[billjam]

I lived there (Abu Dhabi) for all of the nineties. The cities have grown enormously since I left in 2000, but the back country is still much the same. You really need four wheel drive to get the best out of the Emirates. Shops are shops wherever you are, but the scale of the desert is really amazing.

The East coast and the Hajar mountains to the east of Dubai are also interesting.
Jebel Hafeet just outside of Al Ain is an interesting drive (especially in a 911 ) but there's not much else down that way. For a while I was commuting to Dubai every day from Abu Dhabi in my 911 and once a week I would come home via Al Ain (130km out of my way) just to do two sprints up and down Jebel Hafeet. Those were the days! All the other roads are flat, straight and boring.