Nothing can prepare you for the sight of the gigantic structures that dot the Dubai skyline, from the breath-taking, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab to the Emirates Office Tower. Something like 25pc of the world's building cranes are in Dubai right now, and that construction craze looks set to continue for years, if not decades.

Dubai is a new country, which is strange considering its first settlers arrived in the 7th century. But it wasn't until oil was discovered in the UAE in the 1970s that international interest in the region really increased. While Abu Dhabi's reserves of the black gold are believed to be immense, Dubai's oil flow is expected to dry up in the next 30 years. For that reason, its ruler, Sheikh Maktoum, is concentrating on building up the city as a giant in the world of tourism, business and real estate.

Dubai specialises in spectacle and bling, and many of its pleasure domes bring to mind the extravagance of Vegas. It's more like a modern-day Egypt, where teams of builders work in shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week to build these enormous monuments -- except the pyramids of yesteryear are now the hotels and skyscrapers of today.

I imagine that an architect could come up with the craziest building design imaginable and it would find backers in Dubai. An underwater hotel is under construction, which will complement the gigantism of the World project, a group of 300 islands being fashioned into the shape of the world, and the Burj Dubai, which promises to be the tallest building on the planet upon completion (the actual height is being kept secret, but it's estimated it will be 800m).

We flew direct from Dublin to Abu Dhabi -- the largest emirate in the UAE -- on Etihad, the country's national airline. From there, it's a 45-minute taxi ride to Dubai, which by all accounts is the easiest way to do this trip. Traffic in Dubai can be horrendous, and the journey from the airport bears the hallmarks of M50 madness.

Dubai is a surreal place. It's bizarre to think that this wilfully capitalist and western-oriented place can exist between repressive Iran and Saudi Arabia. Its culture is certainly more relaxed than other Islamic strongholds, though women are still advised to avoid wearing revealing clothing.

And the recent case of a German TV executive, who was detained by Dubai police for six weeks for allegedly possessing 0.03 grams of hashish when in reality the suspect material was just a speck of dirt, highlights the severity with which authorities handle drug cases. Even paracetemol or sleeping pills could be considered suspect, so be careful.

In many ways, Dubai is a geographical aberration and has been criticised for having no culture, which isn't necessarily true. The pillars of Arab custom are there -- mosques, traditional dress, observation of Ramadan -- but there's a real sense of struggle between those traditions and rampant material progress, something Ireland knows a thing or two about. Be that as it may, I doubt that many of those travelling to Dubai are doing so to expand their cultural horizons. From my experience, a trip here is about shopping and sunshine, which explains Dubai's newfound popularity amongst Irish tourists, seeing as we can't get enough of the former, and hardly any of the latter.

But exploring Dubai requires effort, not just because of the often scorching heat (brace yourself for an average of 48°C in summer) but purely because most of the resorts are so self-contained. We stayed in the five-star Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, which houses eight bars and restaurants, a spa, pool and private beach alone.

If sun-worshipping, excellent service and luxurious relaxation is your thing, then Dubai will be -- to use a local reference -- your Mecca.

However, it is worth your while dragging your chilled-out behind off that lounger to see what the place has to offer. Of course there's retail therapy in abundance -- and I'll return to that in due course -- but there are other ways to pass your time.

We started with a bus tour of the city, which can have its moments, as traffic holds everything up, and large parts of the city are just building sites. A sailing trip around the coast is far more pleasurable, and most resorts offer their own boating services.

The highlight of my trip to Dubai was a desert safari, which basically involves boy-racing through sand dunes in a four-wheel drive. The driver collected us after lunch and drove for about an hour into the Dubai desert. Once there, he spent 30 minutes taking us on a sand rollercoaster, often driving sideways through the dunes, with an incongruous but highly effective mix of traditional Arab dance music and Beyonce blaring from his stereo.

After the thrills of the dune-bashing, our driver dropped us off at a permanent, Bedouin-style campsite. If you're still craving an adrenaline-rush at that point, you can go sand-boarding and sand-skiing. At the camp, take a camel ride, enjoy a buffet barbecue, smoke some hubblee bubblee (shisha), and get henna tattoos.

The night is capped off with a traditional belly-dancing show that very quickly becomes interactive. After half an hour of booty-shaking, the lights are turned out and you sit under the desert stars until the driver arrives to take you back around 10pm.

If you fancy the romantic option, you can spend the night under the stars. All together, the evening excursion cost approximately 250 dirhams or €50 (find out more at www.desertsafaridubai.com).

Adventure junkies will think they've died and gone to heaven in Dubai. The new Ski Dubai complex (www.skidxb.com) is located in the Mall of the Emirates, and is the first indoor snowy slope to open in the Middle East, measuring 400m. Meanwhile, over on Jumeirah Beach there's the Wild Wadi Water Park, which houses 30 rides for all ages over a space of 12 acres, while the in-development Dubailand -- a three billion squre feet behemoth featuring six themed worlds -- will soon be the jewel in Dubai's entertainment crown (www.dubailand.ae).

Dubai, of course, is also widely known as a tax-free haven for shoppers. However, whether or not it's an indication of how inflated those tax claims are, or simply of how shoppers in Ireland are being ripped off, I didn't notice a big difference between prices there and here. Undoubtedly there are bargains to be had, most notably in the markets and amongst the -- how shall I put it -- less legitimate retailers who specialise in fake handbags and jewellery (and there are many), but don't expect to make massive savings.

The souks (markets), such as Madinat Jumeirah, are definitely worth a visit, though it's a pity to see their authenticity being drained by the presence of Starbucks amid the pashminas, spices and Arabian rug stalls. If you're a born haggler, you'll have a field day.

Gold, naturally, is the most popular commodity, and the Deira Gold Souk is always packed with visitors on the scout for some serious bling. Some might be surprised to find that the gold is not as cheap as expected -- it's still sold by weight and susceptible to the daily international price -- but persistence, cheek and a little bit of luck could bag you that bargain in the end.

If it's a centralised shopping expedition you're after, then it has to be the aforementioned Mall of the Emirates. There are some 400 shops located inside the sprawling complex, including all the major brands and designers such as Harvey Nichols, D&G and Gucci, as well as dozens of traditional Arabian stores. Even the most die-hard shopping nuts in my group found this place intimidating and exhausting. But, if you're committed to the cause then set aside a couple of days and tackle the Mall zone by zone.

Dubai has quite a high cost of living, so eating out is not cheap. Having said that, I must admit I loved the food while I was there. As befits a place that so wilfully blends East and West, there is a huge range of restaurants that cater for the most finicky of Western eaters. Fish and Indo-Pakistani dishes are all-pervasive, and the most popular restaurants tend to be in the hotels and resorts as they are the only ones with licences to sell alcohol.

Indeed, the active nightlife is one thing that caught me totally off-guard. There are huge numbers of British and Irish ex-pats living and working (very profitably I might add) in Dubai, so the social scene tends to be dominated by them. The regular working week in Dubai is from Sunday to Thursday, and we arrived on a Friday -- the Dubai equivalent of Saturday night.

The beach bar in our hotel -- the Barasti -- was hopping, with DJs and live bands playing until well into the early hours. Clublife is more spread out, but Time Out Dubai is a great magazine to have at hand to keep up to speed with who is playing where.

Dubai has been working long and hard at being relaxed and comfortable, and who could dismiss a place whose raison d'etre is about indulgence at every corner? I want to return again in a year's time just to see what buildings and facilities have been added since my last visit, for in this ultimate of playgrounds, it's all about the toys.