IT’S the gold-paved playground for the rich and famous – an affluent oasis in a desert that once was nothing but is now defined by utter excess.
So it’s no surprise that Dubai has risen to the top of the celeb holiday pile — with the likes of David Beckham and Madonna even investing in posh homes near its famous Jumeirah Beach.
Rio and Kate Ferdinand have moved from their £4million mansion in Kent to the United Arab EmiratesInstagram
Molly-Mae Hague in front of Burj Al Arab hotelinstagram.com/mollymaehagu
Kelly Lundberg moved to Dubai aged 21, while working as cabin crew for the Emirates airline
Meanwhile, others have gone one step further, such as Rio and Kate Ferdinand, who earlier this week announced they had moved from their £4million mansion in Bromley, Kent, to the United Arab Emirates.
Sharing the happy news on Instagram, Kate told their millions of followers: “A new chapter, a fresh start — because if we don’t try, we’ll never know.”
Alongside a slew of snaps giving glimpses of their swanky new digs, she added: “Ahhh! We’ve talked about this for so long, and now it’s finally real . . . we’re here.
“We are making a home in the place we met!”
Soon after, a source close to the couple told The Sun: “Nothing is keeping Rio and Kate in the UK any more, and they really wanted to start a new adventure.”
They added that there are “loads of business prospects in Dubai . . . and they have loads of friends there and reckon the kids will have a much better quality of life”.
But what exactly does that lifestyle entail?
And why is Dubai such an irresistible option?
On the face of it, it’s a no-brainer.
While the UK is blighted by high taxes, rotten weather, soaring crime and a certain sense of stress-tinged grimness, the opulent city of Dubai seems a paradise in comparison.
Its crystalline, man-made rivers, which make the Thames look like loo water, snake through the power-washed streets, which are packed with designer shops and five-star accommodation.
Meanwhile, with 12 Michelin-star restaurants and counting, its very own swish style event Dubai Fashion Week (coming next week), and every extreme sport and luxury experience one could wish for — including a ski slope — it easily eclipses some of the world’s leading cities.
Then, of course, there is the zero income tax, which helps the rich get richer and proves irresistible to so many earners who, elsewhere in the world, would face big levies.
All that and more add to the strange yet exhilarating feeling that Dubai folk are living in some kind of simulated, theme- park version of reality.
It may not be authentically steeped in history or Middle Eastern culture, but what does that matter for those who value opulence, privacy, low crime rates — especially against Western folk — and tax-free lifestyles?
Just look at the other famous names who have decided to buy in Dubai.
Maligned by the US press for years — and becoming more famous for falling out of LA nightclubs than for her acting career — Lindsay Lohan made the leap in 2014.
Two years later, she said: “I moved to Dubai because I wanted to change my life.
“It’s a place of opportunity.
‘LEAP OF FAITH’
“There are so many exciting things happening in Dubai right now, and I wanted to be part of it.”
What’s more, she has since said she relishes the strict privacy rules, which ban the taking of paparazzi photos in public.
“It’s not legal,” Lindsay said on American TV in July.
“You can’t take a picture of someone in a restaurant.
“You have to ask, which is a big difference from here.”
In hindsight, Lindsay’s leap of faith — and air miles — paid off.
She met her now-husband Bader Shammas in Dubai, and the pair got married in a private ceremony in 2022.
They welcomed their son, Luai, the following year.
And Lindsay is not alone in succumbing to the lure of the Emirate.
Earlier this month, ex-Love Islander Arabella Chi revealed she was emigrating to Dubai, just two months after welcoming daughter Gigi with her partner Billy Henty.
oliviajade_attwood/InstagramOlivia Attwood enjoys an opulent break in Dubai[/caption]
InstagramLindsey Lohan in her new home[/caption]
Echoing Kate’s sentiments, she told her 1.2million online followers: “All good things come to an end, but the start of a new chapter in Dubai with my little family.”
An insider told The Sun: “Some of her reasons were safety and lifestyle.”
Like Lindsay and Arabella, Rio and Kate clearly have their young children in mind.
They have moved with son Cree, four, and daughter Shae, two, as well as Rio’s 14-year-old daughter Tia from his first marriage to late wife Rebecca Ellison.
It is believed that his two oldest sons, Lorenz, 19, and Tate, 17, are keeping their home base in the UK.
Private schooling in Dubai may not come cheap, but it’s still more affordable than the prices paid by some celebs who send their kids to well-heeled schools in the UK.
Here, the likes of Marlborough College in Wiltshire, which Kate Middleton attended, and Westminster school charge fees of around £60,000 per year.
Meanwhile, Dubai’s leading private school for international students, the Nord Anglia International, charges roughly 100,000 AED per year, equating to £20,000.
‘MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK’
Brand expert and strategist Kelly Lundberg — who is originally from Edinburgh but has lived in Dubai for 23 years — told The Sun: “You get more bang for your buck over there.
“I often think that with what you’re paying for property, you can get something luxurious and brand new,” she tells us.
“For the same amount in London, you’d be getting something run down and old, plus you wouldn’t have the added facilities.
“For example, it’s standard for pretty much every apartment block here to have a pool and a gym, while you’d be paying extra for a gym membership somewhere else.”
Kelly moved to Dubai aged 21, while working as cabin crew for the Emirates airline.
She may have hung up her uniform long ago, but she has never considered leaving.
Over the past two decades, she has seen Dubai change from a burgeoning city to a world-renowned cosmopolis — which, she says, hinges on the energy and innovation of the people living there.
“Before I moved, I couldn’t even find Dubai on a map,” she admits.
If you want a glamorous lifestyle, you can have it. If you want a quiet lifestyle, you can have that, too
Kelly Lundberg
“But what made me stay is still relevant today, and that’s the energy of the city, the opportunities and this contagious feeling that anything is possible.
“I don’t think that sort of energy has changed.
“Everyone’s moved here at some point.
“They know what it’s like to start from scratch, and they support each other.”
She adds: “If you want a glamorous lifestyle, you can have it.
“If you want a quiet lifestyle, you can have that, too.”
Kelly does, however, have one word of warning for the Ferdinands — and anyone else who is bidding ta-ra to UK transport.
“Don’t be under any illusion — the traffic is terrible,” she says.
“You have to drive or take taxis, but whether you are working in an office or doing school drop-offs, or the kids have extracurricular activities, you have to become prepared for the traffic.”
The good news is that, while emigrating anywhere demands endless paperwork, it is comparatively easy to get that all-important visa.
Options include an employment visa, for those that get a job in the city; a retirement visa; or a ten-year golden visa.
The latter is dependent on a number of factors, but is available to people from skilled or creative professions or to those who invest in Dubai property worth over AED 2million (roughly £400,000).
Again, everything is comparable, and celebrities investing in Dubai will probably qualify without even trying — like Rio who, as a sporting legend, is set to be offered a raft of speaking and coaching opportunities.
InstagramThe Beckhams, who have a holiday home in the Emirate[/caption]
The absence of income or property tax also helps foreign investment in the area.
Still, wherever you go, not everything is flowers and rainbows — and Dubai is no exception.
Despite it being a playground for the rich and famous, there are still stories of a dark underbelly that belie Dubai’s glamorous reputation.
Some claim that — despite improvements for migrant labourers who go there, often from south Asia — many still face long working hours, unfair pay and poor accommodation.
Meanwhile, there are still incredibly strict drug laws.
All narcotics are illegal, including cannabis and THC, and even having them in your blood or urine counts as “possession”.
In May, a British man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after being found with £2,000 of cocaine.
There is a zero-tolerance policy which, compared to the country’s seemingly tolerant approach to Western lifestyles on the surface, often catches people unawares.
As such, these rules can often be confusing — since two cultures seem to exist in tandem.
There is the foundational Arabic culture that focuses on sobriety and propriety, while many Westerners come to Dubai ready to party and let loose.
Drinking alcohol is fine, but those in the UAE for work and play should know that their so-called utopia is still based on a system of heavy rules and regulation.
‘SWEPT UNDER THE RUG’
Likewise, notions of a crime-free city are wide of the mark.
There are worrying reports of sexual exploitation below the surface, with some girls taking to TikTok saying they have been lured to parties online and taken advantage of.
Things can get swept under the rug, without reproach.
Still, there is no denying that Dubai has pulled off a double feat — outshining cities such as New York and London as a financial, corporate hub, while rivalling the likes of Barbados and the south of France to be the number one getaway for the mega-wealthy.
While some celebs have officially moved in wholesale, or invested in holiday homes, others have made it their go-to holiday destination.
They include reality stars — such as ex-Towie girls Olivia Attwood and Samantha Faiers as well as Love Islanders Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury — who post pictures featuring the famous Burj Al Arab hotel.
Dubai is a brand,” Kelly adds. “And it’s built its brand about being unapologetically itself
Kelly Lundberg
As Kelly tells us, Dubai is the place to see and be seen.
And it is also perfect for slipping under the radar like the inordinate number of billionaires who line the shore — and favour privacy over Instagram posts.
“Dubai is a brand,” Kelly adds. “And it’s built its brand about being unapologetically itself.”
This year, Dubai chocolate went viral, turning our eyes once again to the so-called city of gold.
So it’s no surprise that so many celebs are upping sticks and hoping for their own taste of the sweet life
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