Blog posts
Don’t be fooled by the gleaming skyscrapers, Dubai City is steeped in history and culture. Take a traditional abra along Dubai Creek or explore the winding alleyways of the Bastikia Quarter. Marvel at the enormous gold and spice souks; bartering is a must. Dubai city represents the best value for money in Dubai and perfect as a base to explore the city or for a stopover.
Home to the Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building) and the famous Dubai Mall, the Downtown district is the perfect place for a short city break or a stopover en route to the Indian Ocean for a perfect mix of city and beach. Marvel at the amazing Dubai Fountains – the UAE’s answer to the Bellagio – and find plush skybars, Michelin-starred restaurants and a vibrant nightlife.
Located off the coast of Jumeirah beach, it’s a magnet for the rich and famous and home to many luxury hotels. It’s also been hailed the ‘8th Wonder of the World’.
Jebel Ali is far enough away from the hustle and bustle of central Dubai to provide a relaxing beach holiday but still close enough to explore all the sights and delights. Jebel Ali is great for families and there are loads of activities to keep all ages amused. It’s also the only place in Dubai where you can enjoy an All Inclusive beach holiday.
Jumeirah Beach, or JBR as you might call it, is Dubai’s most popular stretch of beach. With plenty of top notch hotels and pristine beaches, it’s a perfect place to relax and enjoy the Arabian shores. Hit up JBR’s cobbled beachfront promenade known as ‘The Walk’. You’ll find lavish restaurants, boutiques and a bustling market, not to mention loads of cruising supercars.
Away from the man-made wonders of the city there are rolling sand dunes and Bedouin camps within a short drive. Sand boarding, camel riding and dune bashing by 4WD are just some of the things you can get up to in the desert. Consider combining a stay in the city with one of our desert camps.
Let’s get started. Please choose an option below.
We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
Your next holiday is only a click away - our website has thousands of options ready to book. But if you need more help, just give us a call on 0344 472 9646.
Looking for inspiration? Explore our destinations and holiday types and save your faves to your very own Wishlist. Or dive right in to our 2021 holiday offers.
Over the past few weeks, we have repatriated our customers from overseas who wanted to come home.
Please visit this page to keep up to date with the Government’s travel advice on returning to the UK, and to register for email alerts.
With many customers needing our help, we are prioritising those customers due to travel before 31 December 2020. Log in to Manage my booking where you can message us about your options or you can give us a call. Bear in mind you may have to wait longer than expected. We continue to review this and working to open up these options to more customers. In the meantime check out our FAQs to see if this can help answer any immediate questions.
Rest assured; we will notify you as soon as we know if your holiday has been affected by email.
We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
If you need to speak to us to change or cancel your booking you can call our team on 0344 472 9646 or chat to us on SMS/Whatspp via Manage my booking.
For the latest information on Covid-19 you can check our FAQs here.
Don’t worry if you’ve missed a payment or just need a little more time to pay; we have options available to help you. If your holiday is going ahead as planned, you can continue to pay for your holiday in Manage my booking, even if travelling in less than 12 weeks. If you’re unsure, you can delay any additional payments by choosing a new time to travel by requesting a call back in Manage My booking for one of our team to look at options. If your holiday is more than 6 months away, you may wish to set up a Direct Debit to spread the cost. This can be arranged whilst rebooking or afterwards in Manage my booking.
We understand that you may wish to change your holiday plans and we appreciate the need for flexibility.
We'll be in touch by email letting you know how to register to change your holiday plans. You can also log into Manage my booking to find the details there.
Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.
If we haven’t notified you of any changes, your holiday will be going ahead as planned but if you prefer to move your holiday to a later time we can help. You can call our team on 0344 472 9499 who can look at options for you.
Payments are being prioritised based on when the request was made, working in order from March 2020 onwards. We will always try to process refunds at the earliest opportunity, for requests before August our maximum timeframe is 120 days. As we are steadily reducing the maximum processing time for each new request, for refund requests made in August, we expect the maximum processing time to be 80 days, from the date the refund is requested. For those requesting a refund in September, we expect it to be processed within a maximum of 60 days, and then reduce to 30 days for refunds requested in October, before returning to normal levels.
To finalise the amendment, one of our customer advisors will phone you. We need to work through amend requests in departure date order so we can prioritise those with the most imminent travel plans, so you may have a longer wait than usual until we’re able to ring you back. We will help everyone that wants to move their holiday.
You can contact our team by emailing feedback.backhome@virginholidays.com to discuss options on unused portions of your holiday. If you need to contact our team about amending an existing holiday or requesting a refund please log in to manage my booking.
The easiest way to contact us while you are away is via WhatsApp. To get the conversation started, click the link and type "hello” .
or you can get in touch with our in-resort team during local opening hours
Find contact details for your location
Outside of local resort office hours you can call us in the UK +44 (0) 344 472 9626 (option 2) or email us duty.office@virginholidays.com
If you are in the USA or Canada please email: USAreps@virginholidays.com.
Talk to an expert