Travel to Dubai

You'll see women wearing the full range of styles -- from Arab women in black abeyas and niqabs, to Pakistanis in shalwar kameez and dupattas, to east Asian maids in jeans and t-shirts, to Europeans/North Americans/Australians in short shorts and singlets, to western aid workers on R&R from Afghanistan or Pakistan who wear dupattas and kurtas over jeans because they don't want to offend local sensibilities.

As travellers to Dubai spend over 98% of their time in air-conditioned malls, air-conditioned hotels, air-conditioned taxis/metro and air-conditioned restaurants, it's difficult see how people can justify wearing shorts and singlets. (It's arrogant and pointless -- if people want to dress and behave as they do at home, they should just stay at home.) I suggest appropriate clothing for a woman is loose-fitting with a high neckline, a low hemline and covers shoulders and upper arms.

If you stay at a hotel, there's absolutely no problem sharing a room with your boyfriend. If you stay with a local family, you might need to find out how they feel about that and perhaps consider some other arrangement.

You can wear the same as at home, but show a bit of respect when in the malls( and the a/c can be quite cold).

Carry a pashmina in your bag so that if you feel a bit uncomfortable or the a/c is too high for you then you can cover up.

Bikinis ok on the beaches/pools.

Western women here wear shorts, t-shirts, miniskirts. Don't worry about it.

# 2 - The question is 'what's appropriate', not 'what can I get way with'. Women who wear shorts and miniskirts in the Middle East are inappropriately dressed, and this is a basic protocol. The fact that Dubai does not (yet) have mutaween does not excuse bad manners by visitors.

Ok , for the record I did ask what is appropriate. However, by asking this I seem to have opened myself up for criticisim. I am trying to be respectful. However , I deserve a little respect for asking rather than doing. If you are going to criticise me for having bad manners. Please do no reply.

No one has criticised you, KAPRRT143. I have a different view to what's expressed in #2's post, is all.

Make up your own mind by doing a quick google search on 'Dubai etiquette', or browsing the relevant sections of a travel guide. There's plenty of information out there.

Have a good trip.

Ignore him, I have lived in Dubai for many years and am a western woman, we all dress as we do at home.( Obviously we don't walk around the malls etc in bikinis but I wouldn't do that at home either). For work i wear a short sleeve blouse and short skirt. You will see for yourself when you get to Dubai. We also do not spend 98% of the time in a/c Malls. When you come the weather will be lovely and you can enjoy the beach, pool, desert. The travel guides will say one thing but when you get here you will see it is very very different.

Kind advise, sharing a room is not advisable, lately there were cases on arresting couples without proper marriage documents. so take care

OK, I am going to disagree in two directions

I disagree with wandabug on shorts and short skirts. I would not wear them in public (ie outside the hotel area). There are plenty that do - but the fact that malls post notices on the door asking women not to wear shorts should tell you that it really isn't a good idea. Except on beaches I would say cover knees and shoulders. So short sleeves and capris are fine - shorts and sleeveless are not. Obviously, there are some that disagree; but I suspect you will be more comfortable a bit more covered.

Re sharing a room - the arrested couple included a Muslim woman (although a British citizen) and she had made a complaint about another man. If neither of you are Muslim and both are of a western nationality (and not Muslim) you are unlikely to have a problem sharing a room. We are married but have different names and have never, ever had anyone question us (when I first started going to the Middle East I carried our marriage certificate but after seven years of no questions I no longer bother)

Occasionally people are arrested for sharing rooms; this invariably happens after they get drunk and have a fight which disturbs the neighbors or in some other way cause problems for the police. If you don't make trouble for yourselves you have nothing to worry about.