just recently did a 2-day visit to Dubai on our way to Oman, and I thought it was necessary to mention the following:
before going, despite talking to countless people who had been to Dubai, NOT ONE person told us to go to the old part of Dubai (I believe it is called Bastakiya, if you look on googlemaps, it is the dense neighborhood surrounding the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding). anyway, this little neighborhood, as far over as the Dubai Museum, is totally charming! the countless "Windtowers" and tiny streets with old buildings actually make you feel like you are in a REAL city that has a history and a past. and we were lucky that there is an art festival on right now and until May, so they let you just wonder into any of the very old manorial homes in this borough and even climb up onto the roofs, for amazing views of the mosque, dubai creek and traditional rooftops. from here you can walk to the central mosque and souq, and then along the water to the LOVELY AND OLD houses of the Shindagha area, where there is an artificial but charming heritage village.
it took us the full day to do all this, and it completely changed our Dubai experience, making us feel like we were in an actual, real city, instead of an artificial conglomeration of highrise hotels. hence, i completely recommend taking a day to do this, instead of spending yet another day at the pool, or in some mall filled with the same chains you will find in California or Miami. skip lunch at the Cheesecake Factory or Hot-Dog-on-a-Stick next to some tacky colored waterfall and get yourself down to this sadly ignored area! :) thank you, Lonely Planet, for describing it and recommending it in your guidebook
