Somewhere along the way, the UAE fell out of love with “stuff”. Ask anyone what they’d like for their birthday and the answer is increasingly “nothing, honestly, I have everything”. Which is exactly why experience gift vouchers UAE residents can use for a dinner, a dive or a day at the spa have become the go-to gift for people who are impossible to buy for.
But “experience voucher” covers a lot of ground. Here are five ways to give one, what each is good at, and where each falls short. (Yes, we’re on the list. We’ve tried to be fair.)
Before you choose, ask yourself three things:
- Do I know exactly what they’d love, or am I guessing?
- Will they want to pick their own date?
- Does it need to work for a partner or the whole family too?
-
A curated experience platform
Best for: when you’re not 100% sure what they’d pick.
A platform like Ithara.ae puts hundreds of experiences in one place (spa days, dinners, desert adventures, workshops, staycations) and lets the recipient choose. You can pick a specific experience, or give one flexible gift card they can spread across more than one booking.
Vouchers arrive as a PDF by email, can be scheduled for a specific moment, and last twelve months.
In its Trustpilot reviews (4.6 from 61 reviews), customers mostly mention:
- An easy buying and booking process
- Quick, helpful customer service
- Lots of choice for different tastes and budgets
- Free exchange if the first choice doesn’t fit
Two Google reviews we come back to often. One about flexibility: “I love that the gifts can also be exchanged for another option if something else is more suitable for the recipient.” And one about what happens when things go wrong, which tells you more about any company than its homepage: “the true quality of a company is shown not by the offers it advertises, but by the way it treats its customers when problems arise.”
Honest limit: you need to plan a few days ahead for most bookings. It’s a voucher, not a walk-in.
-
A voucher bought directly from a hotel or spa
Best for: when you know their favourite place.
Many hotels sell their own dining and spa vouchers through their websites or front desks. If your mother has been going to the same hotel spa for ten years, this is the most personal option there is.
Honest limit: it’s one venue, the terms vary a lot, and if they change their mind, there’s usually nothing to swap to.
-
A theme park or attraction ticket
Best for: kids, and adults who are secretly kids.
Big attractions like the parks at Dubai Parks and Resorts sell tickets online, and they make a great gift for a family day out.
Honest limit: many tickets are dated or have blackout periods, so check the fine print before you put it in a card.
-
Event tickets
Best for: the music fan or the theatre lover.
Ticketing sites like Platinumlist cover concerts, shows and live events across the UAE. Nothing beats handing someone tickets to their favourite artist.
Honest limit: it’s one date and one event. If they can’t make it, the gift becomes a problem.
-
Book it yourself and print a card
Best for: when you’re going together.
The old-school way, and still lovely. Book a table, a class or a tour for the two of you, print a homemade card, and the gift is your time as much as the activity.
Honest limit: you’re choosing the date for them, which works for a partner and can get awkward for anyone else.
How to choose
- Not sure what they’d love: a curated platform
- Know their favourite place: a direct hotel or spa voucher
- Family day out: an attraction ticket
- A specific concert or show: event tickets
- Shared experience with a partner: book it yourself
The real point
The best experience gifts aren’t about the voucher at all. They’re about the story the person tells afterwards. Pick the option that gives them the best chance of a good one.