Dubai Destination Guide

You don’t visit Dubai for its rich sense of heritage. Its history is recent, its real estate speculative, and its image manufactured to project flashy, VIP supremacy. Its urban growth was not organic, but rather imposed and meticulously planned.

Culture and beauty may not be abundantly on offer, yet something about it attracts millions of tourists annually. And whether that is the height of its skyscrapers, the Burj Khalifa currently holding the title of world’s tallest; or the tenacity with which Dubai sprung out of the parched, friendless desert like a determined weed from a brick wall.

Whatever the case is, there are no restraints on what you can have here. Even during Islamic holy months like Ramadan, the booze is still flowing, the parties still in full swing. When you visit Dubai, there's only one rule: to gluttonously indulge your every desire like a Russian oil magnet.

Spend an evening exploring notoriously chic hangouts like the Cavalli Club, Buddha Bar, Cin Cin, 400 Club. Wake up the following day feeling crispy, and a recharge at the Willow Stream Spa will do the trick; or tootle around and do some mindless shopping in the air-conditioned Dubai Mall.

Shopping addicts and bored travellers will pause in wonder at the ridiculous scale of The Dubai Mall. The 20-billion dollar project has more than 1,000 shops; is air conditioned, crammed with dozens of restaurants. Even if you can’t stand shopping The Dubai Mall is a cool short cut to pass through on days when the heat exceeds 45-degrees.