Why a home, with children
A hotel room with two children is a negotiation about the light switch at eight in the evening. A home has doors. The children sleep in their room, you sit in the living room, and nobody whispers. There is a kitchen for the early breakfast and the milk at midnight, a washing machine for the swimwear, and a sofa for the hour after the pool when nobody wants to go anywhere.
The other thing a home gives you is a neighbourhood. Children do better with a routine: the same café for breakfast, the same pool, the same walk. A home puts you in a street rather than a lobby, and by the third day the security guard knows their names.
What to ask before you book: Is there a pool in the building, and is there a shallow end or a children's pool? Which floor is the home on, and do the balcony doors lock? Is there a cot and a high chair, and are they included? How far is the nearest supermarket on foot? We answer all four for each of our homes without being asked.
Which area
- The Hills and the GreensQuiet, green, low towers around lakes and a golf course. Big pools, playrooms, nothing to dodge. Our pick for under-fives and for any family staying a week or more
- Dubai MarinaThe public beach at JBR, a flat promenade for scooters, ice cream everywhere. Busier, and the best for children who want something happening
- DowntownThe aquarium, the fountain and the mall's indoor attractions on foot. Good for a short stay with older children; no beach
- Palm JumeirahA villa with a garden that ends at calm, shallow water. The most expensive choice and the most self-contained
Our family home is Vida Residences in The Hills: four bedrooms, a pool deck over the golf course, a patio, and a children's playroom in the building. For a smaller family who want the beach, Sulafa Tower in the Marina has two bedrooms and an indoor pool for the hot months.
A week, with room in it
This is the shape of the week we suggest to families who ask, from November to April. In summer, swap the outdoor mornings for indoor ones and keep the pool for after five.
- Day oneArrive, unpack, the pool in the building, dinner in. Nothing else
- Day twoThe beach in the morning, JBR or Kite Beach. Home for lunch and a sleep. The Marina walk at sunset
- Day threeDubai Mall early: the aquarium when it opens, the fountain at one o'clock. Taxi home before the crowds
- Day fourA quiet day. The pool, a playground, a long lunch. Older children: the Green Planet or the ice rink
- Day fiveA desert morning: dunes, camels, back by two. Or the old city and an abra across the Creek
- Day sixA water park, Aquaventure or Wild Wadi, with a late start. Dinner at the home, everyone asleep by eight
- Day sevenThe beach again, because they will ask. Pack in the afternoon; we can hold the bags if the flight is late
Two plans a day is one too many. Dubai is spread out, the afternoons are hot even in winter, and the pool downstairs is the attraction the children will remember. The guide to Dubai month by month says which weeks are kind.
The small things that matter
Taxis take children without car seats, legally, and most families use them. If that worries you, say so when you book and we arrange a driver with a seat for the airport and for the long trips. Supermarkets deliver within the hour, including nappies and formula, and the pharmacies are open late and will deliver too.
Restaurants are easy with children at any hour; nobody looks twice at a toddler at nine in the evening. Sunscreen and hats matter even in January. And every mall has a soft-play area for the hour when it all gets too much.
Questions we are asked
Where is the best area to stay in Dubai with kids?
For young children and stays of a week or more, the quiet green areas around the Emirates Golf Club: The Hills, the Greens and The Views. For a beach at the end of the street, Dubai Marina. For a short stay built around the aquarium and the fountain, Downtown.
Is a holiday home or a hotel better for a family in Dubai?
A home, for most families of four or more. Separate bedrooms, a kitchen, a washing machine and a living room, usually for less a night than two hotel rooms. A hotel is simpler for two or three nights with one child.
Do holiday homes in Dubai provide cots and high chairs?
Good operators do, on request when you book. Ask whether they are included in the price and whether a stair gate or bed rails are available. We provide a cot and a high chair in our homes on request.
Is Dubai safe for children?
Yes. It is one of the safest cities in the world for families, with low crime, clean public spaces and lifeguarded beaches. The real risks are the sun and the heat, so plan mornings outdoors and afternoons in or by the pool.
Next in the journal
A month in Dubai: long stays in a holiday home. How a month or more in a Dubai holiday home works: what changes in the price, which areas suit a working winter, and the questions to settle before you book.
All the guides
