Dubai Nightlife

American bar type place, with american style food, bottles of bud, pool tables and mad cocktails ('the bullfrog' is the signature mixture of all white spirits and blue curacao...mmm tasty...*** where am I ?). Live band as well.
Was full of blokes when we went, but am told it can be a meat market hence the title of this tip ! So go down there if you're on the pull !
My wife got 2 free drinks, of course I got nothing, being but a lowly male. The bloke on the door tried to get us to pay to get in, but dont pay it's free entry.

Dress Code: Casual - don't dress up you'll look like a muppet.

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On Thursday or Friday nights this is a very popular place, it is an open air bar right on the beach where you can sit on sun loungers while you get pissed. There was quite a queue of taxis to get there. There is banging house music blaring out, and the bars were packed solid.
If you want to get served quick, send a woman to the bar, they get served more easily !
Nice casual atmosphere in a city all too often dominated by velvet ropes and snotty attitude.

Dress Code: Casual - it's a beach !

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Many moons ago, there once existed a small, bland & boring sports bar on the ground floor of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. One day, Dubai's glitz, posh & sensual interior designers got their hands on the little sports bar and "voila!": the Apartment Lounge & Club was born.
With a capacity for 400 people this is just large enough for fun, and small enough to seem somewhat cosy and exlusive... and we danced happily ever after...

On a weekend (Thursday & Friday evening) mostly Dubai's beautiful people, the bored & wealthy & also the wanna-be's come here for drinks & a good time. But on a Wednesday, be prepared to step into a time-machine of cheesiness, for it's 80s night :-)

I love 80s music - it's perfect for dancing & singing along (come on, admit it... you know the words ;-) I've been to loads of "retro-parties" but this was truly one of the best I've experienced in a long time...

Even though this is a 5-star hotel, even though many of the patrons looked like fashion models, the atmosphere was relaxed & extremely fun! Nobody gave anyone any disapproving looks, 90% of the patrons were women & half of the men were gay. Literally EVERYONE was on the dance floor immediately.
There's something fantastic but also something universally weird about a group of women in the 21st century shrieking like teenagers, as soon as they hear the first few beats of a Wham! song... haha!

Wednesdays: "REWIND" - Ladies Night & 80s Night!
No entrance free and 2 free cocktails for ladies from 09:00pm - 02:00am. Try the Berry-Fizz-Martini; it's gorgeous.

There are various special events nights throughout the week, and this club has also seen a few of the internationally famous "Miss Moneypenny's" Nights as well :-)

Dress Code: Smart-Casual Club wear. Designer T-shirts, jeans & trainers accepted. No sandals, no shorts, nothing "too worn & torn". Make a little bit of an effort!

I've also been here on other evenings, and the DJ plays a mixture of funky and deep house music.

Opening Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 08:00pm - 03:00am.

The original "Lodge" (so I'm told) was always a real Dubai institution amongst the Western expatriate crowd: large, unspectacular, slightly grubby with dark wood and sticky carpet, but a relaxed & fun atmosphere that was a regular haunt on many weekends. Unfortunately it closed just a few months before I moved to Dubai (rumour has it that they tried to organise an "unofficial" gay-night... which of course is illegal in the UAE.)

In 2006 "the Lodge" made its comeback, and my friends that still remember the "old glory days" dragged me along into their revived memories of fake IDs, teenage romance & curfews. But it seemed that the venue's old flair was no longer attracting as many patrons as it used to: the city had moved on. Everything is fancy and modern. And our expectations have risen.

So once again it closed for a few months for renovations and with much hype and anticipation re-opened as CHI @ the Lodge in 2007. This large venue consists of 4 separate clubs/bars/lounges and a fantastic outdoor dance floor and seating area. The interior design is modern & funky, the DJs are younger, and the weekly events are more prestigious than ever.
This, of course, has driven prices up: a simply Vodka mixer will cost you a hefty 45 Dirhams! That's steep even by Dubai standards. But beer remains affordable at 24 Dirhams a bottle. If you are planning a special evening with a group of friends, consider booking a table including a few bottles from the bar... price is approx. 3,000 Dirhams! ( 1 US$ = 3.67 Dhs)

Dress Code: Luckily the club also stages some special offers on certain nights, including the fact that ladies do NOT have to pay an entrance fee as long as we arrive before midnight. And on various other evenings ladies also receive some free drinks. There is also a Happy Hour (waiting for updates on their website).

We recently went to CHI for their birthday celebrations: "Cheese" with Dubai's very own 70s & 80s-addict DJ Timmy Cheddar. The club was packed, everyone was having a whale of a time, and we were drenched in sweat by the time we went home. But don't be mistaken: this isn't purely an 80s club - every night sees different DJs with different music styles (Persian Night, RnB Night, etc.)

UPDATE October 2007: CHI Gardens are now open.... so now that the weather is all cool & gorgeous, that's where you'll find me... See you there! :-)

Opening Hours: Daily from 08:00pm - 03:00am.
Dress Code: Smart-Casual (no sandals, no shorts)
TIP: Make sure you get down early as the queues can be horrendous.

Not necessarily nightlife, but for many Muslims who are not into clubs and alcohol, and for the older generation, the most popular evening entertainment is to visit one of the many cinema complexes that can be found in the Malls. Films are up-to-date and there are a variety: American, Indian and Arab films. Sometimes the same film will be shown on two screens so there is no excuse to miss a show.
Tickets cost 30dhs and in the foyer drinks, snacks and the popular buckets of popcorn are on sale.
Some folk complain that cinema goers are disruptive , but I have only once experienced this [at a children's show].
It is a pleasant way to spend a few hours, sitting in an airconditioned place, on comfortable seats.

Dress Code: none

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excellent place to eat, drink and dance but quite expensive.
It has themed dinning areas like sushi bar, tatami seating, suken private longes.
I was There in june and on thurdays it was allways too full we had to wait more than an hour to get inside.

Dress Code: night

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This is the venue with the longest bar in the Middle East, with an authentic dark wood, creaky floor, British bar-look. Long's is a casual venue for a nice dinner with friends before heading-out into town. I like meeting some of the girls for dinner & cocktails there, laughing at the guys ogling at the young & the beautiful that come here for the warm-up :-)

The menu features dishes from the Far East, Mediterranean & a wide variety of traditional pub-grub: Fish 'n' Chips, Steaks, Burgers, etc. Long's goes with the principle "stick to what you know" and does well with it.

There's a small dance floor at the back, just large enough to get your boogie on to the collection of 70s rock & 80s pop. If your legs won't carry you to the ultra-modern, huge nightclubs around town, this is a practical alternative for some carefree weekend fun. Mostly Long's is busy in the early evening; frequented by party-crowds that pop in for an early drink, some nibbles & then head out to the clubs at around midnight.

SPECIALS:
Tuesdays - 80s & 90s Night, 2 free drinks for ladies between 9pm-midnight.

Fridays - Dubai's longest happy hour: 12pm - 12am & Brunch Buffet.

Saturdays - "the big chill". Beanbags, funky music & special Finlandia Shooters.

Dress Code: Smart-Casual.

M E N: Jeans are fine (no shorts), Shirts with collar, proper shoes (no sneakers, no sandals)
L A D I E S: Pretty much anything goes (apart from beach-wear!)
Opening Hours: 12:00noon - 03:00am.

TIP: For some unknown reason, this bar becomes *the* place to be during the Holy Month of Ramadhan, when all other bars are quieting-down and taking it easy... what fun we had!

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One of Dubai's most exclusive, expensive and pretencious night spots, its decor reminds of a set from "Moulin Rouge" with dark-red velvet seating, heavy curtains & candlelight. There is an air of romance & passion, enflamed by the French Renaissance period, yet with an added twist of Baroque arrogance.
Neverthess, if you can get in (the bouncers have been known to be rather "picky") you quickly adjust to the overpowering athmosphere and with the right crowd the night can be quite enjoyable.

Whilst girls are often spoilt, the guys might find themselves broke by the end of the night... this place does NOT come cheap! A simply vodka & coke costs Dhs 48! (13 US Dollars!)

From 07.30 pm until midnight you can have dinner to the Jazz & Latino lounge music along with classic tunes by Shade, Shirley Bassey, Barry White, etc.
By midnight, the lights go down, the music goes up and the DJ takes it to the next level. Creating his own club atmosphere with Funky, Latino, Filtered & Tribal house music along with the hottest and latest R&B grooves. The dance floor isn't really a dance floor, but a small & sufficient space near the DJ booth.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Sundays - free Bellini's all night for ladies.

Monday - Jazz Night.

Tuesday - Champagne Night:
Complimentary Champagne all night for ladies.

Wednesday & Friday - R&B Nights.
Free cocktails for ladies 'til midnight on Wednesday's & ladies get treated to free champagne on Friday's.

Dress Code: Dress to impress! This place is very "chic" to the point of almost snobby. So dress up, glam up and walk in.

NOTE: Take your I.D. with you! Legal partying-age in Dubai is 21, and this is one of the clubs that basically checks everyone!

Opening Hours: 07:30pm - 03:00am

Seeing her skin feeling silky smooth
Colour of cafe au lait,
Made the savage beast inside
Roaring till it cried More, More, More!
Now he's at home doing 9 to 5
Living his brave life of lies,
But when he turns off to sleep
All memories keep More, More, More.
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
(LaBelle - Lady Marmalade)