Relaxing on a comfortable deckchair, solid teak under you, the turquoise-blue waters of the Arabian Gulf stretching out to the horizon, a cold drink at hand, the tantalising smells of seafood being carefully grilled, and the magical Gulf coast gliding by. Sheer bliss. And all to be experienced on board one of the luxurious dhows which cruise down the coast.

These are the vessels that stood the Arabian trading empires in good stead for centuries; they linked the Gulf coast to East Africa, the Indian sub-continent, and they ventured as far as China. To merely step aboard one of these dhows is to experience just a little bit of that vast maritime history.Take off from one of Dubai's wharves on the Khor, the city's creek, sail down towards the Gulf, past the high-rise splendour of the modern city, and you're headed for the open sea.