Ramadan for Asia and Dubai this September

[boris]

Am heading off to the Maldives/Sri Lanka and Dubai on honeymoon this September for most of the month.

Someone has said to me that Ramadan is on and this could affect the honeymoon with regards to facilities/food/drink. There seems to be no effect with bookings as we are staying mostly in resorts, is there any that we should be aware of.

 

[jrewing]

I'm sure international destinations like Dubai will serve food, drink during the day to cater for non-Muslims, but I would suggest not dining/drinking/smoking in public before sundown - it won't go down well with local population.Also, shops etc close at lunchtime in a lot of Muslim countries during Ramadan.

 

[dubai]

There won't be a problem in Dubai. Food etc available in hotels all day. Restrictions on bars, cafes and resturants not attached to the hotels from sunrise to sunset. No live music or dancing allowed during ramadan - otherwise life as normal!

 

[ci1]

Hi,

I travel to Cairo a few times a year and have often been there during Ramadan. The dates this year are 12 Sep to 11 October.

Ramadan should not affect your holiday or the facilities available to you, especially if you are going to a tourist area. Hotels/cafes etc do not close or stop operating because of Ramadan.

I have never been in Dubai but in Cairo we have never seen anyone looking at us funny or acting offended if we decide to eat before sundown.
Also, entertainment / music etc does not stopl. Life continues as normal as far as my experience has been.

But everywhere is different...

C.

 

[tkc]

I was pulled over by the cops once in Dubai ,during the day in Ramadan because I was chewing a white pen and they thought it was a cigarette ! At the time I left Dubai in 2001 the locals were complaining about the influx of Russians and other Eastern Europeans who were eating, drinking and smoking in public and the police were cracking down on it.
As a previous poster said, the Hotel outlets, Beach Clubs, Golf Clubs, etc are open during the day as long as they are not visible from the street. Stand alone restaurants are shut and I assume this will be the case in the big shopping malls as well. (I do recall one fast food vendor being open but having black drapes on all the windows). No live music or dancing, and if you go on a day trip to Abu Dhabi, no alcohol there until after sundown.
There's a great buzz in the souks in Dubai at nighttime during Ramadan as all the locals and foreign muslims are out until all ours shopping, eating, visiting, etc.

 

[ClubMan]

I was pulled over by the cops once in Dubai ,during the day in Ramadan because I was chewing a white pen and they thought it was a cigarette ! At the time I left Dubai in 2001 the locals were complaining about the influx of Russians and other Eastern Europeans who were eating, drinking and smoking in public and the police were cracking down on it.

And some people here think that McDowell is bad!