For the people arriving, not the ones leaving.

The other half of the business, pointing the other way. Visitors coming into the UAE, handled by people who live here.

Covers: All seven emirates
Best months: October to April
Dubai to Abu Dhabi: About 90 minutes by road
Licensed: TKTK_DET_LICENCE_NO

Seven emirates, and not one is interchangeable.

An hour or two apart and completely unalike. The three at the end are the ones visitors miss, which is rather the point of having someone who lives here.

Dubai
The city everyone has seen photographs of, and the old town behind it that they have not.
Food, height, souks, desert within the hour
Abu Dhabi
More space, more culture, and the museums the region is actually building.
Museums, the mosque, mangroves, Yas Island
Sharjah
The heritage emirate. It is also alcohol-free, which is worth knowing when planning evenings.
Archaeology, museums, the Biennial
Ras Al Khaimah
Mountains, and ten degrees off the temperature.
Jebel Jais, adventure, quiet beaches
Fujairah
The east coast, on the Gulf of Oman rather than the Arabian Gulf, with mountains right behind the beach.
Diving, Al Bidyah Mosque of 1446, the oldest in the country
Ajman
The smallest of the seven, twenty-five minutes past Sharjah, and the one with nobody on the corniche.
A quiet beach day, an eighteenth-century fort
Umm Al Quwain
Quiet lagoons and Al Sinniyah Island, home to flamingos, Socotra cormorants and a working fishing village.
Birds, kitesurfing, the UAE before the towers

Where you stay

We find and book hotels, villas and serviced apartments across all seven emirates, matched to your dates and budget.

Where you eat

We recommend restaurants for the occasion and secure the reservation for you, including the hard-to-get tables.

What you do

We plan and book desert trips, tours, attraction tickets and days out, timed around the weather and your group.

On the water

We arrange yacht and boat charters from the marinas, with crew, catering and routes sorted in advance.

What people actually come for.

Nine things worth the trip, and what each one costs before we arrange anything.

Abu Dhabi
The Grand Mosque, at the last hour
The one place almost every visitor asks for. Go late in the day, when the white marble catches the sunset.
Free entry
Booking required · Modest dress · Closed Friday mornings
Abu Dhabi
Saadiyat, museum by museum
The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum, all on one island.
From AED 49
Louvre AED 120 · Zayed National Museum AED 49
Abu Dhabi
Kayaking the mangroves
Paddle through Jubail Mangrove Park, twenty minutes from downtown. Best at golden hour.
From AED 315
Guided kayak · 2 hours
Ras Al Khaimah
Jebel Jais and the zipline
The highest mountain in the country, with the world's longest zipline and views across the Hajar range.
Viewing deck free
Zipline booked separately · 90 minutes from Dubai
Dubai
The desert, properly
A dune drive at sunset, then dinner under the stars in the desert outside the city.
From AED 165
Group evening safari with dinner · 6 hours
Dubai
The creek, by abra
Cross old Dubai's creek on a wooden abra to the gold and spice souks on the far bank.
AED 1
Abra crossing · 4 minutes
Sharjah
Mleiha, and the buried village
Archaeology going back 125,000 years, plus Al Madam, a village half buried by the dunes.
Al Madam free to visit
Guided tours at Mleiha · 1 hour from Dubai
Dubai
The table that is fully booked
Dubai's Michelin-listed restaurants often book out weeks ahead. We secure the table for you.
Market rate
Tell us the night and party size
Abu Dhabi
A beach day that is not a hotel pool
The soft white sand of Saadiyat Beach, and quieter stretches where sea turtles nest.
Small entry fee
Public beach · Rates vary by day, confirmed at booking