Went there on a cruise ... reminiscent of a throwback English seaside town I thought. Not sure about the tax free bargains but bought a nice vase from the M&S
I'd go along with that. I research new places so have never really had a bad experience. There are few places that hold little interest but Dubai is one of them as is Egypt, inc Sharm!
Edit: OK Dubai isn't a country but difficult to imagine the rest of UAE gets any better