Boat Charter in the UAEOne of our favourite activities in the UAE, whether staying in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, is to charter a boat for a few hours and head out on the water. With fantastic views of the city architecture and the opportunity to swim in the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf, hiring a motor yacht provides an exclusive experience at a reasonable price.
In Dubai, we like to start a cruise in The Creek to get a taste of old Dubai with the traditional dhows plying their trade, compared to the new Dubai with towering shining blocks of glass and metal. The 33 ft Creek Breeze from Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club (by the Park Hyatt) is an ideal boat for 2-4 passengers and costs just 325 AED/hour including fuel and a captain. Alternatively, there are often deals available on voucher sites, such as Groupon or Cobone. However, we cannot vouch for the quality of these deals and have never used one ourselves. |
A huge choice of boats are available in the UAE to charter, from the small motor launches with an advertised limit of 6 passengers, but where 2-3 is more comfortable, to the super-yachts, such as the 280 ft Moonlight II, complete with jacuzzi and cinema (and space for 50 passengers).
During the Abu Dhabi and Maldives Do in August 2013, we chartered Al Boom, an 85 ft yacht from Abu Dhabi. With an advertised limit of 50 passengers, we had plenty of space with our exclusive group of 15. A spacious air-conditioned living room provided the main indoor area, as well as a lower deck with bedrooms and reasonable showers. Outside, there was both a lower and upper outdoor deck, as well as a small sitting area upstairs. A ladder was lowered to enable us to swim off the back of the boat (although be careful of rip-tides). Al Boom is available from Lulu Boats at a very reasonable rate. As the boat is moored next door to Carrefour, we recommend chartering for a few hours and buying supplies for a posh picnic. |