I liked dubai when I was there, just hated the price of the $200 lunch in Burj-al-arab (
http://www.burj-al-arab.com) and just got some bread and coffee at that price and be between guys with white dresses on & russian (real) G's and shops that sell 1.2M watches or golden 24-carat shirts...amazing, just amazing.
The workers are from pakistan, afganistan, etc. and work 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day below any minimum wage. Just like slavery in the days.
I spoke to a cab driver who had the flu and he said he'd rather work then loose his job by not showing up 1 day for being really sick.
Gas is really cheap there, full tank is like $10 for a taxi
And almost no business taxes...
Dubai will be big, the new Vegas of the middle east if you ask me.
It's famous for it's hookers from around the world too, but I was there with my GF so I would not know this