The city is built right in the desert. Wealthy sheikhs surround their villas with nice palm gardens, which are watered by computerised sprinkling systems, while some new buildings in Bur-Dubai are still surrounded with sand. Taxi cabs are numerous, and they differ much. Any ride in the city hardly ever costs more than 25 Dirhams. The best way of getting around Dubai is to rent a car.
Rental rates are very reasonable.
The roads in Dubai are excellent. To make them so, they are often mended, mostly on the weekends. So do not be afraid if you find one of the bridges closed on a weekend. The weekend in Dubai starts from Thursday twilights and lasts until Friday evening. Just take another way.