Brash, glitzy and full of influencers, Dubai is a heady mix of high rise buildings, shiny malls and palm-tree islands – with plenty of properties available for weekly rentals or longer.
(Photo: themonnie via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
For those on a luxury shopping spree, keeping costs down probably isn’t of major concern. however, if you’re in Dubai for work or on a vacation, lengthy stays in hotels can become extremely expensive. So if you’re thinking of spending a while here, we’ve picked three of the best websites for finding short to mid-term accommodation that suits your tastes, budget and needs.
Booking.com
One of the world’s biggest platforms for booking hotel accommodation, Booking.com also features a wide selection of short-term apartments for rent in many cities around the world, including Dubai, and is our best pick for rentals of anything from a week up to a fortnight. During our online research, we found a sizeable selection of furnished rentals that ranged from about €80 per night to prices even a Sheikh might wince at. With numerous filters to help pinpoint your search, Booking.com is easy to use and is supported by an app that enables the guest and property owner to communicate freely. All bookings on the platform also come with a Best Price Guarantee that promises to pay back the difference if you find your chosen apartment available for a cheaper price elsewhere.
Blueground
Blueground is aimed at people looking to rent out apartments for one month or longer. Booking an apartment on the platform is extremely easy: simply filter and sort by dates, amenities and price through their user-friendly search function. On our selected dates, Blueground had hundreds of apartments available, many of which were in the downtown area around Dubai Marina and The Walk on Jumeirah Beach Residence. In keeping with the present times, properties are sanitised to the highest standard before every new check-in. For maintenance or service requests, Blueground also has a dedicated local support team and a Guest App at hand to report any issues.
Spotahome
There are a number of similarities between the look and feel of Spotahome and Airbnb, but where the latter specialises in monthly rentals, Spotahome is better for longer stays. When we looked at accommodation options in Dubai, we discovered over 30 properties scattered around the city centre, with prices starting at €150 per month for a shared room close to Marina Beach. As well as being easy to use, the site features well-written and insightful neighbourhood guides, and provides a ‘Favourites’ folder to facilitate the arduous task of finding the right apartment. Spotahome charges for its services with a one-time fee that varies according to the property type; however, it doesn’t include any utility bills or additional costs such as cleaning fees, late hours check-in or overnight guests. It’s also worth noting that the site will not refund either the reservation fee or the first month’s rent if the reservation is cancelled more than 29 days before your check-in date.