Dubai & Ras Al Khaimah, 6 Nights

Met at Dubai International and driven to the hotel; check-in is from about two, which leaves the afternoon to rest after the flight. In the evening a shared transfer runs to Dubai Marina for a dinner cruise on a wooden dhow: two hours drifting along a man-made canal lined with residential towers, lit after dark, with a buffet dinner including vegetarian dishes and live music on board.

A half-day tour of the city's landmarks: a photograph at the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, the drive onto the Palm Jumeirah to the Atlantis, and the older quarter by the Creek where the city began. The tour ends at Dubai Mall for the lift to level 124 of the Burj Khalifa, in a non-peak time slot, and the aquarium tank on the mall's ground floor with its underwater tunnel. The fountain show runs every half hour in the evening.

The morning is free; Dubai Outlet Mall, on the road towards the desert, has discounted international brands for anyone keen. In the mid-afternoon a 4x4 collects you for the dunes: a lively drive over the sand, a stop for photographs at sunset, and a camp with camel rides, henna, a barbecue dinner with vegetarian options, and a tanoura dancer. Back at the hotel by about nine.

After breakfast a private car takes you north through Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain to Ras Al Khaimah, about an hour and a quarter. The towers give way to low towns, date palms and the grey wall of the Hajar mountains. Check-in on Marjan Island is from around two, and the afternoon is the first slow one of the holiday: pool, beach and a sunset over the Gulf.

Nothing scheduled. The sea off Marjan Island is calm and shallow, which suits children, and resorts rent kayaks and paddle boards. For something different, we can arrange a car up Jebel Jais, the UAE's highest mountain, cooler than the coast by several degrees and home to a long zipline, or a visit to the abandoned pearling village of Al Jazirat Al Hamra.

Another day at leisure. The resort spa, a long breakfast and a swim are the whole plan for many. In the cooler months the National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah, in a fort that was once the ruling family's home, is an easy hour in the old town. In the evening, a beach dinner can be arranged for a special occasion.

Breakfast and check-out, then the private transfer back to Dubai International, about an hour and a quarter. Traffic through Sharjah can be heavy in the late afternoon, so we time the pickup with a comfortable margin for your flight, and a late check-out can be requested for evening departures. Anyone who wants a last swim can have one after breakfast.