Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
ACCOMMODATION
TYPE
REGIONAL NOTES
• Key areas for desert camping include Asir National Park in Saudi, Khor al-Adaid
in Qatar, Sharqiya Sands and Jebel Shams in Oman.
• With a 4WD and your own equipment, wild camping (without any facilities) is a
highlight of the region.
• Avoid camping in wadis, Bedouin areas and turtle beaches (ones with large pits at
the top of the tide line) and remove all rubbish.
Camping
• The cheapest rooms are not suitable for women; in the Gulf, very cheap hotels
may double as brothels.
• There's no established network of backpacker hotels in the region and prices are
much higher than international norms.
• Yemen has the cheapest accommodation.
• Dormitory-style hostels (men-only) are only available in UAE and Qatar.
Budget Hotels
Midrange Hotels
• Generally offer good value for money and are often family-run.
• Ranked as some of the best in the world with spas, personal fitness and shopping
services, infinity pools, fine dining, world-class architecture and palatial interior
design.
• Often the only venue in town with a license to serve alcohol in countries where
alcohol is permitted, so they tend to double as entertainment venues to non-resid-
ents.
Top End Hotels
• Growing concept across the region offering retreats from the city but often in
isolated locations with few surrounding amenities.
• Range from basic Robinson Crusoe-style compounds (Al-Khawkha on Yemen's
Red Sea) to sumptuous palace-hotels with underwater restaurants (Burj al-Arab in
Dubai).
Resorts
Legal Matters
Although the law varies in specifics from country to country (
Click here
)
, it does share certain similarities. The legal
system in all Peninsula countries is based wholly or partly on Sharia'a law, derived mainly from the Quran.
In the West, Sharia'a law is perceived as notoriously harsh and inflexible, but in reality there are basic tenets shared
with Western legal values (such as the presumption of innocence until proven guilty). The severest punishment for a
crime is in practice rarely exacted (even in Saudi Arabia).
Visitors should remember that they are subject to the laws of the country they find themselves in, and that ignorance
of the law does
not
constitute a defence. In Saudi Arabia, in particular, it is vital that travellers (particularly women) ac-
quaint themselves with the local laws.
If you are arrested and detained, call your embassy or consulate and wait until they arrive before you sign anything. In
a car accident you mustn't move the car, even if you're causing a traffic jam, until the police arrive.
