I just can’t avoid the comparison. Dubai and Abu Dhabi remind me of Vegas, but minus the sleaze, gambling, live shows, cheap hotels and rowdy behaviour. They are luxury urban resort centres for affluent couples and families to relax and bask at the never-ending opulence of the emirates’ lavish hotels.

As I’m leaving the area tonight, I’ve jotted down a few things worth mentioning from my two-week stay in the UAE.

Dubai vs Abu Dhabi
Although Dubai is a more happening place, it’s too surreal for my taste. I’d prefer to live in Abu Dhabi, which has as many expats (80%) but more character. Then again, my brother lives in the HSBC Building.

Saadiyat Island
Abu Dhabi is playing catch up with the contruction frenzy taking place in Dubai. The most ambitious project is Saadiyat Island, which will be home to a Guggenheim gallery, a Maritime museum, a Performing Arts Centre, and a Classical Museum.

Other notable works include the Gate District, featuring a Stonehenge-like design, and Yas Island, the future site of the F1 Grand Prix (via Timeout Abu Dhabi).

Burj al-Arab
You can’t just walk in as I thought you could. You have to make reservations and dress in proper attire, meaning collared shirt, no jeans and no trainers, just to get in. Fortunately, the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi is a more inviting hotel.

Gridlock traffic
This is the bane of Dubai commuters. It took the cab driver an hour, rolling as fast as 10km/h in the congested area, just to get from one part of the city to another. Needless to say, public transportation is underway and is expected to be completed in 2009.

Images courtesy of Wikipedia and Cribs.

Size matters in Dubai. The Emirati hotspot is swelling at a blistering pace, with burdgeoning towers and colossal development projects sprouting seemingly everywhere, all in a bid to impress and become a darling of the jet-set crowd.

Shopping, a favourite Dubaian past time, is no different. Forget the quaint streets and the quirky shops (one exception). It’s all about malls and the oh-so familiar high street shops that dwell there.

Although I’m not a big fan, the ones I saw had just enough spice to make it worth checking out.

Boulevard at Emirates Towers

Top-class office building, luxury hotel, glitzy shops. Nothing more to say.

Mercato Mall

This Italian-themed shopping haven counts Hugo Boss, Diesel, Topshop, Bershka and Mango in its retail lineup.

Souk Madinat Jumeirah

A large, picturesque Arabian marketplace filled with intriguing arts and craft stores.

Mall of the Emirates

This King Kong of malls boasts all the desirable names in luxury including UK-retailer Harvey Nichols, and sports an imposing indoor ski facility.

* * *

Coolest shop in Dubai

Amid the area’s obsession with massive retail centres (due mostly to the desert heat), the concept store Five Green seems to be the lone beacon for things independent. It carries T-shirts from Yoko Devereaux, 2K by Gingham, Paul Frank, and e.vil. (via Timeout Dubai)

Photos courtesy of Emirates Towers, Wikipedia, Qualitagious, Mall of Emirates and Five Green.

Addresses
Why bother, since transportation in the UAE is all about driving or riding cabs.

Going out in Dubai was quite an educational experience. In this land where Islamic values and a liberal attitude find a way to co-exist, weekends run from Thursday night until Saturday when giddy party-goers, mainly expats, flock the bars and clubs of the city’s plushest hotels.

Yes, you read that rightly. The dancing and drinking circuit in Dubai is confined to hotels, the only establishments granted licence to serve booze. This strict alcohol policy also means that a licence is required to drink at home, although in practice it seems that few expats do.

Arriving Dubai on a Saturday, the equivalent of a Sunday in the Western world, I knew that I wasn’t going to stay out very late. Besides hopping between hotels in a cab is not my preferred way of having fun.

I kicked off at Trilogy, one of the swankiest bar/club in Dubai. The interior reminded me of Barrio Latino in Paris, with the dance floor smack in the centre of the room and the upper floors perched around it for people watching. On that night, only the Rooftop was open. Although only a handful of people showed up, I did get to savour the stunning view of the Madinat Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab, the world’s only “seven-star” hotel.

Once the excitement waned, I headed to Zinc at the Crowne Plaza to check out the local electronic music scene. But the only sound I got to hear came from the bouncers who were firm on the couples-only policy. With no other plan in mind, I went back to my hotel and realised on the way that I had just spent more time riding cabs than drinking.

Notes: Clubs in Dubai are luring the world’s top DJs. Tiësto and Erick Morillo recently had gigs there, while French DJ David Guetta will hit the decks later this month… Shagging for unmarried people is illegal in the UAE but not really enforced, while smooching in public is frowned upon.