Dubai weather is perfect at this time of the year. It even rains – there is no tinge of irony in this. It’s actually a good thing because you’ll get to see something very rare. When it rains while you’re visiting Dubai, consider yourself lucky – you’ll see people actually celebrating rain outside. I believe it only happens here!

So, with the perfect weather comes the best season to spend time outside and enjoy unbroken blue skies and the weather that’s neither too hot nor too cold. And no snow! And this: beach time in December!

While taking the train last weekend and passed by Airport Terminal 1 and 3 stations, I saw a deluge of tourists coming out of the arrival building. Yes, it’s that time of the year when Dubai welcomes visitors from all over the world. Some are tourists on a group tour package, some are relatives and friends visiting expats living here. We’ve had friends who came in December for the past years and they all went back to their winter wonderlands wishing they packed Dubai’s sunshine and took it home!

We will be welcoming visitors again this month. That means time to get busy looking for Dubai hotels at the best price, I’ve been instructed! I have two groups of friends coming from Europe for a short visit in the next few days. With different hotel budgets and number of stays, I’ve been going through a lot of hotel reviews online which will suit them best.

So I have a question for all of you: If you are a traveler, would you rather choose a budget hotel to stay in (it’s only for sleep and your body is exhausted from all the touring anyway to distinguish a superior bed and a so-so) and spend money on something else or are you the type to never compromise hotel stays no matter how short, the sort of always choosing higher star hotels for comfort/luxury?