Dubai/Abu Dhabi

Went to Dubai in March and loved it - really want to go back. We stayed in the Oasis Beach Hotel which is rated 4 but more like 5 in reality. It was brilliant - really friendly service and lovely location on the beach. If you want to read reviews have a look on www.tripadvisor.com. That's where I found it. Here's the link www.jebelali-international.com/oasis_intro.asp
I contacted them direct and got a cheaper price than any of the agencies offering accomm there. We paid around £140 per night and that was a huge room for four of us. The room also had a balcony which was great and meant that we could sit out read and have a drink while DS and DD slept. The hotel has three restaurants serving very tasty, reasonably priced food. You can get cheaper hotels in Dubai but most are in the city and away from the beaches - depends what you want I guess, but we found the beach to be brilliant, as were the pools and other facilities at the hotel. As everyone will say, Dubai is a huge building site, but we weren't disturbed or bothered by it at all. It's a fascinating place. We flew with Emirates and they were brilliant - again excellent service, esp with children.

Forgot to add - if you're planning to go over the Xmas/NY period then be warned. Many hotels will demand a minimum stay and also make it a condition that you have your Xmas and NY Eve meal there. In some hotels, these were more than £300 per head. In one hotel (the 7* Burg) it was more than £700 per head for the meal!!!

Shhhh - i have never actually been to either dubai or abu dhabi on holiday but have worked out there a great deal. Personally I would recommend you go to Dubai rather than Abu Dhabi, simply because there is more to see and do. Abu Dhabi is really only just starting out as a tourist destination (and is way behind Dubai) and there arent too many things there to keep you busy at the moment - other than great weather of course! The shops are definitely better in Dubai too!

You could have a look at the rates offered by \link{http://www.southtravels.com/middleeast/uae/index.html\South Travels} but I whole-heartedly recommend that you invest some time in searching through old posts on the \link{http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g295424-i872-Dubai.html\Dubai Discussion Forum} on Tripadvisor. If you use the search facility and type in something like 'good deal' or 'best hotel rates' then you will bring up old threads where other travellers have recommended particular websites or Travel Agents. Of course you could always post the same question you posted here and I am sure you will get loads of replies. Also on Tripadvisor you can use their link to search for rates for a particular travel date and hotel as they have links straight through to expedia, hotels.com etc. As Maggie suggests, check out the Hotel Reviews on Tripadvisr too, before you book.
Dh, ds1, ds2 and I have stayed in the Jumeirah Beach hotel (shaped like a wave and sited on the beach opposite the Burj al Arab sail shape 7* hotel) which is fantastic for children (but expensive) and The Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah which is even more amazing (but still very, very child friendly) and, yes, even more expensive. However, we are fortunate enough to travel frequently and have stayed in some amazing hotels worldwide but we are unanimously agreed that these two hotels are the best we have ever stayed in as a family. Also, the Jumeirah Beach, Al Qasr, Mina a Salam and the Burj al Arab (all owned by Jumeirah International Hotels) are among the very few that are currently totally unaffected by the extensive building work going on along Jumeirah Beach. There really are more cranes than taxis everywhere else! That said, I'd return to Dubai in a heartbeat.
One other matter - the weather over Christmas and New Year in Dubai can get pretty cold and wet. Again you can do a search for 'December weather' on the Tripadvisor Dubai forum and you will find that this topic has been discussed frequently. We nearly booked to go over Christmas last year until I read how bad the weather had been Christmas/New Year 2004/2005, which is why we went in October instead. Even during February half term week (when we went the first time) it was cloudy and windy and we had one complete day of rain.
Hope some of this is helpful. You'll have an amazing time.

we've just come back from 10 days in abu dhabi staying at the meridien and I would go back (we looked at it from a different point of view now that i am pg and want to still go away once we have had the baby!)Have been to dubai several times and found that it was getting busier and busier each time - stayed in the meridien (airport, as they called it but no noise!!) as well as various metropolitan ones - all good. flew back this time with etihad - they were great!

I would go direct to the hotels and see what they will offer - we would definitely try abu dhabi again - went for a 'chill out' so just lazed around but seemed very welcoming to families and plenty to do if you wanted!

have a great time, where ever you end up!

What unique things can you do in Dubai? That is non-beachy, non-resorty type things.

DH is off on a business trip in a couple of weeks and is wondering if it is worth taking a day's holiday to do something special. Desert activities, camel rides?

yes, dune bashing is fun ... have a look at \link{http://www.arabian-adventures.com/LeisureTravelVisitors/ToursSafaris/Index.asp\Arabian Adventures} website for safaris and tours in Dubai. We've taken the Sundowner Safari which includes dune bashing, a visit to a camel farm, dinner at a bedouin camp with belly dancing, shisha pipes, camel rides etc oh, and as the tour name implies, a stop on route to watch the sun go down over the desert.
Alternatively your dh could also go skiing in the new indoor \link{http://www.skidxb.com/\ski dome} or take a visit to the Gold Souk and haggle for some nice gold or diamonds for his dw