Dubai offers the visitor a great many leisure activities, and the tourist is spoiled for choice - water sports for the adventurous, luxurious spa treatments for the less physically inclined or acres of shopping mall to satisfy even the most hardened power shopper.
Beginning with aspects of culture, visitors should stop by the Al Fahidi Fort (built in 1787), where the Dubai Museum is located. It provides visitors with a brief history of the emirate. The Heritage House was originally a residence built around the end of the 19th century and is an excellent example of Arabian vernacular architecture.
The Heritage and Diving villages, situated in the Shindagha district along the Creek, provide a glimpse of traditional life, including the emirate's maritime connection with pearl diving and fishing. Close by, at the mouth of the Creek, is the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, the former home of the Dubai's ruling family. It dates from 1896.
Once satisfied that he knows a bit about Dubai's history, the visitor can turn his attention to the more serious business of the day - having some fun.
Book yourself on a Desert Safari in the arid Hajar Mountains: sure to conjure images of Paul Bowles' The Sheltering Sky or T.E. Lawrence - immortalised as Lawrence of Arabia. The desert is amazing in its diversity of flora and fauna. Ride a camel (the ones we met were very friendly and gentle) or sand ski. Dune driving is exciting and definitely for those with strong stomachs, but go ahead, risk all. Explore the wadis - dry stream beds or streams that flow after winter rains.
For aquatic activities, visitors to Dubai can scuba dive and deep sea fish. There is water skiing, sailing, and windsurfing. Then again, just lolling on the fine white sands of one of the emirate's many beaches is not a bad option either.
For something a little different, why not take a dhow trip along the Creek or into the Persian Gulf? These vessels have plied the Gulf with their cargoes for centuries. Catering can be arranged for a romantic dinner at sea for two or ten.
