Moving to Dubai in January

hi,

I'll be moving to Dubai in January with my wife. I'm looking for any practical advice you may have for accommodations (I've been reading a lot about rental prices coming down), life style, everyday things such as opening bank accounts and getting a car, etc.
I'm particularly interested to hear if there are any other Canadians who have recently moved and if they have any advice for all the docs that need to be certified, and how they have left their affairs in Canada.

Many thanks in advance and till January when I'm sure we'll meet many of you in person...

Mike