Dubai Marco Polo Handbook (Marco Polo Travel Guide) (Marco Polo Handbooks) Paperback – 12 Oct. 2016

Yet another amazing, precise, interesting, full of colourful pictures, foldout sections and a map (separate) Marco Polo guide. This one manages to encompass Dubai (jewel of the East, no less!) in a limited number of pages AND it’s just been released, so all the information is revised and up-to-date. This Marco Polo book will guide you through the magnificent desert city if you are there for a week OR if you are relocated there due to work (believe me, you won’t be complaining of boredom if you have this guide with you, I am looking at you, expats!).Literally bursting with information, this is a more extensive guide than your average "pocket" version.As usual the Marco Polo travel guide tells you a little history, provides you with many tips and a lot of useful information. There is also an abundance of photographs, street maps and a separate pull out map for your ease of travel.

Overview: Marco Polo have provided an in depth overview of Dubai's most attractive features alongside a breadth of information about history etc.Review of:Dubai Marco Polo Handbook (Marco Polo Handbooks) Paperback – 12 Oct 2016Price at the time of review: £12.08Features:> The book is a hardback book which makes it stay more crisp and clean when being taken on your travels.> The book is easy to navigate around with the clear contents and the colour coding.> the book is very factual and informational.> This book is more than just a travel guide. Children could use this in classrooms for projects about the city.> The back of the book has a pull out city map which is suitable for any traveller and easily fits into a travel belt.> The amount of information in this compact book is incredible. It provides in an depth history of the city; places to visit/eat including prices, seasons and contact information; and also contains information for traveller e.g time zones etc.> This book is much simpler to use than looking information up online.My next part of my review gives details of the specific contents of the book:THE START:The start of the book has an easy to follow contents entitled ‘do you feel like…’ and sightseeing highlights which gives you some pointers of what you could do in the area and also the page number you would find it on. This is not the main contents page, however i am fond of it as it easily highlights some of the most important things to see and do in the area. They are titled under 5 headings: desert; islamic architecture; arabian cafes; camels; and souks.The book is in 6 coloured sections: Background (blue); enjoy Ireland (orange); tours (green) sights from A-Z (red) and practical information (purple). This allows for easy maneuvering around the book.BACKGROUND (blue section) contents:> Facts - this section gives information about the cities population, politics, economy and everyday life. I like the way some of these facts are presented in and infographics way which makes it easily readable and also attractive to the eye.> History - This section gives an overview of important times in history for the city.> Arts and Culture - This section gives information about the art and architecture.> Famous people - This section would be useful for anyone who wants to know more about important people from the city.ENJOY DUBAI (orange section) contents:> Accommodation - this section recommends hotels etc and also gives a price guide which helps with booking where to stay.> Children in Dubai- This section will help parents find things for their children to do. It gives places to visit along with the address and phone numbers of the location which will help if needing to book a place.> Festivals and holiday events - Notes down when public holidays are and also where to look for information about festivals which may be happening.> Food and Drink - Gives a list of popular restaurants contact details and also a price guide.> Shopping - A guide to where to shop to get the most out of the culture.> Sports and outdoors - There is no time to get bored with all the ideas in this section.TOURS (green section) contents:> This section gives information about 7 different tours of the area.1. Dubai by metro2. Dubai to al ain3. Abu Dhabi to the Oases of Liwa4. Sharjah to the East Coast5. Dubai to Ras al Khaimah6. Al Ain to Muscat7. To the Fjords of Musandam by BoatSIGHTS FROM A-Z (red section) contents:> This section simply states the most iconic places to visit in the area in the form of an A-Z. It gives in depth information about the location and also opening times and prices.PRACTICAL INFORMATION (purple section) contents:> This sections gives important informations for people who are not familiar with the city/country. For example it gives information about: arrivals, electricity, emergencies, etiquette & customs, health, information, language, literature, media, measurements & weights, money, national parks, post, prices & discounts,time, toilets, travellers with disabilities, transport and where to go.Drawbacks:> I would have preferred it if this book was spiral bound as it is difficult to keep the book open on the page you want. However, once worn in it is not an issue so i would recommend wearing it in well before travelling so it will be easier to use when your out and about on your travels.Overall i would recommend it to anyone who is visiting Dubai. I preferred looking at this travel guide instead of looking the individual places information online.