South African Airways

Dubai boasts the world’s tallest building, the 829,8m Burj Khalifa. The observation deck is on the mind-boggling 124th floor. You can even buy a mocked-up souvenir photo of you dangling from the building. The lake outside features the Dubai Fountains, choreographed to dance to music with water shooting up 150m.

This fort was built in 1787 to defend the city against attacks from neighbouring tribes. Now it’s an interesting museum illustrating the history of Dubai.

One of Dubai’s most deliciously daft developments is The Island, a whole series of man-made islands built on reclaimed land and shaped to form a miniature world map, so the super-rich can literally buy themselves a country.

The sprawling city centre boasts a stunning collection of striking buildings stretching along the Creek, with Deira on the north and Bur Dubai and Jumeirah to the south. Most tourists stay in the south, but take a traditional water taxi called an abra across the Creek to explore the souks on the northern side, seeing some spectacular views on the way.

In contrast to the glitzy malls are the fascinating souks, or markets. Meander through the spice souk where sacks of spices create intoxicating smells, or the textile souk which is full of colour. In the dazzling gold souk, the government keeps tight control over the quality of the gold, so your purchase will be genuine, but you have to haggle for a decent price.

Much of the old city was demolished to make way for the new, but Al Bastakia Quarter still carries the tang of the old fishing village. Narrow, twisting streets feature ancient mud-brick homes that have been restored and many turned into art galleries and cafés. It’s a cultural gem and hidden in this labyrinth is a short section of the old city wall from 1800. Most houses are topped by wind towers that drew in the breeze and kept them cool in the days before air conditioning.

The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding allows visitors to learn about the Muslim culture, customs and religion. It offers traditional breakfasts and lunches, mosque tours and tours of the heritage district. The presentations given during the meal provide an insight into the traditional way of life and you can ask any questions you want about the Muslim culture.

The shopping malls are eye-popping palaces of contrasts and cultural contradictions. The mannequins wear micro-miniskirts yet the shoppers are women in full hijab and men sporting dazzling white robes. Mercato is an Italian themed mall with a Renaissance architectural style of piazzas and cobbled streets, and shops including many top international brands. The Dubai Mall is an enormous shopping Mecca, with more than 1 200 stores, an ice-skating rink and a world-class aquarium.

Like everything in Dubai, food runs the full range from the most expensive to cheaper alternatives, from five-star restaurants to hole-in-the-wall eateries. Locals and tourists alike love Reem Al Bawadi, which serves delicious Arabian platters of grilled meats and kebabs, hot flat breads, roasted vegetables and pungent dips. It isn’t licenced, but you can smoke shisha pipes.

Seriously, where there once was a desert, there’s now a ski slope complete with a colony of penguins in the humungous Mall of The Emirates. It’s as hot as hell outside, but inside there’s genuine snow for slalom runs and tobogganing, which take you whizzing past a jaunty snowman.

A fun excursion is a 4x4 trip into the desert. The exhilarating ride up some formidable dunes is followed by dinner in a giant tent. The entertainment includes belly dancers who encourage audience participation.