|
|
Dubai Bars & Cocktail LoungesThe second largest of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has an amazing amount to offer. In a region dominated by oil production you'll be pleasantly surprised to see little visible sign of this – bar the immense wealth! The creek around which Dubai centres itself is still populated by the old trading boats or abras and the markets (souks) either side of it transport you back to a time when pearl diving and camel trading were the mainstay of the economy. Although oil only makes up for 20% of today's economy the service industries that have arrived provide a steady supply of individuals with cash to burn on a dune-busting 4x4 or for boats missed in the blink of an eye. In fact once you've seen the sights including the Grand Mosque and Sheikh Al-Maktoum's house, the water sports and the wonderful trips into the surrounding dessert mountains and oases are a must. With western friendly alcohol laws, one of the best airlines in the world and of course tax-free shopping just make sure you go when you won't frazzle, between November and April is best. |
Vu's Bar
Gorgeous sea views greet you from the 51st floor of the awesomely space age Emirates Towers Hotel – perhaps Vu is Dubai shorthand for view. Like all swanky UAE hotels, your crowd is an upmarket mix of tourists and moneyed locals dressed to impress and the soft-cushioned air-conditioned luxury makes you feel like a superstar. Try the 51st Floor house cocktail: so deliciously strong we forgot to ask what it was. |
AL KHAN SHISHA CLUB
Al Khan Arabic Nightclub is an awesome Arabic pub style, bar style and nightclub style with live music and dancing. The Arabic Nightclub is in an authentic Bedouin tent with the luckiness of having Shisha at your table. Al Khan is a very popular Arabic nightclub with a lovely Arabian taste that is very popular in Dubai. |
Buddha Bar
|
Boudoir
If you’re not already staying at the Dubai Marine Beach, catch a cab to there and check out the Boudoir. Done in an opulent French Renaissance style, it’s bursting with solid furnishings, oil paintings and much velvet plush: more Moulin Rouge than Sheltering Sky. From the rose bowls at the entrance to the extensive drinks menu, Boudoir has abandoned Dubai’s obvious Eastern theme and gone for authenticity in its own right. The space is for fine dining from 7.30pm until 11pm after which it turns into a club-lounge where Martinis and Manhattans flow like desert wine and the glamorous hit the dance floor. Food leans to fish and spicy Oriental (French colonial perhaps?) all exquisitely prepared by chef Neil Witney, but it’s the late-night boudoir buzz you should come for. Great ambient club sounds and beautiful people are the name of the game. In fact, it’s so French cabaret frolicsome you can almost imagine Nicole Kidman in suspenders and bowler hat by the bar. |
The Apartment
|
Sky View Bar
Intimate venue with another great view, not to be confused with the celebrity-rich Sky Bar on Sunset Boulevard in LA – although the crowd here is equally glamorous. Romantic and intimate, it’s great for pre-and post-dinner drinks and big on live bands – both local and international. Strong cocktails and a score of other bars and shops to visit nearby – you are after all in the Burj Al Arab. Reservations are essential though.  Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai  The Burj Al Arab is located in the Jumeirah Beach area of Dubai, 15 kilometres from the main city centre and 25 kilometres from Dubai International Airport. It offers an unforgettable sight at night, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. With stunning views of the Dubai coastline from the upper level of the Al Falak ballroom, this luxurious venue is a perfect place for product launches, gala dinners and weddings. |
Juna Lounge
Make sure you book ahead before a night of quality cocktails at the Juna Lounge. It’s so popular they’ve been known to turn away the odd oil sheik – but only because he was odd. An intimate and luxurious lounge on the mezzanine level of the spectacular Burj Al Arab, it’s done up with thick cushions and bright sofas that make the colourful assortment of fruit cocktails glow like the Arabian sun. Stylish locals and ex-pats are your fellow drinking companions and if you have enough of them or the Mai Tai’s you can always go shopping in the hotel - although it’s more like a sail-shaped mall the size of a city than any kind of hotel most of us are used to. Best time to go is early-evening for the sundowners. Top-of-the-range humidors stacked with quality Cuban cigars are just one more attraction. |
51st
Floor, Emirates Towers Hotel Sheikh Zayed Road 
Dubai,
one of the most happening places on earth and a luxury and beauty capital,
has welcomed an amazing restaurant at the end of 2006: The Buddha-Bar. A
gigantic area opens onto the Arabian Sea, on two levels, with three
different atmospheres, a restaurant, a bar and a lounge. Situated in the
middle of this wonderful city, in the new Grosvenor House Hotel complex, the
Buddha-Bar has already conquered the hearts of most of the local beautiful
people.
Elegant
and opulent French restaurant-bar in a basement apartment of the Jumeirah
Beach. But like everything else in Dubai, it’s also much more than that. The
cavernous space includes a library, a vast wine cellar, a cigar lounge, and
a nightclub – a playground in short for the beautiful people for whom
money’s no hindrance. Done in a typically extravagant Moroccan theme, food
includes everything from foie gras to seafood – all served by dashing
waiters in exotic North African dress. Early evening sundowners are popular
but night owls might want to hang around for exotic cocktails and ambient
tunes spun by house DJs as the light goes down. Or are they hotel DJs? 
Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai