A walk around the Dubai Museum is enlightening. To see aerial pictures of Dubai just 40 years ago, the blue of the creek lapped by the golden sand of the desert makes it hard to imagine how far Dubai has come in such a short space of time.
Now Dubai boasts the world's tallest building, the world's largest shopping mall, the world's tallest fountain, and so on.
Side by side with the mega building projects however, an older side of Dubai continues, with dhows unloading their wares by the creek side and spice and gold sellers in the souks continuing centuries of tradition.
For those looking for a taste of old Dubai, the Bastakia area offers a couple of great boutique hotels which are a great alternative to Dubai's mega hotels.