It’s Saturday night, I’m in a bar watching Premier League football, an Irish man is murdering Mumford and Sons on stage and our group are enjoying a few beers. Seems pretty normal fare, except I am actually sitting overlooking the Arabian Gulf.

Yes, welcome to Dubai, and it’s a place where you should leave all your misconceptions at passport control.

Situated on the coast, Dubai is a city in an emirate of the same name, one of seven that make up the United Arab Emirates.

It is a cosmopolitan metropolis that has grown to become the business and cultural hub of the Middle East region.

Bigger is better here – the world’s tallest building the Burj Khalifa towers over the skyline. To put it in perspective, it’s nearly three times taller than The Shard. This really isn’t a place for someone with crippling vertigo.

We were staying at the Oasis Beach Tower in a luxurious serviced apartment overlooking the iconic Palm Jumeriah. On the 32nd floor with a balcony, the view was breathtaking. We shared a four-bedroomed place and it really was amazing. The ensuite bathroom of my room was bigger than the hotel room I stayed in before getting the flight from Heathrow.

We started our trip with a tour of the city. This is a great way to get orientated and work out which bits you want to go back to on your own.

The museum is located in the Al Fahidi Fort and is the oldest building in Dubai, it depicts what life was like in the area before they discovered oil. You can learn about the Bedouin way of life and see how the pearl-diving industry developed. It costs about 50p to go in.

From the museum you can take a water taxi across the creek to the souks (markets), of which there are two, the spice souk, which had an incredible smell, and the gold souk. This shows the extreme wealth that exists in the city.

You can even see the world’s largest gold ring, which is not for sale, but it’s so big that not even Andre the Giant could have worn it.

There are thrills and spills on offer too, with plenty of watersports and a skydiving centre for adrenaline junkies. We went to the Wild Wadi Water Park, which is connected to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (great for families) where you can choose to relax in the lazy river or wave pool, or try some of the more high-octane rides. All very good fun.

AP Tours run a desert safari and this is something that all visitors to Dubai should try. You are picked up from your hotel in a jeep and driven out of the city towards Sharjah.

After making your way onto the dunes, you are then subjected to a bit of dune bashing. The Top Gear fan in me loved this. It’s nerve-wracking as you are driven at speed across the dunes, but perfectly safe. You are then taken to a camp where you can try dune boarding and take a ride on a camel.

There is also an opportunity to slip on a kandura (traditional Emirati robe) and have your photo taken with a falcon.

Belly dancers entertain you as we sit down for a traditional Arabic meal before watching the sun set and then enjoying the uninterrupted view of the stars. At least that is what was meant to happen. For us, a freak period of rain meant we couldn’t see the sunset or the stars and our trip to the desert was cut short. It was surreal to be in the desert when it was raining, especially in a camp, and the evening took on a kind of Glastonbury-on-sand vibe.

The next day we made our way to At The Top, the viewing platform of the Burj Khalifa. For those of you that have seen Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol this is the building that Tom Cruise climbs up the side of – we are told that he actually did this! That makes him a madman.

Apart from the fact that the viewing platform isn’t actually at the top of the building, the panoramic view of the city nis rather spectacular.

The man-made islands really stick out, The Palm, with the famous Atlantis hotel on it, and “The World” – a group of islands in the shape of, you guessed it, the world, are great landmarks.

At the bottom of the Burj are the fountains, similar to Las Vegas (but obviously bigger). When watching water shoot hundreds of feet in the air in time to the music of Whitney Houston you kind of forget you are in the Middle East.

If you want a drink, then all the hotels have bars and restaurants attached to them and the alcohol costs roughly the same as it does in London. Some of the hotels even have nightclubs if you want to party until the small hours.

This obviously changes during Ramadan when food and drink are not always served during the day. But if you don’t mind that you can get some really good deals.

One of the chefs who prepared us dinner one evening said: “I have worked all over the world, London, New York, Vegas, Tokyo and living in Dubai is like being in all of those places with the cancer taken out.”

While I think that may be overstating it a little, I felt a lot safer walking around on my own in Dubai than I have done in some areas of London, New York and Moscow.

So if you are looking to treat yourself for a few days I would recommend Dubai. It’s only seven hours away and whether you want to shop (where else would you get Selfridges and Bloomingdales in the same mall?), relax or party, there really is something for everyone.

Getaway

Dubai Tourism 020 7321 6110 or visit definitelydubai.com

BA
When you fly with BA, you will be in Dubai around 6 hours and 50 minutes after taking off from London. With multiple flights to choose from, you can make the most of your holiday by arriving at a time that suits you best. Return flights from £437

Alpha Tours supplied our driver, City Tour and Desert Safari. (Desert Safari cost £70pp inc meal) alphatoursdubai.com/

At The Top (the Burj Khalifa observation deck) £18 entry

If Only.... offers 4 nights at Oasis Beach Tower Apartments for departures up to 6  August from £939 per person and based on six adults sharing a three-bedroom deluxe apartment. Includes return flights with Emirates from, LHR, private car transfer, airport taxes.
Call If Only... on 0141 955 4000 for details ifonly.net/