Spent several weeks in there and two Christmas'. Overall, a good place that is more Western than any other place in the Middle East. I cannot remember hotels but there are a ton of them that are 4-5 stars that were cheap when I was last there in 2004 (150 USD night). They were even playing Christmas music at the malls. Remember, Middle East we are talking about. I believe we stayed at a
Marriot and had steaks at JWs in the hotel. Great steaks! National Geographic has a special on Dubai that the are running, watch it and you will see what is going on there. Taxis are cheap and dependable. We walked about the local area as a group of three guys and we were ok but I would consult the local hotel people for what to do. Night life is good also. You can look at the CIA website for a country brief too to get a glimpse of the current state.
PS. what are you doing with a photo of my wife on your avatar? PM is you need more.
FBN