A trip to the United Arab Emirates ignited the shopaholic within Subashni Naidoo who finally got the shoes she has long craved

Dubai has it all. And if it doesn't, it's building it. Desert settlements have given way to six-lane highways, spaghetti junctions, record-high skyscrapers, over-sized shopping malls, indoor ski slopes and even artificial islands.

We - myself, three other journalists and our hosts - arrived in 40°C and were chauffeured in air-conditioned luxury to the four-star Southern Sun Qamardeen Hotel. Ushered into our suites, we freshened up, changed into something cooler and applied loads of sun screen in preparation for a foray downtown.

Barely a minute outside the hotel, beads of perspiration were trickling down my back and I almost strained my neck as I tried to catch all 162 floors of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower and Dubai's signature building. It's about twice the height of New York's Empire State Building, houses 1044 residential apartments, has more than 55 lifts and features the world's first Armani Hotel, which occupies 15 of the lower 39 floors.

We were taken on a high-speed, ear-popping journey in one of the world's fastest lifts, reaching the 124th floor - 828 metres - in just 60 seconds.

As I absorbed the amazing view from the world's most prestigious address, I prepared to brave the sweltering temperatures and explore the city. Next stop was Atmosphere, two floors below and touted as the world's highest restaurant, where I was told dinner over sunset was an amazing experience.

We were treated to tall glasses of refreshing vanilla iced tea - perfect relief from the scorching temperatures - followed by delicious canapés.

We ended our first day with sundowners at the five-star Downtown Address Hotel in full view of the synchronised musical water fountain; an enthralling sight set on the 30-acre Burj Lake which shoots water jets as high as 150m.

I could barely sleep that night; thoughts of endless shopping malls and bargain shopping filled my head. The next day we left the spotless city and headed for the popular traditional souks. A water taxi took us across the creek to Deira, where rich aromas filled the air as we browsed through a wide variety of spices from all around the world.

Sacks exuding aromatic flavours and fragrances, including frankincense, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and dates, lined the tiny alleyways. I was far too overwhelmed by the choices and ended up not buying anything.

However, I did stumble upon a relatively new creation. - camel milk chocolate. I was amazed by these tiny, multicoloured pieces of chocolate which resemble gem stones. I quickly grabbed a few bags, bargained with the trader and then made my way to the gold souks down the road.

I marvelled at the window displays of gold bangles, necklaces, earrings and every piece of jewellery you can imagine. It's no wonder that Dubai is known as "City of Gold"; it also boasts the world's biggest ring which weighs more than 60kg and is worth more than R20-million.

Not being a big fan of gold, I was quickly distracted by a trader offering designer bags, watches and sunglasses at bargain prices. If you thought Dubai was all haute-couture and glamour, think again. Tucked away amid its opulent shopping malls, we were told, were several areas where you can clinch some great bargains.

We followed the trader through the narrow alleys, up a few flights of stairs into another building, suddenly detached from all the bustle. And this is where the fun began. We were taken into a well-secured store room and then led down a little passage where we spotted a book shelf. Behind it, the man revealed his stash of goods, ranging from Prada and Gucci to Louis Vuitton and Chanel.

My jaw dropped in amazement as I browsed through the watches. He had it all - from Breitling, to Rolex and Tag Heuer. This was more fun than I could have imagined and far more entertaining than the shopping at the glitzy malls.

The Karama market, a bargain hunter's dream, is more exciting if you crave copy watches and handbags at dirt-cheap prices. The "A" grade "genuine fake" watches ranged from R600 to R1 000, depending on your bargaining skills.

But for me, like most women in the world who never get bored of shopping, this was not enough. I was determined to leave Dubai with at least one genuine item that would guarantee fond memories of my desert experience.

After hours of walking the Jimmy Choo store in Dubai Mall caught my eye. I have a small, teensy, tiny obsession with Jimmy Choos and there was no question that this was meant to be.

It had taken a trip to Dubai to realise that I had to have a pair. Women around the world prize the shoes for their classic design, fine craftsmanship, comfort and the fact that any pair you buy won't be going out of style anytime soon.

I could have settled for the jelly sandals that retail for $175. But after some serious browsing I made my final decision, swiped my credit card and waltzed out the store with my first pair of luxury shoes, beautifully packaged in a branded bag, that had set me back R3900.

Feeling not an ounce of buyer's remorse, I actually thought this was quite a bargain, considering that a pair at the Cape Town store costs between R5000 and R12000. The only regret was that between the watches I had bought for relatives at the Karama market and the Jimmy Choos, I had officially blown my set budget. Yet, given that Dubai's main attraction is definitely its fabulous shopping, I would happily have drained the last few dollars in my handbag had our hosts not dragged us off for another, less costly, adventure.

With my new buy safely stashed away, we headed for extreme temperatures at Ski Dubai - which, it is claimed, is one of the largest indoor ski resorts in the world, covering 3000m² of indoor ski area.

From outside the Mall of Emirates you can see a gigantic metal tube that looks as if it has been shoved from space into the desert sand. Inside is a one-of-a-kind experience complete with ski slopes, sledging, tubing, Zorb balls, a halfway house serving hot chocolate in between runs, and a separate area for dare devils. We had great fun making snow angels and sampling everything on offer.

My trip would not have been complete, though, without the dune dinner safari.Dune bashing is certainly not for the faint hearted, even though we were transported in luxury Land Rovers. I did not hear the instruction to buckle up and before I knew it I was hurtling across the back of the vehicle and bumped my head.

Suitably chastened, I strapped myself in and we glided effortlessly through the dunes, with a group of photographers and cameramen stationed at various spots filming our ride.

After this action-packed experience it was time for a sunset stroll around the campsite on a camel, which set the tone for the magical evening ahead. The landscape turned a brilliant red as the sun set and we were led to a traditional camp and treated to a delicious barbecue.

Later we tried our hand at sand boarding, posed with a falcon, marked our hands with henna, sampled a shisha (a hubbly bubbly) and were entertained by a belly dancer.

While Dubai may not be everybody's "must visit" destination, I have no doubt that few visitors will fail to be impressed by its super-sized reputation.

• Naidoo travelled to Dubai courtesy of Dubai Tourism, Orient Tours and Flight Centre