Sure Dubai has man made, palm tree-shaped islands lined with hotels and vacation residences, plus the Burj Dubai, the tallest skyscraper in the world, which makes the Sears Tower look like a walk-up brownstone, but there is another Middle East destination looking to shake up the luxury real estate market.

Neither Abu Dhabi nor even Dubai has landed at the top American vacationers must-go lists, but the regions’ expansive beaches, luxury hotels and increasingly grand real estate projects have made them major destinations for European travelers. Abu Dhabi is already a stop on cruise ship itineraries and is served by direct flights from New York, but now by landing some name brand developments and attractions, the region is actively targeting a broader swath of travelers.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts recently announced that it was building its first Westin Hotel in Abu Dhabi, slated to open in 2009. The hotel will be part of the Abu Dhabi Golf Course, Hotel, Residences and Spa, a development that will also be home to some 252 vacation villas and town homes, as well as a wellness center. The homes, when completed in 2010, will surround a golf course with a club managed by Troon Golf, a brand that any golf club swinging Arizona resident would recognize. The Shangri-la hotel also has residences in Abu Dhabi.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi is getting its own branch of the Guggenheim museum, a 450,000 square foot desert outpost designed by Frank Gehry. The Guggenheim will make its home on Saadiyat Island along with the Abu Dhabi Louvre and a handful of other cultural attractions. But Saadiyat Island, unlike some of those palm tree-shaped marvels in Dubai, differs in one distinct way from the heavily man-made aesthetic in the area—it’s naturally occurring.