When to visit Dubai

The best time to visit Dubai and the UAE is from October up until May.
In October the weather may still be quite hot (up to 35C), blue skies are the norm and the evenings are warm. At this stage the tourist season is well under way.

Temperatures in Dubai are ideal during November, December, January and February (around 24C) although the evenings may be a little cool (13C). North-westerly winds (shamal) sometimes blow during these winter months, bringing choppy seas. Most of the annual rainfall occurs between December and March, but this tends to be in the form of short heavy downpours that rapidly clear away. Indeed some winters are totally dry.
By March–April, temperatures are beginning to rise during the day (early 30s) but humidity is still low and the evenings are warm. May can be quite hot again (late-30s).

Avoided visiting Dubai between June–September especially the July–August period which is very hot (high 40s) and humid (100 per cent). However Dubai hotels and golf clubs and other facilities offer very good deals during the summer months and it is worth remembering that hotels, shops, in fact all buildings, cars, buses etc are air-conditioned.

Fees for short-term visit visas to Oman reduced

Muscat: In a decision expected to boost tourism, Oman has slashed the fees for short-term visit visas from 20 Omani riyals (Dh190.10) to 5 riyals (Dh47.50).

Visas for a stay of more than 48 hours and less than 10 days are classified as short-term visas.

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) has also extended the free visa period for cruise passengers and crew from 24 to 48 hours.

However, for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents, the short-term visa costing five riyals will be valid for four weeks and can be extended by a week.

The visit visa for GCC residents will be issued by all ports, including airports and border posts, and Omani embassies.

Emirati believed to be the oldest in the country dies

(Gulf News) Ras Al Khaimah Rashid Hamdoon Saeed Al Naqbi, believed to be the oldest man in the UAE, died at the age of 107 on Monday in Ras Al Khaimah, confirmed family members.

Al Naqbi, born June 1, 1904, died comfortably in his bed, of natural causes, at home in the Al Oraibi area of Ras Al Khaimah.

His son-in-law, Rashid Saeed, said yesterday that the family will miss Al Naqbi’s humour, tales of the desert from yesteryears and his nightly gatherings with relatives.

Dubai residents refuse to pay service charges

DUBAI: Residents of the famous Dubai beach side apartment complex Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) have been refusing to pay their service charges after a rise in the fees.

The original service fee written into owner’s contracts was Dh9.5 per square foot. Dubai Properties are believed to have wanted to increase it to Dh21. They finally settled on Dh15 per square foot.

It’s thought that the rise in the charges has resulted in as many as 50 per cent of owners not paying their charges. Last year JBR residents were perturbed when the complex car parks were left open, allowing anyone to park there.

One resident said: “Security wasn’t enforcing that the car parks were only for residents so we couldn’t find any spaces. As a suggestion we asked for card access but the developer used the cards to block people who hadn’t paid service fees.”