# Getting out of UEA for weekend



## Guest (Jun 3, 2011)

After you get a bit tired of Dubai, and what to take a cheap low cost flight to a place that is more 'free' (e.g. no linceses to have a glass of martini, or bans on winking at girls): Where could you go? 

I suppose Kuwait or Riyadh are not the best options. So what is the closes 'free' world destination, still reacher by low cost arline? (suppose you dont want to play 900 dollars to fly to Bangkok with Emirates, but something like $200 dollars for the flight or less - any options?). 

P.S. Life without Ryanair Sucks.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Istanbul...

very "natural" place, nothing artificial about the city, very intense as well


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2011)

Tropicana said:


> Istanbul...
> 
> very "natural" place, nothing artificial about the city, very intense as well


Thanks; that is what I was thinking too. Anything in the other direction? Like any Island direction towards India? Or south towards Africa?


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## neilrock (May 7, 2011)

I expect that you can get cheap flights to Tripoli or Damascus....

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2011)

neilrock said:


> I expect that you can get cheap flights to Tripoli or Damascus....


I suppose you are being ironic. Have you ever heared of something called the non-fly zone?


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

Thankfully we do not have the cancer pf Ryanair but if you check out FlyDubai or Air Arabia websites you`ll find plenty of places to go.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

If you wish to travel in the middle east, is a good base but not too many safe places right now to go and see. Those are the cheap 200$/730 dirh type tickets. 

You can get to india and sri lanka usually for like 1100dirh or so. Then when you get there, you can stay pretty cheap. Kenya, Malaysia, Istanbul, Athens, and a number of other places, you can get to for like 1800. Still will end up being a costly weekend trip.

Site I go check to see how much will cost to go places from here 

http://www.kayak.com/explore/


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2011)

Thanks, quite interesting web site  Yes, Sril Lanka could be a nice spot. It smees one could also get to Bangkok for like 400 euro.

Based on the website, Kuwait is the cheapest place to fly to ($130), anyone been there?

I am surprised, that there are no cheap flights to Seyscheles or Male Dive, or some island around there.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Male is only  (seems I have gotten use to the exhorbent prices as a year ago I would have been screaming that as an outrageous price) 500$/1850 ish but then you get there and its 200$ a night for the cheap place to stay. Not a cheap weekend option. But is one of the most beautiful places so really should go at least once whilst in the middle east. 

If these islands were cheap to get to, then would be inundated every weekend with UAE expats and locals alike


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Istanbul, Beirut, Amman, Goa are all serviced by local budget airlines plus plenty more destinations that are a bit more obscure in terms of tourism.

Oman is also driveable.


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## Stellen (Mar 19, 2010)

Mihin Lanka flies from Dubai to Colombo, Sri Lanka for about Dhs900 return. I flew them last year and they were excellent. They also fly to the Maldives.

You don't need a visa for Sri Lanka if you are west European whereas for India you do, which costs about Dhs300 and takes a few days to get. Sri lanka is cheap, too.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2011)

Anyone has been to Amman or Goa? How is it there? Is Amman similar to Dubai in any way? How about Riyadh; the most boring place on earth?

I hear about Oman a lot, it is obviously close to Dubai; is it save there? Does it look like a different UAE emirate, or is it very different from UEA?


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

I've been to Amman, nice place but most people use it as a base for visiting tourist sites in other parts of Jordan (Dead Sea, Petra, etc), but still worth spending some time in Amman too.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

just came back from Amman after a business trip with some down time (not enough to visit other places though)
As Gavtek said, a lot of people use it as a base to visit other places. In my limited time there (this was my 2nd visit) i really love the city - weather is awesome (right now it was 28 degrees in the day and 15ish in the evening), and looks like a real city (not plastc like dubai). Good cozy places to eat in and night relaxed places for a night out (but yeah, the night life is not as great if you are looking for big clubs like Dubai - they are more like good places to drink and have a good chat in).


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

white_jasmin said:


> Anyone has been to Amman or Goa? How is it there? Is Amman similar to Dubai in any way? How about Riyadh; the most boring place on earth?
> 
> I hear about Oman a lot, it is obviously close to Dubai; is it save there? Does it look like a different UAE emirate, or is it very different from UEA?


Riyadh - you are kidding, right ?
Oman - looks different from UAE. And Muscat is diffferent from Salalah region. But again the weather is the same as UAE (or maybe even more humid)
Goa - chilled out place. I think a bit shady as well if you go to certain areas. I would highly recommend a trip there


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2011)

rsinner said:


> just came back from Amman after a business trip with some down time (not enough to visit other places though)
> As Gavtek said, a lot of people use it as a base to visit other places. In my limited time there (this was my 2nd visit) i really love the city - weather is awesome (right now it was 28 degrees in the day and 15ish in the evening), and looks like a real city (not plastc like dubai). Good cozy places to eat in and night relaxed places for a night out (but yeah, the night life is not as great if you are looking for big clubs like Dubai - they are more like good places to drink and have a good chat in).


I am surprised tho, it is so "cold" in Aman! It's like in the same reagion not even to the north, more to the south. Interesting! Even I was in Kenya, which is at the equator, and it was much colder than Dubai. What is wrong with this place?


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

white_jasmin said:


> in the same reagion not even to the north, more to the south.


Look at the map ! Jordan is to the north of UAE and Saudi. Amman is about 650 metres above sea level on some hills. It gets quite cold in the winter. Lebanon, Jordan and Syria (the Levant region) is very different from the gulf.


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## Global Citizen (Mar 1, 2011)

white_jasmin said:


> I am surprised tho, it is so "cold" in Aman! It's like in the same reagion not even to the north, more to the south. Interesting! Even I was in Kenya, which is at the equator, and it was much colder than Dubai. What is wrong with this place?


the majority of kenya is elevated... thats why its cool.


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks for the replies all.

Riyadh: Why did I got this "Are you kidding?" reply? The reason I asked, is coz its a capital city of a G20 country. I have no idea if it is boring or not; that is why I ask.

Kuwait: Lot of low-cost to Kuwait, anything there? Or those are just locals who fly there?

I do not know how elevated Kenya is, but in Nairobi it was not hot at all. And at the sea there are some good spots for tourists, which are also not that hot as Dubai. There must be something else waking Dubai so hot. Isn't Bangkok at the same line (more or less) as Dubai, or even Canary Islands or Mexico.... so there are other factors at play making GCC so hot!


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

Cyprus is lovely at this time of year and only 2 hour flight. Accommodation and food/drink is cheap (compared to Dubai).


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## amik (Nov 3, 2010)

Beirut Duh!!!


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2011)

Cyprus? Awesome! Any low costs fly to Cyprus?


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

You'll be less than 400 Euros to fly Cyprus Air from Abu Dhabi.


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## Guest (Jun 6, 2011)

Gavtek said:


> You'll be less than 400 Euros to fly Cyprus Air from Abu Dhabi.


Then its better to fly to Bangkok; "one night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble".


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## SilverClover (May 30, 2011)

Why not go to Bahrain? It's an hour flight, and there are bars and clubs. Bahrain Air is dirt cheap to fly on, and not too bad, either - they've got two DXB-BAH/BAH-DXB flights a day, most days.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Nice so you have been to Bahrain the first time I read about this country I was not serious about it..Bah Rain...that's where the water is 

Seriously, if there are some folks willing to go there may be we can all go together because one hour of flight is not really bad at all....How about the turmoil ? is it still going on?


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2011)

Canuck_Sens said:


> Nice so you have been to Bahrain the first time I read about this country I was not serious about it..Bah Rain...that's where the water is
> 
> Seriously, if there are some folks willing to go there may be we can all go together because one hour of flight is not really bad at all....How about the turmoil ? is it still going on?


Once I get to UEA, I will join you on this Bah Rain exploration tour. Although, I think that larger part of the population is now in jail, and there will be no tourist etc., but why not? ;-) 

Will anyone be interested to do a Kuwait trip during weekend? Or Teheran trip? I am definitelly not going there alone 

Besides did you read that there was supposed to be F1 GP in Bahrain in October 2011 and 11 teams wrote a letter that they refuse to take part in a GP in Bahrain, so they had to cancel it. LOL


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Why the hell would you go to Bahrain? I know the UAE is hardly whiter than white when it comes to human rights, but in Bahrain, they're actually prosecuting doctors and nurses who attended to injured protestors.


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## w_man (Apr 16, 2010)

Will anyone be interested to do a Kuwait trip during weekend? Or Teheran trip? I am definitelly not going there alone 
[/QUOTE]

I have yet to meet someone who goes to Kuwait for anything other than work reasons. I would personally never go there for 'fun'.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2011)

Why go to Bah Rain? Why go to Kuwait?

"Adventrure tourisme" kind of trip.
"Adrenaline" kind of trip.
"I've been there" kind of trip.
"To send a postcard from Kuwait to your Grandma" kind of trip.
"Doing something weird that others don't doo" kind ot trip.

Btw. Has anyone been to Teheran? Or at least Kish Island? Your views on that?


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

w_man said:


> Will anyone be interested to do a Kuwait trip during weekend? Or Teheran trip? I am definitelly not going there alone
> I have yet to meet someone who goes to Kuwait for anything other than work reasons. I would personally never go there for 'fun'.


come on! where is your spirit of adventure ? It cannot be DAT bad......

Hmmmm talking about the F1 race in Bahrain....it was really ridiculous what FIA had decided. They are bunch of jerks. How could they possibly think about having something there without consulting the F1 teams ? Don't they have a say ? It is true that FIA is run by morons, but I refuse to believe that they are a cohort of stupids too.

When you come to UAE Jasmin let me know.


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## hubbly_bubbly (Oct 17, 2010)

white_jasmin said:


> Why go to Bah Rain? Why go to Kuwait?
> 
> "Adventrure tourisme" kind of trip.
> "Adrenaline" kind of trip.
> ...


Bahrain (and Kuwait) is hardly the _adventure tourism_ you are possibly alluring to.

Maybe you should try somewhere like Afghanistan. Kabul to Bamiyan return, for example. Tourist visas available from Afghan consulate in Dubai. Kabul is a 2 hour flight from Dubai, cheap airfares and hotels. Good expat/NGO community - locals are great too - and, if you must, you'll definitely be able to get the _adrenaline_ photo to send to your Grandma to say that you were there and it was weird because there were very few other people doing it. Besides, any tourist money going into the society will help or do your trip through an NGO - you may have to work to pay your way. Anyway, organise it properly and you'll have a blast. No pun intended.

Tehran is good too but better to get further south.

On the less blood pumping side of life, Tunis (Tunisia) is also very cool place to hang out. Good beaches and food too, all the way down to Djerba. Plane ride takes a while though because you have to skirt Libya. But again, any tourist dollars can only help.

Only thought is that you will probably need a week or two for these kind of trips, except to Tunis only. Other weekend suggestions, I think some are already mentioned, but Beirut, Damascus (if it all calms down - no westerners currently allowed) Amman (Petra and Dead Sea but it will need to be a long weekend), Jerusalem/Tel Aviv, Red Sea (Egypt) and yes, Cyrpus too.

Failing all that and other posts, Lonely Planet and a good travel agent should sort you out.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Canuck_Sens said:


> Hmmmm talking about the F1 race in Bahrain....it was really ridiculous what FIA had decided. They are bunch of jerks. How could they possibly think about having something there without consulting the F1 teams ? Don't they have a say ? It is true that FIA is run by morons, but I refuse to believe that they are a cohort of stupids too.


Ecclestone knew exactly what he was doing, he needed Bahrain to say that they were able to host it for Force Majeure to kick in and Bernie would still be contractually entitled to the funds from Bahrain when the teams rejected it.

If the teams rejected it first, he never would have been able to "reschedule" the GP and would lost out on millions of dollars.

He may be a lot of things, but he's not stupid! And nothing to do with FIA anyway.

Back on topic, you do have to question the mentality of people who would go to Bahrain right now for an "adventure". 

No doubt the sort of people who'd go travelling through poverty-stricken parts of Asia and think nothing of showing off their fancy cameras and cell phones.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Gavtek said:


> He may be a lot of things, but he's not stupid! And nothing to do with FIA anyway.
> .



We knew that there was some money talk...why would someone do anything there other other than $$$ ?

Check just what happened between Australia and Indonesia....Australia is losing lots of money because some decent Aussies had the guts to speak their minds after a TV news and voila the government had no option but to stall all the exports...no money talk there.

Hopefully the turmoil will pass in the GCC and other countries..I hope it does....I really would like to check out some of the places


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## SilverClover (May 30, 2011)

Canuck_Sens said:


> Nice so you have been to Bahrain the first time I read about this country I was not serious about it..Bah Rain...that's where the water is
> 
> Seriously, if there are some folks willing to go there may be we can all go together because one hour of flight is not really bad at all....How about the turmoil ? is it still going on?


I've lived in Bahrain since 1991, and I'm moving to Dubai this Thursday, so I know the country pretty well... the nightlife's nowhere near what you'll get in the UAE, yes, the F1's been cancelled, yes, human rights issues right now are crazy, and yes, I do still hear the army/police/whoever they are shooting teargas at the Shiites in the village behind my house nearly every night... but if you stay at the other end of the island, you'll not even know anything's going on. 

On second thought, after reading that... why would you want to come at all? XD It's a very different place nowadays to what it used to be.


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