A city seemingly conjured up out of the desert sand comprising one thousand and one sights, each more fantastic than the last: palm tree-shaped island resorts, a restaurant reachable only by submarine, blocks of apartments sculpted like billowing sails, an indoor ski resort with 6,000 tons of real snow and a hotel so luxurious it needs six rather than the usual five stars!

It seems more like a work of the imagination, perhaps, than the Middle East’s most fashionable, relaxed, cosmopolitan and exuberant city. This is also the Middle East’s shopping capital where the locals are equally at home haggling in the souks or browsing international brands in the air-conditioned malls.

Traditional teak dhows still criss-cross the Arabian Gulf to destinations as far away as India but they now skirt the fairways of world-class golf clubs like the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club which, along with the Emirates Golf Club, has hosted the Dubai Desert Classic. The Wild Wadi Water Park has enough aquatic attractions to keep the most energetic of youngsters satisfied. Thankfully, Dubai is as creative and generous with children’s attractions as it is for grown-ups.