Here's what it's like to cruise in the UAE

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"When we build something, we look for the biggest and make it bigger – we prefer to be number one,” said our larger-than-life tour guide Dr Norman Ali Khalaf, a born-and-bred Emirati who studied zoology at Durham University in the 1980s. He told us of his love for the cars studded with 300,000 diamonds that can sometimes be seen adding megawatt sparkle to the city of Dubai.

Indeed, if Dubai buildings could talk, they would be constantly outdoing each other to be the tallest, the grandest and the most talked about. It was my first time in the United Arab Emirates, and while the showiness came as no surprise, I certainly wasn’t expecting the sail-in to be quite so spectacular, with frontline views of its impressive skyline and landmarks including Atlantis The Palm and the Burj Al Arab – clients will love you for suggesting a balcony cabin on the port side.

As our bus wound through streets seemingly paved with gold, we learnt that just a few decades ago, this modest fishing spot had little infrastructure and an abundance of foxes, rabbits, snakes and birds.

Following the discovery of oil in 1966, which kickstarted the development of Dubai, there was a wave of development in the early 2000s, when many more ambitious building projects took shape.

“We went from zero to hero and many rich people came,” said Dr Ali.

Desert shore excursions