Dubbed the "Vegas of the Middle East", Dubai has a try-hard reputation for being larger than life, boasting ostentatious shopping malls, luxury desert resorts, mirage-like golf courses, water parks with kilometres of water slides - and even the world's largest indoor ski slope. But beyond its glitzy image, this tiny emirate is a fascinating holiday destination.
While many travellers catch flights to Dubai only as a stopover en-route to Europe, it is worth staying a few days to explore this unique desert city.
Dubai's mega-malls dwarf any in the region and are a shopping mecca during the annual January shopping festival. The Mall of the Emirates (home to the indoor ski slope) was recently surpassed as Middle East's largest mall by the even more grandiose Dubai Mall, one of the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in the world.
Dubai's souks offer a more traditional shopping experience; Deira's Gold Souk has an extensive selection of Indian and Arabian gold while the spice souk is one of the more colourful in the city.
Relax under a palm tree along kilometres of white sandy beaches, go dune bashing in the desert or get a glimpse of the other side of Dubai by visiting the Batstkiya quarter or traditional villages further out of town.
