If you want to see the future, go to Dubai. You won't be alone - nearly five million made it their holiday destination last year, and the United Arab Emirates government is working on making this figure at least 15 million by 2010.
The UAE came to oil late by Middle Eastern standards (the first barrel was pumped in 1966), and there's only enough to last the next 20 years or so. Instead of black gold, the government is concentrating on its other natural assets - white sand, blue seas, sunshine and adventures in the desert (camel rides, falconry and sand skiing are just the start of it).
The Burj al Arab hotel, which opened in 1997, set the futuristic tone with its sail-shaped shard of steel and Teflon-coated glass. Nearby is the Palm, a series of interconnected man-made islands built in the form of a palm tree and due to open next year. Villas there have already been snapped up by a number of England football players, among them David Beckham.
The arrival of the Beckhams means more than just the creation of another jet set destination; it marks a sea change for the UAE government. It's only in recent months that foreigners have been allowed to buy property. And as expatriates make up 80% of the population, this could mean a real change in the balance of land ownership. For visitors, it's likely to mean even more choice in terms of places to stay.
Hot hotels
If you'd like to live the Arabian dream, head to the One&Only Royal Mirage because it's one of the few Dubai hotels that is actually Arabic in design. It's low-rise and domed and comprises three hotels: the Arabian Court, the Residence & Spa and the Palace. All are spread along a kilometre of beachfront bordered by rocks. There are also two huge swimming pools, plus a traditional hammam and a Givenchy spa. Rooms are filled with traditional details, such as carved mirrors and embroidered cushions, and lush gardens lead on to the sands.
The Jumeirah Beach Hotel is a family favourite. It boasts a beachside location and stands alongside the Wild Wadi Waterpark (hotel guests get in for free). There are 23 food outlets at the Jumeirah (from an Argentinian grill with tango dancers, to a German bierkeller with lederhosen-clad waiters); and there are over 20 shops (including one dedicated to caviar), three squash courts and a large gym. Rooms are decorated in bright primary colours with wall-to-ceiling windows framing the sea.
The Al Maha Desert Resort is currently the only hotel in the desert, and it offers a romantic, if idealised, version of a Bedouin encampment (ie air conditioning, hardwood flooring and no nasty sand insects). If you tire of views of the dunes and the distant Hajar mountains, the beach is a 45-minute drive away. Al Maha feels remote partly because it can only be reached by 4x4. Once there, you're installed in one of 30 luxurious "tents", each with a plunge pool. Look out for a new spa and 10 new tents, due to open later this year.
If cutting-edge cool or Arab fabulous isn't for you, book into the classically styled, calm and sophisticated Ritz-Carlton Dubai. All of its 138 rooms have balconies. The gardens at the front of the hotel lead directly on to Jumeira beach, and there's a great Balinese spa that's recently been updated to include a couple's treatment room.
The Burj al Arab is best for all-out extravagance. You can make like a sheikh in your two-floor suite, with a personal butler, two plasma-screen televisions and plenty of tassels, embroidered cushions and Italian marble bathrooms. The restaurant on the 27th floor has fabulous views and a cocktail bar. The seafood restaurant is reached by a three-minute voyage by mock submarine (in reality a lift painted with sea creatures). And every bed has a mirror above it.
The Mina a'Salam is part of the Medinat Jumeirah, Dubai's latest mega-resort (not scheduled to be finished until later this year). Large, ochre-coloured and topped with wind towers (an ancient form of air conditioning), it aims to present a more traditional version of local architecture. Rooms are decorated with Arabic fittings, such as carved mirrors, embroidered cushions and opulent marble bathrooms. All rooms, and most beds, face the sea, and the restaurants are among the best in Dubai. Later this year, the Medinat Jumeirah will open the first Six Senses spa outside Asia.
High-rises jostle for position in Dubai's business district, but for spectacle, the current favourites are the twin Emirates Towers. The Stanley-knife lookalike exterior belies the cosy rooms in the Emirates Towers Hotel . Go up in the world to the 305m-high Vu's bar where the black leather seats make every punter feel like a Bond villain or captain of industry.
By day, a complimentary shuttle service runs to sister hotel, the Jumeirah Beach Club, where you can lounge on the sands for free. Good shopping is available less than a minute's walk away in the Shopping Boulevard.
Other attractions
"Wadi bashing" is a favourite expat weekend activity, involving driving into the desert by 4x4 and camping out for the night. Visitors can experience it for an action-packed afternoon and evening on a desert safari, including hurling up and down sand dunes, dinner in a Bedouin-styleencampment complete with a belly dancer, shisha pipes and henna painter.
The Wild Wadi Water Park has 23 rides to keep you splashing for hours. Don't miss the Jumeirah Sceirah, an almost vertical plunge that takes you from 33m to ground level in less than 10 seconds.
A tour of the old town and the gold souk is well worth making time for, as is a Creek Cruise on one of Dubai's traditional wooden dhonis.
What's next?
The Palm (thepalm.co.ae), a 1,000-room hotel developed with One&Only Resorts' Sol Kerzner. There are villas, townhouses and apartments for sale. Every villa has a private beach and pool.
Scheduled to open in late 2006, Dubailand (dubailand.ae) will be a fun-zone costing around £3billion to build and stretching over 2 billion sq ft with over 200 attractions, including Pharoah's World, Dinosaur World, a rainforest and a space-themed hotel.
Also opening in 2006 is Hydropolis (hydropolis.com), claimed to be the world's first underwater hotel. Guests will be ferried about Bond-villain-style by sub-aquatic train. There will be 200 suites and, naturally, a hydrotherapy spa.
"The World" (its working title) is a globe-shaped series of 200 islands stretching over 3 miles. Villas are for sale on every "continent", so now's your chance to buy a little place in Italy, with guaranteed sun thrown in - although you'll have to wait until it opens in 2008.
If you're a keen golfer, pack your clubs. There are already four 18-hole championship courses, with two more due to open this year.
Way to go
Getting there: Emirates flies nine times daily to Dubai from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Ebookers (0870 0433831 quoting Guardian Special Offer, ebookers.com/dubaioffer) has tickets from £345pp return inc taxes.
Where to stay: Hotel prices quoted are offered by Ebookers exclusively for The Guardian at up to one third the usual price: One & Only Royal Mirage (oneandonlyresorts.com) doubles from £250 per night B&B, £118 in low season; Jumeirah Beach Hotel (jumeirahinternational.com) doubles from £160 per night B&B, £118 in low season; Al Maha Desert Resort (al-maha.com) doubles from £538 per night full-board, £420 in low season; Ritz-Carlton Dubai (ritzcarlton.com) doubles from £190 per night B&B, £114 in low season; Burj al Arab (jumeirahinternational.com) doubles from £538 per night B&B, low season from £398; Mina a'Salam (jumeirahinternational.com) doubles from £188 per night B&B, low season from £138; Emirates Towers Hotel (jumeirahinternational.com) doubles from £138pp, room only, low season from £96.
What to do: 'Wadi bashing costs £49. Wild Wadi Water Park (wild-wadi-water-theme-park.com) is open 11am-6pm in January and February, entrance from AED120. The Dubai City Tour takes in the main sights in an afternoon and costs £23. The Creek Cruise costs £44. For information on golf and other Dubai attractions, see dubaicityguide.com. Activities can be booked in advance with Ebookers.
Further information: Dubai Tourism Authority (020-7839 0580, dubaitourism.com). Time Out Dubai costs AED10. The Dubai Explorer, available at the airport for less than £10, has information on every mall, restaurant and bar.
Country code: 00 971.
Flight time Heathrow-Dubai: 6hrs, 50mins.
Time difference: +4hrs.
£1 = 6.48 dirhams.
