We did a booze run last Friday. Now you're probably wondering what this is. Yes, you can buy alcohol in Dubai but the taxes are very high and you're linited to the amount that you can buy. You also need a license for this which is a pain in the ass to get.
So what most people do is take a ride up to Barracuda Resort in Umm Al Quwwain. Here's a quote from a blog on this:
Getting Alcohol in Dubai unlicensed – Barracuda in Umm Al Quwain
Secondly, you can apply for a Liquor License and then get alcohol in Dubai Liquor shops, but they tend to apply a good 30% Tax on purchases, plus you have a quota on the amount you can buy.
Thirdly, you can drive to an Emirate where Alcohol is sold freely without licensing issues, but there is an issue of getting the booze back to Dubai.
the main problem is getting through Sharjah which is a 0% tolerance toward alcohol Emirate
Here's a pic of the inside of the booze shop. It has a huge selection.
Here's a link to the blog: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.celifornia.com/gallery/albums/UAE/Daily-Life/normal_IMG_0385.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.celifornia.com/blog/2008/08/24/getting-alcohol-in-dubai-unlicensed-barracuda-in-umm-al-quwain/&usg=__S7zrR4qQv7gR0U0PNEHfnzDEDoc=&h=640&w=480&sz =55&hl=en&start=25&sig2=xXwdBAwaM81eaiTyyViHwA&itb s=1&tbnid=phKzebbXYyLBnM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbarracuda%2Bresort%2Buae%26start%3D20 %26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3D isch:1&ei=4nTnS5evKMe6rAfHvbmEBA
Here's a map to give you an idea of the distance. It's about a 40 minute ride from where we live.
When you are at the cash paying, the is always a guy there who will take your purchase to your car if you want. We had him take ours. These guys bring black bags to wrap up the booze and they put it into your trunk so it is not "visible".
There is an abandoned plane right next to the road that goes into the resort. It was used by a former Soviet Union military guy to escape unseen. It has been turned into a restaurant.
This is the airport
If you squint really hard you can read the sign - It says Welcome To Barracuda. what's good is that they have many signs along the highway to guide you there.
As we were driving back, we saw 5 or 6 camels walking down the street. I wonder where they were going. They looked like they knew what they were doing. I was worried about the psycho drivers in the area.
Our stash at home
I think we'll need to go back again soon for a couple more liqueurs.