Birthday gift: Helicopter ride from Burj Al Arab

06 November 2007

Dubai: All presents from loved ones are special, but some are so special they will never be forgotten.

When her husband David was celebrating his 60th birthday, Jenny King, a 57-year-old Dubai-based Briton, flew in the couple's four sons from England.

And as if that wasn't enough, the family then experienced an amazing 45-minute helicopter ride from the Burj Al Arab.

Later that evening David and Jenny were picked up in a Rolls-Royce from their home and with their four children enjoyed a memorable dinner at the seven-star Burj.

Jenny told Gulf News of the amazing day two years ago after a Gulf News online poll showed that many UAE residents are super-generous when it comes to buying presents for their spouses.

"It was a total surprise for a very special guy - he's been a wonderful husband and a great dad," said Jenny, a relocation consultant and chairman of Dubai St George's Society.

"Our sons arrived from London on an early morning flight and David came downstairs that day and found them all sitting on the sofa. There was champagne and lots of tears.

"I spent about three months planning it - all our sons had to organise time off work and even they didn't know about the helicopter ride before they arrived."

Big spending

A Gulf News online poll this week found that 34 per cent of people will spend more than Dh1,000 on a gift for their wife or husband. A further 18 per cent will pay between Dh500 and Dh1,000, while 24 per cent are prepared to spend between Dh100 and Dh500.

Not everyone living here can expect lavish presents though - nine per cent of respondents will pay between Dh10 and Dh100, while 15 per cent won't pay anything.

Gulf News took to the streets of Dubai to find out what residents liked to buy their spouses - and how much they were prepared to pay.

Architect Gonzalo Surroca, 34, from Spain, does not buy his wife expensive items as presents. Instead, he pays for weekends away. "I haven't been in the UAE long, but in Spain last time we went to Granada. The hotel was about 500 euro (Dh2,655) for a weekend."

The presents that Russian medical doctor Julia Rozmetova, 37, buys for her husband range widely in price from about Dh100 up to Dh1,000.

Matt Nili, 43, a British landscape design manager, is generous when it comes to buying presents for his wife: he usually spends between Dh2,000 and Dh3,000.

"For a birthday or an anniversary it will usually be more expensive than for Valentine's Day or any other time.

Nili added that if it's a dress he is buying for his wife, she will choose which one to purchase, but if he is getting jewellery, he will make the selection.

And what is the best present he has ever bought his wife? "It was a diamond ring for our first anniversary," said Nili, who has now been married eight years.

Indian real estate investment consultant Ahmadi Mohiuddin, 32, is another big spender: his gifts for his wife will cost as much as Dh4,000.

"For clothes maybe I will spend Dh500, but if it's gold then between Dh3,000 and Dh4,000."

Claudia McMahon, 35, a housewife from Australia, likes to buy useful things for her husband, and usually tries to make her choice a surprise. "The best present was a barbecue - we're Australian so we use it a lot," she said.

Poll result

How much are you willing to spend on a gift for your spouse?
Dh1,000 and above 34%
Dh1,000-Dh500 18%
Dh500-Dh100 24%
Dh100-Dh10 9%
Nothing 15%