

̈ Smaller venues may close at 1am�

̈ Clubs open later, from around 8pm

to 3am, but don’t really get going until

11pm�

c ver o charges

Cover charges range from Dh50 to

Dh300 depending on whether there’s a

big-name DJ� Ladies should look out for

specified ‘Ladies’ Nights’ offered at many

bars around town; these generally offer

up to two free drinks, including cocktails�

l stingsi

Please note that the drinking and night-

life listings in this book are ordered by

author preference�

Plan

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