Anonymous wrote:Dubai easily. A lot more to see. Take the kids to the Creek and cross it on the dhows and wander around the gold souk and have a shawarma.
There's also theme parks but typically expensive.
Beaches are quite good in Dubai. There's open public beaches with boardwalks that's fun for an afternoon or stay at a hotel with a private beach.
Malls are much better in Dubai. You may not care about malls but there's kids play areas and indoor ice skating or go to Ski Dubai at Mall of Emirates.
You can take the metro and kids may enjoy seeing the city from the metro as it's elevated for much of the route. Dubai is really quite futuristic.
You can do dune bashing if you want. Or if you're up for a long day, a dhow tour in Musandum (Oman) is feasible and easily organized with collection from your hotel in Dubai.
Abu Dhabi is more "local" but it's also hard to find it. Very private. You'll most likely find it a quiet and reserved city.
Contrary to what some posters want to claim, Dubai has plenty of flavor and "soul." It's a huge expat destination with thriving communities of people from all over the world. A fun evening can be to take the metro to Karama for an Indian meal at a great local Indian restaurant. And there's the colorful fabric souks near the creek that can be combined with a creek crossing and gold souk exploration. Go in the evening.
Pp here who recommended Dubai above and this is a really good description.