"Smile, you're in Sharjah." That cheery greeting, emblazoned in flowers on one of the city's numerous islands of green, sums up the attitude: this is the emirate with a big heart. Sandwiched between the throb of commercial Dubai and the gracious tradition of Ajman, Sharjah has developed a personality all its own.

On the ground, it shows that it doesn't skimp on the finer touches that make it such a friendly city: its municipality spends a surprising portion of its budget on parks, greenery, flowers and trees, all of which combine to give the city its natural colour and flair.

Sharjah likes to show off its parks -Jazeera, Majaz and a score of bright little islands of lush green with no name. Then there's the Gulf seafront, a fabulous stretch of beach, promenade and luxury resorts which extends for eight kilometres all the way to Ajman. This is truly the Sunset Strip of the UAE, dotted as it is with clubs, hotels, cafes, recreational complexes and enough laidback places to simply unwind.