6 extravagant services that make Dubai life even easier
The most non-essential services you definitely need to try…
Living in Dubai, we’re blessed with an abundance of services ready to make our everyday life a breeze. You can send your laundry off and have it delivered back clean and fresh the next day. If you need your house cleaned, there’s someone ready and waiting to make your home sparkle again. There’s even a person who will deliver ice to you if you run out during a fabulous soiree.
These things have almost become the norm in our lives now, but there are a few services that really make you feel extra. Here’s the most over-the-top Dubai services you definitely need to try once.
1. Whizz through Dubai Airport at lightning speed
When you’re going on holiday, you just want to get. on. holiday. You don’t want to be standing around in the queues, waiting to have your things searched and identity checked five different times. Ahlan is a service provided by Dubai International Hotel at DXB Airport, where you can fast-track through all of the boring queues with your very own chaperone. The Premium Ahlan Meet & Greet service also includes access to the lounge with a buffet food selection and a range of alcoholic and soft beverages. You’ll also enjoy a 15 minute spa treatment including foot, back or head massage from the in-terminal hotel spa, giving you the feeling of being on holiday from the moment you step inside the airport.
Ahlan Meet & Greet, Terminal 1 & 3, DXB Airport, 24/7, Deluxe – Dhs150 per person or Dhs315 per family, Premium – Dhs295 per person. ahlan-dia.com
2. Meet your suitcase at home
Once you’re back from your trip, the last thing you want to do is wait around for your luggage on the carousel, then haul it all the way home yourself. Emirates offer a baggage delivery service, allowing passengers to make their way home while their suitcases come to them. Ideal for anyone moving to Dubai, or just did far too much overseas shopping, the service costs between Dhs200 and Dhs250 for up to four bags delivered anywhere in the UAE. If you have even more than four, each additional bag will be Dhs10.
Terminal 3, DXB Airport. Tel: (04) 214 4433. emirates.com
3. Fill up your petrol tank from the comfort of your own home
We all know the dreaded feeling of approaching empty on your car petrol tank, but can’t bear the thought of queuing at the petrol station. That’s where CAFU steps in, the on-demand petrol refuelling service is available in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, and costs just Dhs18 on top of the fuel. You can choose the location and time in a quick and easy app, then put your feet up as they come and deliver your Super 98 or Special 95. They even refuel boats – if you really are extra.
Download CAFU from your app store. cafu.ae
4. Or have someone come and clean your car
Next to queuing for petrol, another time-consuming chore we could really do without is a trip to the car wash. Avoid the hassle of queues and waiting around with car wash app, Keno. All you need to do is select from a wide range of services and enter your motor’s details. Then Keno will come to you and leave your car sparkling clean. You can store multiple vehicles on your account, and there’s even extreme cleaning for those post-desert trips.
Download Keno from your app store. keno.ae
5. Beat the traffic from the skies
Uber is great, the friendly drivers will pick you up and get you from A to B in comfort but when is comes to being extra, you can’t beat Uber Chopper. Take a tour of Dubai from the sky on a 12, 15 or 25 minute ride in one of their slick helicopters. Of course it doesn’t come cheap, with tours ranging from Dhs520 to Dhs1050 but you can easily pay for the trip in the same way you would a car ride. All tours start and end at Atlantis the Palm, so sadly you can’t use it to commute to work, but you will get a pretty impressive view of our stunning emirate.
Download Uber from your app store. uber.com/ae
6. Pick up groceries at sea
Have you ever been on a yacht and thought ‘I could really use a bag of crisps right now’, or remembered you needed to buy milk? Us neither, but it must be a problem for some as Carrefour have created a solution. Carrefour Bites & More by the Shore is the ‘world’s first sail thru supermarket serving yacht passengers, jet skiers and beach goers’ and can be found off the coast of Kite Beach. Open six days per week from 10am to 6pm it gives seaside shoppers a place to pick up essentials and sail away.
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