There are various reasons why I love Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The weather cannot be faulted. It's always sunny even in their winter periods.. Perfect for someone like me who HATES the winter seasons. I'm just not built for the cold weather.. I don't think I have enough flesh on my bones to deal with it. The summer time in these UAE destinations can however get VERY hot, to the point where people cannot go out. BUT everywhere you go is air conditioned. The malls, the hotels, the shops, the taxis etc... they are fully equipped for the heat. So the weather is a definite PLUS.
The hotels and services are top notch. You cannot fault the services they are in my opinion all 5 star. Taxis are everywhere and are frequent. Hotels are amazing.
The food is great. In Dubai you get absolutely everything. There are all the same restaurants you have here in the UK, but the good thing about is that the meats are halal so you don't need to stress about eating what you want!! There is so much variety you can never get bored and they cater for everyone.
Almost everywhere is clean, you hardly find litter and rubbish on the floors.
The malls have every kind of shop you can desire. They make the shopping centres here look like a joke and they put the shops here to shame. In addition to this, their malls have AMAZING facilities for kids. Huge soft play centres and kids centres. They also have activities such as skiing slopes etc for the adults.
It is very safe and secure in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, you have no fear of being mugged , attacked or robbed, the crime rate is so low, its next to nothing. So you feel safe which is very important.
Even though these places are westernised to some degree because they cater for the tourists and all the people that are moving out there, it's good that in some places you can still hear the call of prayer.. they way they call the adhaan and recite Quran is very beautiful.
The difference between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is that Abu Dhabi is a calmer place, it's less busy and more relaxing. Dubai is fast pace, loud, full of hustle bustle extremely busy and more westernised. The amount of people from the UK, America and other countries that are moving to the UAE is fast growing. When you're there you see all walks of life.
The downside to Dubai is in some respects it is a bit souless there. It seems that everything is based around materialism. Everything is new. It often feels surreal. There is no depth to anything as it's all artificial. I guess it would depend on which way you would look at it.
If you go to these destinations, make sure you fly with Emirates, they are by far the best airline to fly with. My experience with British Airways this time round was rubbish. They didn't even bother to ask if our baby was ok when she cried non stop on the flight. Their service was way below average!! they offer nothing for the kids.. which is ridiculous!