A 40-inch Sony Bravia LED television for 4,000 dirhams (Rs 50,000)? We came across this and many more irresistible offers at the famous Dubai Shopping Festival. No wonder shopaholics love to head to this annual shopping jamboree held during January and February. Enjoying pleasant weather at this time of the year, the city decks up to welcome the throngs of visitors and shoppers.

The merchants sweeten the gala mood with countless raffle draws that are worth millions of dirhams in gifts, vouchers and discount deals. My shoulder bag was chock-full with free coupons to travel around Dubai, but I had made the sad mistake of leaving the shopping for the last day of my trip and ended up wasting all those coupons! Obviously, the wiser alternative is to shop immediately on arrival and ensure you have enough time to discover the city's many tourist attractions, virtually sponsored by your raffle vouchers.

Besides generous deals on electronics at Carrefour, the French hypermarket in the Mall of Emirates, and at Sharaf DG in the Times Square Centre, you cannot miss the many foreign brands that are reportedly priced the cheapest in Dubai, as it is a duty-free market. The luxury-car makers have a tent at Sheikh Zayed Road where you'll find a grand line-up of Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Land Rover, Nissan, Volkswagen, Bentley and Lexus among other brands. Go ahead and take a close look at them, and you can capture them on your camera too, as I did.

Golden opportunity

Shopping for gold jewellery in Dubai is practically a steal when you factor in the zero wastage charge (in India, it is at times as high as 20 per cent) both on new jewellery as well as any old jewellery you may want to exchange. Additionally, there is no VAT charge during the shopping festival. Thus, while you may not get a discount price for gold in Dubai, you will nevertheless pay less for each gram. At the famous Old Gold Souk ( souk is market in Arabic) in Diera, you will be spoilt for choice among the multitude of shops lining both sides of the street. Making charges are fixed (you can get good bargain deals though) and are not charged in percentage terms. And, to top it all, for every 500 dirham of gold you buy, you can try your luck and win 5 kg of gold in the mega gold raffle held on the closing day of the festival.

The Dubai Shopping Festival does not have any single venue or exhibition hall and is instead held across various shopping malls in the city, including the Mall of the Emirates, Times Square and the Dubai Mall in Burj Khalifa. Don't plan any shopping for a Friday morning as most shops here are closed (for prayer and rest). For those looking for souvenirs, the Global Village close to the Dubai Creek is the place to go to. The additional attractions here are the entertainment shows that are on throughout the day, as well as authentic Arabian food.

Elsewhere in Dubai too, food is a highlight, especially for non-vegetarians. With the biryani , kebab varieties and shawarma , you can taste the real Persian cuisine here. A lunch for two usually costs less than 40-45 dirhams (Rs 500). Restaurants offer vegetarian choices too.

Tourist attractions

How does it feel to be on top of the world? You can find out at Burj Khalifa — the world's tallest building — in Dubai. Within seconds after stepping into the elevator at the basement, we were deposited at the observatory on the 127th floor, and it was a breathtaking moment! You can view all of picturesque Dubai and its desert from here. The other place of great interest in Dubai is the Palm Jumeirah, the artificial island built on Jumeirah beach in the shape of a palm tree. Many a celebrity owns a luxury home here and the place also has a high-end restaurant. An evening drive through Palm Jumeirah proves to be a beautiful experience. At Burj Al Arab, a luxury hotel near the Jumeirah beach, you can relax on the beach or go for a swim in the sea.

Those in a romantic mood must hop onto the Dhow cruise — a two-hour boat ride through the shallow lagoon of the Dubai Creek. You can book your dinner here and enjoy it against the beautifully lit skyline of Dubai. With soft music playing in the background and a cool night spread out before you, it is a not-to-be-missed affair. Adventure lovers needn't feel left out either, what with the ‘dune bashing' on offer in the Dubai desert. The thrilling ride on the dunes in a Land Cruiser is like a special kind of roller-coaster. For variety, you can try sand skiing and camel rides. For some local flavour, you can dress yourself in Arabian attire, decorate yourself with henna tattoo and savour a barbeque dinner. The night's programme at the desert usually ends with an enthralling show of belly dancing.

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