Well, I'm back from Saudi and as requested, I thought I''d post my thoughts for the benefit of anyone else searching the forums, and say thanks to all who replied.

Taking things in order:

Airport: Sailed through security both getting in and getting out; the terminal was almost empty both times, so good first impression.

Riyadh: my sponsors were very keen to take the group I was with out and about, so we saw many of the "tourist" bits, e.g. the Al Masmak fortress, Historical Centre, the old Souk etc. All very interesting and educational, especially for a first-time visitor to the Middle East. We visited teh Kinddom Tower and the Al Faisaliah towers at night and the Al Fasailiah Tower again during the day. Stunning viewpoint, but I can see the point made about there not being a great deal to see. Definitley a worthwhile experience though. Tried walking between the two towers one afternoon (estimated it was about 0.5 mile, but actually nearer two); decided a taxi would have been a better bet, given the heat, the "interesting" nature of the driving at intersections and the distance between the two. Ran out of time, so exploring the Kingdom Tower will have to wait for another time....

Food: Had dinner both at the Globe and the restauraunt up the Kingdom Tower. Both very pleasant.

Culture: Though I thought I was going open-minded and culturally aware, the degree of gender segregation still took me a little aback. However, I was impressed by the warmth of welcome, the openness and generosity of everyone I met was a pleasant contrast to the increasingly cynical western outlook on things. Given the legal system in KSA. I exepcted to feel pretty safe wandering around and this was certainly the case.