Think of UAE success story Dubai, and two contrasting images tend to spring instantly to mind - at least for anyone who’s yet to spend any considerable time there.

On the one hand there are those wonderful super-swish hotels, majestic air-conditioned shopping malls, ritzy marinas and posh golf clubs.

On the other there’s the high-octane world of big business, with Dubai acting as the cash-rich base of an international mega-hub of commerce - a gold mine in the desert.

They’re ultimately different sides of the same coin, since the economic vibrancy obviously underpins the aspirational lifestyles of so many who work there.

Many or even most of Dubai’s professionals are ex-pats, people earning good money who soon become used to seeking out and enjoying the good things of life.

A relative minority are the super-rich elite who can afford to live the proverbial jet set lifestyle, but for the typical well-paid professional it’s more a case of being able to enjoy what in Britain would be called “a good standard of living”.

Less well known is that Dubai actually has the potential to be a great family holiday destination, perhaps with a particular attraction for people who already have some experience of the UAE.

Sophisticated evening entertainment can include dining in true gourmet splendour in one of the top seafood restaurants in Dubai to be found close to some of the most famous hotel and leisure complexes - for example Pisces on the Madinat Jumeirah frontage, a classy haunt with a mean line in lobster ravioli that makes it into Time Out’s list of top ten restaurants.

There are many other compelling examples, and innumerable online rave reviews, and of course this should hardly come as a surprise.

Fish and seafood generally is available both in fantastic, fresh profusion and in a milieu where many are extremely fussy about where they eat and what they consume - seafood is the mainstream quality choice, and not simply a dining “sector” as in the UK.

Seafood gourmets could certainly structure an entire holiday around quality dining and aquatic leisure, but in fact every conceivable taste is catered for in the wider dining circuit and some of the “new” cuisine emanating from ambitious restaurants is helping to cement Dubai’s reputation as a gastronomic powerhouse - perhaps particularly when it comes to devising fresh takes on classic and wholesome Arab or Persian cuisine.

Meanwhile forget the notion that you will spend most of your holiday touring shopping malls.

Many make a major shopping element a must-do on their break, but anyone who over-obsesses on deluxe retail risks missing some of Dubai’s other key attractions.

Still on the aquatic theme, Dolphin Bay offers a memorable day out, “with a range of dolphin interactions suitable for all ages and swimming abilities”.

When the advertising blurb for this attraction promises “a trip of a lifetime” it is hardly exaggerating - because included is the chance to scuba dive alongside the ever-friendly dolphins.

Packages there also include access to Aquaventure Waterpark, which is one of several similar classic theme settings reckoned eminently suitable all the family.

If you are of an environmentalist/conservationist frame of mind - or just wish to see some of the region’s timeless natural splendour - you might consider a visit to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve or the Al Sahra Desert Resort.

Al Sahra, for example, offers a camel-riding school set in an oasis among the desert dunes, and the prospect of excursions considerably more exotic than our European equivalent, pony trekking.

This is no beachside novelty camel ride, either, since full stable and livery training is given in this most ancient of Middle East animal husbandry skills - and using that ability, once acquired, is reckoned an excellent way to escape the mechanical din and disorder of 21st century living.

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum there’s always the option of a trip to Ski Dubai, which boasts 6,000 tons of snow and an Alpine-style chair lift, even before you consider specialist children’s entertainment parks, golf clubs galore, and a vibrant yachting culture which spans everything from easily accessible to totally exclusive.

With all that waiting to be enjoyed - and more - perhaps the biggest surprise for newcomers is to discover just how much quality fun is available in this glittering entrepot of global finance.

A leisurely look at what’s on offer beyond the malls and the bling is enough to show that a brief taxi ride from the commercial hub will take you to any one of dozens of top class leisure experiences.