We boarded the plane for Dubai late in the evening, the girls were already tired but still full of excitement. The flight felt like an eternity and getting sleep was hard, although the A380 is very quiet compared to other aircraft. The girls loved the in flight entertainment system, and we arrive at Dubai early in the morning.

Dubai is a modern middle eastern city like no other. Every aspect of Dubai is supersized, highways are 20 lanes wide, buildings shoot up into the sky for almost a kilometre and shopping centres have snow skiing slopes built right in. The city is built right on top of the desert (and in the ocean for that matter), this is a playground for the rich and famous, or for those who aspire to be. We were told that they are already building a new tower to be taller than the 820m Burj Khalifa, and a new shopping mall to be even bigger than the Dubai Mall. All part of the plan to keep attracting tourists and to become the number 1 destination in the world.

Our hotel was an older hotel in an older area. Not quite the Atlantis on the palm, but nonetheless clean, a good location and comfortable. The staff were always very friendly, always bending over backwards to assist in every way possible. We were even able to check in at 7am for no extra cost and they let us have breakfast on the day were leaving before it even opened.

The first day after arriving early we rested then had a swim in the pool before heading to Dubai Mall. This is arguably the biggest shopping centre in the world, although there was no sign of any supermarkets, all the world’s biggest brands are represented here with their own stores. The girls especially loved the gigantic aquarium wall.

The next day we caught the hotel bus to La Mer Beach at Jumeirah. A manufactured beach complete with all the trimmings a beach should have such as colourful changing huts, expensive deck chair rental, a water park and a Starbucks. Off the beach the place had some really cool graffiti art, and quite possibly the best designed men’s bathroom I have ever seen.

Next up was Jumeirah Beach, the place to see the magnificent Burj Al Arab hotel. The one where Roger Federer and Andre Agasssi played tennis on the helicopter landing pad. It was good to see, but it was a very underwhelming experience. We finished this outing back at the Dubai Mall to see the Burj Khalifa. While the family got ice cream I attempted to buy a ticket to the top. The man at the desk told me there were some 600 aed tickets available which is about $240 aud! I asked if there was anything cheaper but no they were sold out until the weekend. So we settled with a walk outside and some pictures of the tallest building on the world.

We finish off our Dubai visit with an evening walk to Dubai Creek, where you can take a ride on a traditional boat called an Abra. There was dozens of them lined up waiting for the next load of tourists to ferry across the creek. Right near here was a large traditional Souk selling all matter of fine silk, spices and Nike track suits. This area like a lot of Dubai is very touristy, a lot of shops selling the same goods, with people just trying to make a buck.

Dubai is a city of contrast, at one end of town people are paying $2000+ a night for a hotel room, fine dining and every experience that money can buy. At the other end are the kids riding bikes and playing soccer in a car park, making their own fun with what they have. In the end we enjoyed it but I think it came down to getting off the beaten path, exploring the back streets, and finding the real Dubai.