It's often said that if you have to ask how much you can't afford it. I don't agree. Luxury travel shouldn't only be for the rich. Everyone deserves to be spoilt and pampered. Especially if it's a special holiday, a honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday for instance. Or simply because you've been working really hard and deserve a decent break. One of the reasons Dubai has become such a hot destination is because it has taken its tradition of Arab hospitality to the extreme. The city treats its visitors like Sheikhs and they respond by behaving like them (as my co-writer Terry often says). If you have to save for that hard-earned holiday and are planning a trip where you intend on spending money like it's going out of style, then you want to know it's going to be worth it, that you're going to be guaranteed a great time, and that it's going to be memorable. Which is a very good reason for travel writers to do thorough first-hand research (as I am here, testing out Al Maha's Bedouin Suite infinity pool for you) and to be more responsible when it comes to giving advice. I simply wouldn't send you to some of the properties 'reviewed' in the various glamping stories I cited in previous posts. So where would I send you?

'Glamorous camping': so is it worth forking out hundreds of dollars for a tent fitted out with Persian carpets? Heather On Her Travels says: "I can't understand this glamping thing - If you're going to pay top hotel prices why not stay in a top hotel and be done with it? Suppose I might be tempted in some East African game park though." I agree. If you're not into camping, can't cope with the bugs, can't get by without blow-drying your hair, don't want to 'go' in the bush, and don't mind throwing money around like Gigi Bondick, then it's probably worth it. I've glamped at bush retreats while researching books and while it was nice not to have to pitch our own tent, to sleep in a bed and have a private bathroom, I didn't think it was good value. If anything, they just weren't luxurious enough. If I hadn't have been researching a book and working all day, I would have been happier camping the trad way. I wouldn't call the Four Seasons 'Tented Camp' Golden Triangle or Al Maha 'glamping' as some writers do. They're luxury resorts with solid structures, swimming pools, spas, and restaurants. The Golden Triangle's 'tented' suites do have canvas walls but they also boast wooden verandahs, floors and doors, bathrooms, mini-bar and all the amenities you'd expect of a five star resort. As does Al Maha, where the suites (pictured) are proper buildings apart from their canopy-shaped roofs, and are as plush as any of Dubai's deluxe hotels with enormous bathrooms, heavy colonial-style furniture, and private plunge pools. You only know that if you do research - another reason why travel writers need to visit the places they're writing about. They do have Persian carpets though.