Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

i will be arriving in dubai next week at around 1am

no one will pick me up so i will be riding a cab, is there any particular cab company that i shall avoid,

since im new, where the nearest hotel that i can stay, and is it still safe to go out at that time?

thanks for your responses

Hey Kyle,

When you arrive at Dubai airport, there is a whole taxi rank for Dubai Transport taxis just grap one of those. Any taxi company in Dubai, Dubai transport, Metro taxi, Cars taxis are OK. But do not get in a Sharjah taxi, not only is it illegal for them to pick up in Dubai, they're nutters, you take your life in your hands.

Depends how much you have to spend on a hotel, there's loads.

Closest to the airport are the Meridien, Millennium airport hotel and Al Bustan Rotana, but all the hotels should offer airport pick up anyway.

Yes it's perfectly safe.

Kyle,

i think your choice of hotel is determined on the nature of your visit to dubai? business or pleasure.... how close do you need to be to the city centre.... etc ...

airport taxi pick up starts with the meter at 30 dirhams!!!!!

to get through the airport will take you about an hour, immigration and luggage. when you come out of the terminal building turn left and walk past the mass of people waiting around out side. the taxi rank is about 40 metres further on.

what i would suggest is to walk out, find an open spot, put your stuff together and stand around for 5 min to get your bearings, and aclimatise yourself to the heat. if you get harrased by people tell them to piss off. you may find some illegal taxi operators approach you - tell them to piss off as well - only take a cab from the rank.

enjoy!

Dude,

No the Dubai transport taxis don't start the meters at that, it's the usual 3 or 4 dirhams, that's what it was when I came back last week!

Plus made it from hitting the tarmac to outside in under 30 minutes, you just have to know where to go.

There's a brand new taxi rank with dedicated airport taxis to the left of arrivals, they charge no more than the others.

okay, i'll grant you the time through the airport.... at best you can hope for is 30 min - if you happen to be a gcc national or have once of those frequent flyer cards that can get you through immigration in 5 min flat...

does also depend on the time of day when you arrive, the rest of us plebs have to stand in the irritating queue for 1/2 hour


last time i looked there was still a 30 dirham levy on pickups from the airport! and that was last month some time!

Nope I assume that the 30Dhs is for hotel pick ups?

When I came back from Mauritius 2 weeks ago, hopped in a Dubai Transport Taxi at 3am and 4Dhs on the meter, went to Trade Centre and was the usual fare.

mmmmm ....
look at this link

http://www.dubaitransport.gov.ae/NewTariffs.htm

about half way down - starts at 20 dhs, although with the new airport layout etc... they may have revised it?

The more important question is--what do you want to do when you arrive at 2 am?

Why, hit the clubs after all

The way I see it, is that our bodies can sleep all they want after death...

theres really nothing to do at 2 am, and nowhere to go, i cant sleep after 2am so i might just go to some bar and get to know people, coz when my work starts there really no time for going out.

remembering of course that all the pubs close at 3am sharp!

dbxsoul wrote:mmmmm ....
look at this link

http://www.dubaitransport.gov.ae/NewTariffs.htm

about half way down - starts at 20 dhs, although with the new airport layout etc... they may have revised it?

those maggots are increasing the price. Why are westerners coming here when most of em cant save much after rent and other crap??

Still better than being taxed to death in the social welfare states of Canada and western Europe....

so ..... did kyle arrive?

if he did .....

a) is he still sitting on his suitcase at the airport?
b) is in the trunk of an illegal cab on the way to ajman?
c) is he snuggled up in his hotel bed nursing a major hang-over?
d) is he shacked up illegally with KC and the gang in the greens/ springs
e) is he shacked up with a friendly croatian damsel he bumped into at a supermarket?

f) all of the above - not in any particular order....

Im still here in my home country
since I'm using an ID ticket, (non-rev ticket)
my travel would be based on space availabilty on the airplane.

yeah i know it sucks,, i have to live with the fact that as an airline employee i have to wait for a seat to be available...

but definitely i will be arriving soon..

thanks for all the info regarding taxis, it will come handy