The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has made it to my Western screens in various ways, including when Carrie Bradshaw and the gang headed to Abu Dhabi in Sex and the City 2, videos of Beyoncé’s 2023 Dubai performance and social media buzzing with Dubai’s futuristic skyscrapers and opulent lifestyles — none of which screams “affordable.”
I headed to Dubai for a few reasons: to explore the tourist destination, better understand the…