Eating out
Your first priority should be a trip to the palm-studded Al Dhiyafah Street in Satwa, one of the few strollable roads in the city. Here you will find an embarrassment of Beirut-style cafes, all with pleasant roadside terraces built for late-night mezze consumption. Al Mallah (398 4723) and Labneh Wa Zataar (345 5575) are both good, but the pick of the crop is Sidra (next to Dunes Centre; 345 3044), a relatively new arrival with one of the best lunch deals in town. You'll start with a mint-topped salad, a cheering lentil soup with a squeeze of lemon and a plate of squeakily fresh olives and pickles. You will then be offered a choice of seven main courses. Go for the rice mixed with toasted pine nuts and topped with hunks of roast lamb and dollops of natural yoghurt. It's all accompanied by an endlessly replenished basket of fresh pitta bread, and the whole caboodle comes in at only £3.
Similar bargains are available on the World Trade Centre Road, where no fewer than 21 curry houses ply their trade between the junction with Bank Street and the President Hotel. Particular highlights are the Hare Krishna-run Govinda's (396 0088), the vegetarian Sakonis (396 6369) and ace biriani merchants Dum Pukht (337 1782). However, if you really feel like pushing the boat out, head for Gazebo (opposite Spinney's; 397 9930), a light, pine-dressed restaurant where for £11 you'll get a stormingly good north Indian meal for two. If that sounds a bit pricey, head around the corner to Damyati (Main Street Karama, opposite Little Hut; 396 5280), a Palestinian working-men's cafe where you'll find it difficult to spend more than £4 a head on a combination of freshly grilled meats including its speciality super-tender lamb chops.
Shopping
Dubai's most intriguing and least corporate shopping experience is found in Karama, a discount district which provides an antidote to the vast new supermalls that spring up in the city every month. It's a colourful, noisy treasure trove of stunning bargains, dubious 'designer' products and downright tat. As you amble around the Central Market you will be encouraged to buy a host of allegedly fresh-from-the-catwalk fashion plus belly-dancing outfits, Ronaldinho T-shirts, cowboy hats, ornate shisha pipes and suspect Harry Potter DVDs.
It's fun to browse (check out the freakish mannequins that front most of the stores), but if you just want to focus on the real bargains, make directly for Star Gate (Block A, Shop 7, opposite Karama Fish Market; 334 5586). This store deals in beautiful handmade Rajasthani bedspreads and cushion covers studded with beads, pearls and tiny mirrors.
Haggling is expected. You'll easily chase an opening gambit of £54 for a bedspread and two pillow cases down to £38 or less. Once you've loaded up on exotic bedwear, head two stores down to East and West (Block B, Shop 7; 336 9884), whose walls are lined with banks of Kashmiri pashminas. Pick up a pashmina and silk mix for around £4 or less and a 100 per cent pashmina shawl for around £15, post-haggle.
Catching the sun
Guaranteed winter sunshine is Dubai's most endearing characteristic. The classic tourist option for soaking up the sun is to spend the day at a hotel beach club. These offer pristine beaches and a spread of watersports, but don't expect much change from £30 for a day's entry. Even the most reasonable deal, at the excellent Oasis Beach Hotel (Al Sufouh Road; 399 4444; www.jebelali-international.com), comes in at £13 on a weekday and £25 at the weekend, which can mount up if you have your family in tow.
Happily, the city centre is full of immaculately tended public spaces where you can sunbathe to your heart's content. If you just fancy a picnic and a stroll, head for Creekside Park (Oud Metha, near Wonderland; 336 7633; entry 80p), an enormous expanse of green on the banks of the creek. Hire a pedal-driven cart for two and ease your way around, stopping to take a coffee at the jetty cafe overlooking the towers of downtown Deira.
If you're in the mood for some beachside fun, however, take a trip to Al Mamzar Beach Park (Al Mamzar; 296 6201; entry 80p; families only on Wednesdays). Dubai is often described as a melting pot of cultures. Visit Al Mamzar on a Friday and you'll see this in action. At the large, pretty amphitheatre by the entrance, Jordanian men pick out tunes on their ouds, local women tap at laptops and Indian kids dash about playing tag. In the barbecue area huge Iranian families spark up homemade grills, Syrians cluster round shisha pipes and Filipino lads organise kickabouts.
While Mamzar's facilities are less impressive than those at the hotels, if you're simply looking to catch some sun and have a swim they are perfect. Women should heed the official exhortations not to 'roam around the park with your swimming suit'.
Nightlife
Going out on the cheap in Dubai is a doddle for women. The city operates among the most generous ladies' nights promotions in the world - go out on a Tuesday and you will be plied with at least two free drinks in every bar in town. The most preposterous offer is currently hosted by the upmarket Boudoir club (Dubai Marine Beach Resort, Jumeirah Beach Road; 345 5995), where women are treated to free Moët all night. During the rest of the week, bars offer excellent happy-hour promotions, allowing you to drink cheaply in relatively prestigious locations in the early evening.
However, aside from a handful of bars with stunning views - notably the top level of Bussola at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi and the Koubba Bar terrace at the Madinat Jumeirah - most upmarket watering holes in Dubai are indistinguishable from their UK counterparts. The trick, as always, is to swerve off the beaten track. If you are looking for a flavour of local culture, start your evening at the Hakaya Cafe (next to Emirates Petroleum on Khalid Bin Al Walid Street/Bank Street, Bur Dubai; 355 6100). This booze-free upstairs smoking den has a fine line in kooky decor - an enormous tree grows out of the centre of the room - virtuoso oud concerts and cheap shisha, starting from £3.80.
When you have smoked your fill of perfumed tobacco, head across the road to the Rush Inn Hotel (Khalid Bin Al Walid Street/Bank Street, opp. York International Hotel; 352 2235) and Club Africana. This small, basic bar is decked out with streamers and balloons as though for a five-year-old's birthday party. You'll soon forget any decor quibbles, though, when the Congolese band takes to the stage. Performing from 9.30pm-3am every night, this 11-piece collective plays fantastic, soulful music accompanied by formation grooving from the dancers. The bar is an unofficial meeting place for Africans in Dubai, and the atmosphere is cheerful and welcoming. Settle in with some drinks and you'll be brought endless rounds of free popcorn and carrot sticks.
Once the rhythm has taken control of your feet and you feel the need to bust a few moves of your own, grab a taxi and head into Deira. At the Ramada Continental (Abu Hail Road; 266 2666) you'll find Blues and Cues, a refreshingly unpretentious joint where the Filipino diaspora comes to get down. Blues offers free table football, cheap pool and a raucous in-house band which moves from rap to Latino to rock with practised ease. Luckily the regulars need precious little inducement to flood the dancefloor, continuing the fun until 3am every night.
Cheap hotels
The Al Bustan hotel group (www. rotana.com) is planning to launch a series of Centro budget hotels in Dubai in the next couple of years. For now, though, the best deal is offered by the centrally located Ibis Hotel (World Trade Centre; 332 4444; www.ibishotel.com), which has clean, smart rooms starting at £60 a night. If you just want a no-frills bed for the night, Dubai Youth Hostel (Al Nahda Road; 298 8161) is a better bet than most two-star hotels. It offers clean, cheap, private double rooms starting at £31 per night.
Getting around
Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap (less than half the price of most British cabs) but if you're ready to brave the notoriously aggressive Dubai traffic, you can hire a car from Hertz (206 0206) for only £27 per day. Buses are an option - a ride costs as little as 15p, and you can pick up a timetable from the main coach station in Al Rumoul or online (http://vgn.dm.gov.ae/DMEGOV/dm-trans-timetables). If you're crossing the creek, you can take a public water taxi from Bastakia (next to the textile souk) or Deira (opposite the spice souk), and float over for only 15p.
Need to know
Pick up a copy of local listings guide Time Out Dubai (80p; www.timeoutdubai.com) for the lowdown on meal deals and shopping promotions. Time Out magazine's Dubai guide costs £10.99 at www.timeout.com/shop.
For a Dubai information pack contact the Department of Tourism (020 7839 0580; www.dubaitourism.ae).
All prices quoted are based on a rate of £1 = 6.48 dirhams. To call Dubai from the UK, phone numbers must be preceded by 00 971 4.
Dubai's best bargains
Bespoke fashion, unique jewellery and fine Persian rugs, all for a fraction of Western high street prices
Tailormade suits
The back-streets of Bur Dubai are filled with talented Indian tailors who will copy items of clothing or knock up a suit to your specifications in three days or fewer. Most of them sell their own range of cloth, but you can also pay a visit to the Textile Souk (between Al Fahidi Road and the Creek, Bastakia), where you can browse endless swatches and then buy by the yard. Take in a picture of the style of suit you want, get measured up and leave a deposit. Three days later you'll be the owner of a piece of Dubai couture for a fraction of the price charged by Jermyn Street's finest. Expect to pay around £92 for a suit, including material. Two excellent options are Al Nahda Tailors for men (next to Mina Bazaar, Al Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai 351 8345) and Dream Girl Tailors for women (next to Mina Bazaar, Al Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai 352 1841).
Bespoke jewellery
They don't call it the City of Gold for nothing. Precious metal and gemstones are delightfully cheap in Dubai. You can buy pre-made jewellery, but the smart money's on designing your own and having it produced to order. Take a sketch, whether rough or detailed, of your dream bracelet, ring or necklace down to the Gold Souk in Deira, or the Gold and Diamond Park (www.goldanddiamondpark.com) on Sheikh Zayed Road and show it around a few jewellers to get quotes. They should be able to make it up within a week - expect to pay around a third of UK prices.
Persian rugs
Stunning rugs and kilims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey are available at knockdown prices in Dubai. The best bargains are on the Persian versions - Iran is a major trading partner of the United Arab Emirates and boatloads of beautifully designed floor coverings arrive daily. You'll find everything from cheap and cheerful wool numbers to silk and velvet creations lined with jewels. To get an idea of the range on offer, head for Pride of Kashmir in Deira City Centre (295 0655), a sprawling indoor bazaar with scores of contemporary and antique Kashmiri and Persian pieces. You can pick up a small rug for £35 or less if you're a master haggler. Other good stop-offs for rug-hunters include Al Madaen in Satwa (345 4488) and ToshkhanaTrading in the Gold Souk (225 4440).
Getting there
British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) has return flights to Dubai from London for £279 including taxes. Emirates (0870 128 6000; www.emiratestours.com) flies to Dubai from Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick, with 13 flights a day, from £388 excluding taxes. From March, Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) will also be flying the route.
