Souks: Many women travelers arrive in Dubai just for the sake of buying gold because it is duty free. The latest designs available at really cheap bargains is a must buy as gold investment is promoted these days. Other than gold souks, there are textile souks, fish souks, and the known spice souks where you can haggle for your favorite item.

Dhow Dinner Cruise: This is a perfect option for honeymoon couples or those on romantic getaways. A dinner cruise on a traditional dhow/abra will give you a chance to explore the city nightlife along the creek. The cruise comes with welcome drinks, international buffet dinner and cruise entertainment.

Ski Dubai: The first indoor ski resort in Dubai and a part of Mall of Emirates experience of skiing at Ski Dubai is exactly opposite of that on the mountain slopes. Enjoy the various difficulty levels, thrill of outdoor skiing and the freezing winter cold right under the roof of Ski Dubai with every equipment and accessory made available.

Desert Safaris with Barbecue: Desert Safari is also known by its colloquial name; Dune Bashing or Dune Drive which explores the sand dunes of Dubai in an off-road vehicle. Experience it with a BBQ dinner as a Evening/Overnight/Dinner Only Desert Safari, and it could turn out to the best holiday activity of your lifetime.

Lunch / Tea at Burj Al Arab: Higher than the Eiffel tower, with a sail calling the winds of the Arabian Gulf, not many can afford to stay at this 7-star hotel. But a lunch or a afternoon tea with your partner or family is not a long distant possibility and you can surely squeeze in the money and time for it. Dine at the world’s 7-star hotel at any of its magnificent restaurants available for non-resident guests:

• Majlis Al Bahar for À la carte menu with a beachside location along the Jumeirah beach.
• Junsui for Authentic Far East Asian cuisine or the famous 7 Course Asian Afternoon Tea known as “Junset Package”
• Al Iwan Royal Dining Hall for Arabic cuisine with a brilliant view of a powerful fountain shooting through the tallest atrium in the world.

Tour of the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club: Derby fans need to shine at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club where you can discover why the rich and the famous strive to get their hands on the best of breed of Arabian horses. The equestrian heritage of Arabia is well laid open here with excellent equestrian events clipped with fanciful of clubhouses, spas, restaurants & lounges and place of stay.

Dubai Shopping Festival: Not an event to be missed! Discounts, shopping, events and activities galore, the whole of Dubai transforms itself to embrace shopaholics into its arms and give their due, an unforgettable shopping experience. Visit here for more information.

Burj Dubai: Recently incarnated as the Burj Khalifa; the tallest man-made building in the world, this inverted-V shaped tower deserves more than a glance.  It has re-defined the limitless boundaries of man’s creativity and  what the future of science and invention holds.

Gallery:

There is a treat for all the fashion enthusiasts in the Fashion festival event and the tempting food festival will consists of all the regional and international delicacies for the food lovers. There is a weight loss conference arranged for the health and fitness conscious people attending the DSF.  Moreover, you can also enjoy yourself at the Human Cannonball, Art of Fire, Waterway of Lights and Chinese Flying Poles.

The main attraction is obviously gold and in addition to gold you can also have a look at the artistically designed jewelry put up on the windows of all the jewelry shops and the not to be missed part of DSF, this year, is definitely the Dubai International Jazz festival that will be having various live band performances. In addition to this, James Morrisson, David Gray, Lao Tizer, Jane Monheit and Brand New Heavies will also be performing in the Dubai Shopping Festival this year. The highlight of the DSF is live performances by Sean Kingston and Zakir Hussain. Also, plays like, Ben 10, Blood Brothers etc would be showcased on the screen to entertain the kids while their parents are busy shopping. The DSF is obviously not complete without its cartoon hero being staged in different shops of the city.

Organizer Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) have announced that this year’s DSF will go on until mid February and with a gap period of 3 months, Dubai Summer Surprises will be launched on June 17 2010. Dubai Summer Surprises, an event with a hangover of DSF will conclude on August 7.

Dubai is a travelers and shopper’s paradise and the festival blends the wishes of worldwide traders and shopaholics. The magnitude of the shopping experience is multiplied with eye-popping theatre events, fireworks and laser shows, street performances, fashion shows, prize draws and of course discounts on various merchandise. There is something for everyone at the DSF right from film festivals for the movie buffs to children’s functions to keep the kids happy.

Souks are a popular place to hang out especially for the women, as Dubai is known for its gold jewelry and spices available at duty free rates. If you are a good bargainer then you can hit the pot of luck with incredible discounts offered by dealers. Gold Souk at Sikkat al-Khali Street and Spice souk on Al Sabkha are some of the famous joints to shop. Do visit the Fish Souk in Deira even if you are not intending to buy. The market is worth a watch with fisherman pitching their voices to sell their catches and buyers haggling for a good price.

For those who are ready to spend a few extra dirhams can go for Persian carpets sold by traders from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The DSF co-ordinates various events and exhibitions under one space, where hundreds of traders not only get together to sell their wares but also showcase their country’s cultural highlights.

As the theme of this year’s DSF goes, One world, One family, One festival; the world citizens are looking forward to the opening ceremony of the Dubai Shopping Festival 2010.

A vacation trip to Dubai points towards sun, sand, beach and shopping. The best time to go to the scorching hot city is during its cooler months i.e. in between November and April, when the hot suns is at rest and cool with blowing winds during the evenings and night time. Even if you visit the city during the rest of the months you will find the air-conditioned hotels, malls and other complexes well-equipped to easily keep off the heat.

By and large the tourist season boosts up in between November and April when the temperatures are in between 24-35ºC keeping the evenings warm and nights chill. Months of November, December, January and February observe gentle wind where the mercury goes down almost up to 13 ºC. Likewise you can take pleasure in the rain if you tend to visit the city somewhere in between December and March. The temperature tends to rise up till 30 ºC by April that indicates the onset of approaching hot season-May.

A trip to the beautiful tourist place Dubai can be avoided for a holiday that involve lots of shopping, dinning and fun especially during the months of Ramadan, when the strict rules of Islam are applicable against smoking, drinking and eating and staying outside for long hours. As a consequence, the rates of almost all the hotels drop down up to 70% during this time where you are requested to follow the rules of the festival. If you want to eat during the day time then you are requested to eat somewhere indoors or else to close the windows of the restaurants and cafes while having food.

Though religious beliefs and sentiments are attached here, it equally spoils the total enjoyment involved, where you really find difficult to relax at length which is the sole purpose of your journey to the city. Similarly, avoid the period between June and September. Though the air-conditioned buildings keep off the heat, you would not be able to enjoy much of the outdoor activities except for the nightlife. Desert Safaris, Camping and Camel riding would be a bit difficult to get pleasure from, where sun bathing or playing at the beach can be revered in between April and October where the temperatures rise up to 40 ºC.

Still you can make your holiday remarkable where you can catch Dubai Camel Racing. It is held every Thursday and Friday somewhere in between October to April at the Nad Al Sheba racetrack while Rugby Sevens is hosted in December. The best period to shop in Dubai is around January to March where the famous Dubai Shopping Festival runs for around 4 weeks.