Dubai is a place that plainly believes that size really is everything. It already has the largest airport in the world. The tallest building in the world is almost ready, and the largest shopping mall in the world is under contruction. It has the only “seven-star” hotel on the planet (the Burj Al-Arab) and has such resources to spare that it boasts an enormous camel-racing track which holds precisely one event a year. (In a surprisingly liberal shift, the camels are no longer ridden by children but by robots.)

A quarter of all the cranes existing on the globe are beavering away in this emirate, such is the building that continues apace. Which, allowing for half the earth’s crane supply currently being at work in China, does make one wonder how any of the stadiums promised for the 2012 London Olympic Games will ever be constructed. Dubai has the indoor skiing, the Wild Wadi water park – and Dubailand is forthcoming. In places, it is Disney in the desert, though with a coastline. Hundreds of thousands of British citizens visit every year. One question remains: is there anything authentic here?

The answer is yes, but you have to make sacrifices to find it. This means abandoning the beach, whether it be the Jumeirah strip or Jebel Ali, which feels halfway to Abu Dhabi (because it is). Authentic Dubai is alive, well and even thriving despite the competition from concrete everywhere else, clustered around what is described as a “Creek” (although it is much larger than the sort of trickle in which you might play Pooh Sticks) and which is home to the most fantastic, credible, not-made-for-Western-tourists-alone collection of souks that this part of the Middle East has to offer.

Lots of people come to Dubai “for the shopping”, but what they often mean is trips to vast retail outlets full of chain stores familiar from home, except with much more square footage. Dubai’s existing malls (never mind the monster shortly to emerge) are what Bluewater or Lakeside might look like if they inhaled some mind-altering substance. These institutions are, however, about as Arabian as fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. Comparing a mall to a souk is like arguing that the only difference between a Big Mac and fillet steak is the bun.

For a start, malls do not smell (except of disinfectant). The spice souk to the east of the creek smells divine, as does the perfume souk near by. The gold souk manages to smell, too, which is strange since you would not think that 400-odd entrepreneurs, all seeking to sell an odourless metal, could affect the nostrils. Even the textile souk has a certain smell.

Then there are the fish, meat and vegetable souks, which have the disadvantage from the tourist’s point of view that it is not terribly practical to cart any of their wares home, although they make a good free outing. I think the electronics souk is a bit of a bore (couldn’t smell a thing), but I suppose those sad souls who crave computer equipment at a discount might beg to differ.

But if this is the Dubai that would turn you on, there is not much to be won by coming in from miles away on official excursions and hoping that you will encounter it. You have to be ready to stay in the old business district where the hotels are magnificent affairs even if they are not built in the shape of waves or sails. From this district the intrepid can walk towards the Creek (not wise between May and September when the temperature can top 40C (105F), unless you are looking to visit the hospital souk). Or take a short, inexpensive taxi ride to one bank or the other to souk up the atmosphere (sorry), crossing the river as locals (well, local in the sense of Indians, Pakistanis, Iranians and others from this melting pot which even contains some natives) would do. On an abra, you cut across the water past dhows which look as if they have been around for decades, all for one dirham (less than 15p).

Staying in the same part of town means that you can hear the call to prayers ringing hauntingly from surrounding mosques while seated by the hotel swimming pool. It is not necessary to abandon luxury to acquire an idea of authenticity. It seems a shame that so many Brits travel to be in Dubai and never hear, see or smell it.

Need to know
Kuoni Travel (01306 747008, www.kuoni.co.uk) offers seven nights’ B&B at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai, including flights with Emirates Airlines from Gatwick, from £1,058 per adult and £539 a child, based on two adults and one child sharing.

What’s new in Dubai

Old-school glamour
The first Raffles property in the Middle East opens next month in Dubai. Designed as an homage to the Egyptian pyramids, the triangular structure has 248 rooms, a spa and a champagne bar on the top floor with sweeping views of the city.
Details: Five nights at the Raffles Dubai costs from £899pp, including flights, transfers and B&B accommodation through Kuoni (01306 747002, www.kuoni.co.uk).

Desert storm
The Al Sahra Desert Resort, which opened earlier this year, offers a sound and light show each evening in a memorable setting. The resort is built in the style of an ancient Arabic settlement, with its own date plantation, farm, camel and horse stables and a 1,200-seater amphitheatre.
Details: 00 971 4 367 9500, www.alsahra.com.

Sail away
Opening in November, the Emirates Marina is an apartment-style hotel perfect for families, as each suite has a kitchen, babysitting service and a children’s play area and pool, as well as views across the water. When completed in 2009, the new project will be the largest man-made marina in the world.
Details: A three-night break costs from £680pp, room-only, including flights through Emirates Tours (0870 128 6000, www.emiratestours.co.uk).

Old and new
Abercrombie & Kent has a new ten-night trip for 2008, combining its Signature Tour of Jordan itinerary, which includes time at Jerash and Petra, with a three-night stay in Dubai at the Mina A’Salam hotel. Transfers and flights between Dubai and Jordan are included, and a city tour of Dubai can be added.
Details: The trip costs from £1,949pp including B&B accommodation and a guide in Jordan, through Abercrombie & Kent (0845 618 2200, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk).

In the swing
Opening in November, the Dunes golf course designed by Ernie Els in the heart of Dubai Sports City (due for completion in 2010), is destined to become the region’s most popular – at least until Tiger’s opens in 2009. The course will also have a Butch Harmon School of Golf.
Details: www.dubai sportscity.ae.

Cruise control
New for the winter 2008 season, Costa Cruises’ Costa Romantica and Costa Europa will sail out of Dubai to Oman, Bahrain, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi. The Jewels of the Emirates Cruise offers plenty of shore excursions and a dolphin-spotting trip by speedboat around Muscat.
Details: A week’s cruise costs from £449pp, excluding flights (020-7940 5398, www.costa cruises.co.uk)

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