United Arab Emirates
Arrange a hotel pick-up before you arrive in Dubai. You'll be met off the plane and sped through passport control, beating the long queues.
The queues at immigration can be huge at peak times. Pre-book the Marhaba service. They will meet you from the jetway, drive you through the crowds and escort you through dedicated lines at immigration. They will then find your baggage whilst you browse the inbound Duty Free. I've saved at least an hour, the best value $21 in the Emirate!
Abras are used to ferry people across the creek for 1 dirham. For maybe 70 dirhams (dependent on your negotiating skills and length of journey etc), you can hire an abra for a journey of an hour or more on the creek, taking in the architecture of creek-side Dubai and enjoying a cool(er) breeze under an advertisement-adorned plastic awning. This is a very nice way to spend time in Dubai.
Board an abra opposite the spice souk, or the textile souk (Deira - south-side)
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