I had never really wanted to visit Dubai before, as I didn’t think it ticked any of my holiday boxes, but as it was a stopover on our round the word ticket we thought we might as well stay for a few days. I’m very happy to admit that I was wrong – we have had an amazing time here. And what’s more, we did it on a budget.

Couchsurfing is a great way to really get to see a place, as you often stay with hosts who are very happy to share their favourite places with you. We were very lucky to stay with Sam in his lovely apartment near Dubai Marina for the first two nights. His apartment block had an amazing swimming pool, and was located just a short walk from the beach, so on the first day we made the most of these facilities. It really is a millionaires playground here, and as we lay on the beach we could watch helicopters and private planes taking off, jet skis and every type of ‘toy’ you can imagine.

We also took a little boat for about 10p over the Creek to see old Dubai, and visit the Souks. I’m rubbish at bartering, but Graham managed to get a pair of flip flops down to 10 AEDs (approximately £1.50). As you can imagine, he is delighted! The souks were incredible, with spices, sari fabric and gold stacked up in shop after shop. I found the experience a little disconcerting as everyone tries to hassle you into their shop, whilst only ever speaking to the men. I think we got offered more than twenty ‘genuine’ rolexes too! We then followed the locals to a street cafe, and managed to get a delicious dinner for less than £5 between us.

In the evening we headed to the Yacht Club where it was ladies night, meaning free drinks. Its probably the swankiest club I have been to, with a very strict dress code, so we were the most underdressed people to have ever wangled their way in.

The next day we went to the water park at Atlantis, on the palm. We had some vouchers, so we just about managed to fit it in to our budget. It was great fun, and I would highly recommend it. There is a very lazy river, some sharks and dolphins and a few terrifying slides.

Another great, free activity is visiting the malls. The Mall of the Emirates has a huge aquarium with sharks, stingrays and loads of fish. There is a massive indoor waterfall, every shop you can think of and lots of people watching to do. In the evening there is a spectacular fountain display, set to music. It was mesmerising.

For our final night, we went to stay with Manu. He is a serial couch surfing host, and has people staying with him almost every night. It was great to hang out with him and his friends at a shisha place and quiz them about their life in Dubai. They gave us a few recomendations for our final day here. The best one was to visit Level 43, a bar on the 43rd floor of the Sheraton hotel, with great views of the Dubai skyline.

I’m glad to say that I was wrong about Dubai. We have had so much fun here, and are looking forward to a short stopover again later on in our travels. And to top it all, we did it on a teeny tiny budget!

Next stop – Cape Town.

• Dubai