A week in Dubai

There used to be joke when I lived in London that went: ‘How do you know if you've been in London too long?' – ‘You think £500,000 for a studio flat is a bargain and anyone who doesn't live in London is weird'.

Guffaw. OK, not the funniest joke ever – but believe me it feels very true when you're actually living there.

And nowadays I sometimes feel the same about Dubai.

The sunshine, beaches and jet-set lifestyle all appeal – but it can give you an unrealistic view of the world and something of a village mentality.

However, most of the people who moved here from overseas and who have made Dubai their home love the place – but what about new arrivals in 2009? What about the green, wide-eyed tourist?

I tracked a couple of well-travelled friends, but first time visitors to the Middle East, for one week as they ‘did the Dubai thing' and noted down their reactions.

Happy landings

I set out on the now well-practised midnight airport run to meet my friends Olwyn and Stuart at good old Dubai International airport.

Their Manchester flight is due to land at around 12.30pm and bleary-eyed, I tell the taxi to head for the new Terminal 3 building.

It's my first venture there and when we arrive I'm somewhat stunned at the sheer size and sparkly newness of the place.

We Dubai-ers are more used to the chaotic cattle run that comes with the old terminal and this sleek, modern, spacious (and quiet!) development catches me by surprise. I grab a coffee and, a little perkier, I wait at the arrivals greeting point.

After what feels like a few hours (about 25 minutes) I spot them dragging their luggage trolley and looking eagerly around them like school kids.

You'd have to be pretty cynical not to enjoy those first few moments of meeting friends at an airport and I get a kick out of their obvious excitement at everything they see.

We hop in a taxi and drive to my apartment in Dubai marina.

On the way I find myself turning into an overly garrulous tour-guide and have them snapping their necks back and forth trying to see various points of interest, despite the fact it's still dark outside.

After a cup of tea and some quick catching up we all start to flag and it's off to bed. It's now about 4am and we've agreed that most of today can be written off for sleep and general recuperation.

In the evening we go for a non-arduous stroll around the marina. Every skyscraper and yacht causes a “wow!'' or an “unbelievable!''

The recently opened Waitrose in Marina mall elicits moments of pure enjoyment (“look they sell British teabags!). We do nothing much else apart from eat and gossip and then have an early night.

Visiting an icon

There are some experiences that are a must on any trip: Paris – you think Eiffel Tower, London – it's got to be Big Ben, and in Dubai it's the Burj Al Arab hotel.

So, late morning on the Saturday we head to the famous sail-shaped icon in the sea for the popular afternoon ‘Skytea' experience in the Sky View bar on the 27th floor.

It's my first time too trying out the ultra-posh nosh with tea at the Burj and what gobsmacks me (and I thought I'd become quite cool and aloof about Dubai by now) is the view from the glass-walled eatery that spans for miles, taking in the coastline of Dubai on each side.

Guests are happily taking photos and it's refreshing to note the atmosphere of fun – it's not the formal high-end, ‘watch-your-manners' experience I was anticipating.

When we finally sit at our table, my friends are enthralled by everything they see and by the time the dainty, tasty sandwiches arrive, along with a tea menu, we're in our element.

Later, when we go for a stroll around Jumeirah Beach hotel and along the sandy beach until I decide Olwyn and Stuart have to see Souq Madinat.

Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement, so my now Dubai-savvy pals dive into a taxi.

They love the unapologetically fake souq, with its graceful canals and bustling alleys.

More shameless shopping and eating ensues and they return that evening tired, but contented.

A different view

Back in Dubai the following day I meet up with my beaming friends (Al Maha syndrome as I now dub it) for coffee.

They are about to go to Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa to get on a Seawings seaplane flight over Dubai.

I'm impressed by their gung-ho spirit and am starting to feel exhausted just watching them dive in to another taxi.

I thought they were meant to be nervous, Middle East first-timers?

Stuart says later that he in particular loved the green opulence of the Jebel Ali resort and I wished they had more time to explore it.

However, it's down to the marina to catch a seaplane. This is one experience I have done myself so I know it's a thrill.

The flight takes them over the major landmarks that have made Dubai famous: the Palm Jumeirah, The World, Dubai marina – and takes them for a unique and breathtaking up-close view of the Burj Dubai tower.

After the roughly hour-long flight, they return to the resort for a light lunch and a stroll – both come back a little pink in the face, the weather has started to heat up and I hear myself repeating “you wouldn't believe how hot it is in summer,'' – maybe I've been in Dubai too long?

They fill me in with the details of their latest adrenaline-filled day and we decide to chill out on the balcony of my apartment for the evening, order a pizza and end up chatting late into the night.

The grand tour

It had been decided early on that the best way for them to get a first proper feel for Dubai would be onboard one of the famous brown Dubai tour buses.

Nothing screams ‘just got off the plane' more than a married couple, camera aimed rifle-like, sitting happily in an open-topped bus – but it had to be done.

Travelling alone for the first time since they had arrived, Olwyn and Stuart collect their tickets from one of the official Big Bus Tour kiosks at the Mall of the Emirates (they rave later about Ski Dubai – and I remember how I stood open-mouthed for about an hour when I first saw it, now I barely glance at it).

On the tour you're allowed to hop on and off the route as much as you wish while your ticket is valid.

They are impressed that they can have either live commentary or a digitally recorded guide and spend a productive day taking in both the old and new parts of the city, including Dubai Creek (they think dhows look like they may sink easily), the Burj Dubai (they repeatedly call it Burj Arab), the Atlantis (they're impressed mainly because they've seen it on television) and a thousand skyscrapers, taxis and cranes.

I know they're on the way to becoming true Dubai experts when they start complaining about the traffic on Shaikh Zayed road.

In the evening we head for the newly opened Ruth's Chris Steak House in the Monarch Hotel where we give our inner carnivores full vent.

It's a gorgeous, intimate venue and we discover it has quite a cult following amongst meat devotees.

Stuart proclaims his steak to be the best he has ever eaten, so I guess they must be on to something.

Brunch, beach and shopping (how Dubai!)

The following day is a Friday and we're booked in for brunch at The Palace – The Old Town hotel in Downtown Burj Dubai. I've banged on about Dubai brunches for months so they're eager to see what the fuss is about.

We're super uncool and arrive early, but the Ewaan restaurant doesn't disappoint and we're soon gorging ourselves on lobster, prawns, lamb, endless salad and endless drinks.

I can tell both my friends are a bit overwhelmed at the sheer range and quality of fare on display. Again, I get to relive the initial ‘wow' factor I experienced when I first tried a Dubai brunch.

Stuffed to the gills, we head back towards the marina and decide that the only answer to our food-induced lethargy is a few hours sand time on Jumeirah beach.

It's a lovely warm day and Olwyn and Stuart let themselves absorb the rays after the deep freeze of the weather back home.

Later, it seems their credit cards are getting itchy and we grab a taxi for a second visit to Mall of the Emirates so they can get a closer look at the skiers and pick up a few bargains still available after the shopping festival. We shop, drink coffee and people watch shamelessly. “It's amazing seeing all these different extreme cultures coexisting side by side,'' says Olwyn. Yes it is, I think.

Magic in the desert

And now for something different. They had both wanted to experience the beautiful deserts – after all, that's what the region is really all about.

They are booked in for a one-night stay at the luxurious Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa and as I wave them off in a taxi I try not to drop dead from jealousy.

When I speak to them later, I have to battle my way through a thousand superlatives, but the gist is, they adore the place. Set in 225 square kilometres of orangey desert landscape and just 45 minutes from the central Dubai, Al Maha is an oasis of restrained luxury within a award-winning conservation area.

They stay in one of the Bedouin suites which all come with private pool and a view over the desert to die for - and a few friendly lizards.

They embrace their surroundings with gusto and sign up for a camel ride across the dunes to spot some of the local wildlife before returning for a romantic al fresco meal in the evening (after a dip in their pool naturally).

They ring me to gloat a few times, which I take in my stride - sort of.

They tell me later that the silence of being out in the desert at night and the sheer beauty of the place has been the highlight of their trip so far and I'm genuinely touched.

Yet more shopping

Unbelievably, it's Olwyn and Stuart's last day in Dubai – their flight is booked for around midday the next day.

Inevitably, thoughts turn to shivering friends and family back in the UK and presents.

I had mentioned the Karama shopping area a few times and the thought of bulk buying cheap ‘designer' bags sounds like a good plan.

We spend a few giggly hours scouring the maze of shops stacked high with handbags, belts, shirts, purses and come away with much more than intended. It's not the most glamourous end of town but I think they both relish the chaotic fun of it all.

To end on a high note, at night we go for dinner at the new and ultra-trendy Okku Japanese restaurant in the Monarch Hotel.

The cutting edge décor and attentive service leave us all a little bit star-struck.

The well-heeled clientele, slick service, combined with a see-and-be-seen atmosphere hammers home all that is Dubai.

There may be a world-wide recession going on, but in Okku it's easy to forget it for a while.

Elaborate dishes of sushi, sashimi and delicate beef are placed before us and Olwyn who “doesn't like raw fish'' dives in like a pro.

In the taxi on the way home, Stuart utters the first: “I can't believe we've got to go home''.

Back to reality

And so we come full circle and it's off to the airport for the flight home.

I realise I'm going to miss their infectious enthusiasm for the place I now call home.

As I wave them off and they pledge (somewhat disconcertingly) to be back ‘very soon', I make a mental note to stop moaning about the noise, the cranes, the occasional unhinged taxi driver and the humidity in summer and just enjoy Dubai for it's unabashed uniqueness.