Dubai has been declared the number-one golf destination worldwide, by the International Golf Tour Operators Association. The Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, which opened in 1988, was the first grass golf course in the Gulf. In addition, there is also the Abu Dhabi Golf Club (whose facilities include two 18-hole grass courses and a floodlit driving range), Dubai Creek Golf Club and the Nad Al Shiba Golf and Racing Club.

Watersports: Boats and water-skiing equipment are available for hire. Sailing and windsurfing are popular around Dubai and boats are available for hire. The waters off Dubai are considered among the best areas in the world for diving. There are sub-aqua clubs in main centres and an extensive range of equipment is available for hire. Swimming is possible in the many hotel pools or beaches. Much of the long expanse of Jumeirah Beach in Dubai is dominated by luxury hotels and their facilities. However, there is a stretch of public beach available, with clean white sand, crystal clear seawater and bath-temperature surf. Some of the hotels allow non-guests to use their pools and stretches of beach if they buy lunch or pay a nominal fee. In the Northern Emirates, important resort areas are Khor Fakkan, which has excellent beaches and watersports facilities and Khalid Lagoon (an aquatic park with several islands and a miniature theme park). The East Coast is an impressive stretch of lush coastline, with steep mountains, unspoilt sandy bays and beaches, ancient fortresses and date palm groves sloping down to the edge of the Indian Ocean with its host of marine life. Scuba diving and snorkelling are very popular here.

There is an abundance of game fish in the Gulf. Fully-equipped boats with crew can be hired from the Jebel Ali Hotel marina for deep-sea fishing trips.

The emirate has many well-qualified tour companies offering such activities as desert safaris by 4-wheel drive, sand-skiing, moonlit bedouin barbeques, camel riding and dhow cruises. Attend the Dubai World Cup (the world’s richest horse race), the PGA Desert Classic Golf Tournament, the Dubai Shopping Festival or one of the 80 or so major trade exhibitions held in Dubai each year.

Opened in 2002, at Dubai Creekside Park, Children’s City is proving a big hit with both local and international youngsters. The 7,700 sq-m (82,882 sq-ft) development takes young minds on a journey through the human body, science and space, with the help of different ‘zones’. With plenty of hands-on action to keep even the most demanding children occupied, this is no dull old museum. All exhibits are in English as well as Arabic.