Downtown Dubai
This crash pad for next-gen creatives and entrepreneurs has upbeat public areas with cool lamps and other urban accents that smoothly segue to white,…
Must-see hotels in United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi
This oasis in the desert loses some of its charm in high season when big overnight tour groups can dominate, but the surroundings are so lovely you might…
Sharjah
Nestled into the traditional architecture of the Heart of Sharjah heritage area, the low-rise luxury suites of Al Bait rest on the foundations of old…
Ras Al Khaimah
Desert life doesn't get more opulent than this. The arabesque-style mud-brick villas of this resort feature mashrabiyya (lattice-screen) detailing and…
Abu Dhabi
Opened in 2015, this idyllic getaway has 32 massive one- and two-bedroom villas that you'll need to be pried from at checkout. The modern villas, dressed…
Yas Island
This bright, airy and entirely contemporary hotel sits in pole position on Yas Island, literally straddling the Yas Marina Circuit. Its avant-garde, steel…
Dubai
This sail-shaped landmark regularly hosts pop stars, royalty, billionaires and the merely moneyed. The lobby with its eye-catching waterfall and opulent…
Downtown Dubai
Opened in 2018, this 75-storey hotel looms like a golden beacon, and at 356m high, claims to be the world's tallest hotel (this is Dubai, after all!)…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
With its domed ceiling, golden pillars and jewel-like lamps, Zabeel Saray’s lobby is as lavish and majestic as an Ottoman palace. The rich decor transfers…
Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
A visitor could be forgiven for taking one look at the outside of this particularly rust-orange hotel and running off to the competition. That would be a…
Marina Breakwater
With its five-floor-high minaret archway adorning its copper-toned facade, a lobby flanked with mihrab-style niches, echoing mosque architecture, and…
Downtown Dubai
This city slicker wows, especially at night when its four-poster towers are dipped in coloured lights. With a direct link to the Financial Centre, it…
Dubai
Feel the stress nibbling at your psyche evaporate the moment you step inside this luxe boutique retreat, just a short drive outside Dubai and set on a…
Downtown Dubai
A modern interpretation of Middle Eastern design traditions, this fashionable hotel is directly connected to the Dubai Mall. Lug your bags back to…
Bur Dubai
Right on the historic Shindagha waterfront, where Dubai's royal family used to live, this charismatic retreat lets you connect with Dubai's past in a…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
Its stark glass facade, with rectilinear night-lighting, invites you into a vast atrium of textured surfaces and glowing hanging lamps. Things stay more…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
When this timelessly elegant Mediterranean villa-style resort first opened in 1998, Dubai Marina was still the middle of nowhere. Now it's dwarfed by high…
Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island
Yas Island
This friendly hotel, in a hotel complex just a hop from Yas Marina Circuit, has hospitable staff and comfortable (though blandly business-brisk) rooms…
Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
A top choice for water sports enthusiasts, this sophisticated beach resort feels like a cross between a Middle Eastern summer palace and an Italian…
Dubai
Owned by Marriott and on the doorstep of four theme parks and the Outlet Village shopping centre, this resort-style property keeps families front and…
Downtown Dubai
An eye-catching steel-and-glass high-rise harbours one of the top-ranked business hotels in the Middle East. Glide up in the panoramic lift to sumptuous,…
Marina Breakwater
While this remarkable Abu Dhabi landmark is a destination in its own right, offering excellent entertainment and restaurants, an overnight stay enhances…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Twin-towered Grosvenor House was the first hotel to open among the jumble of the Dubai Marina’s sky-punching towers. The public areas are sleek, grown-up…
Abu Dhabi
Le Royal Méridien is imbued with plenty of contemporary swagger, from its yellow-and-black-toned atrium looking out to the pool to the minimalist rooms…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
Joined at the hip to Abu Dhabi Mall, this 565-room hotel is as much a favourite with leisure travellers as with conference-goers. Staff manage to keep…
Bur Dubai
This Dubai hotel apartment pioneer has 750 studios and one- or two- bedroom serviced apartments with kitchenettes spread over a dozen boxy midrises behind…
Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana
Marina Breakwater
Steeped in subtle Middle Eastern character and harbouring a giant pool, landscaped gardens and beachfront, facilities aimed at children and a relaxed…
Abu Dhabi
This white palace, with art-deco touches in the lobby's sweep of the ceiling and structured hanging lamps, is a behemoth, all-bells-and-whistles resort…
Bur Dubai
The Versace is styled like an 18th-century Italian palace with neoclassical-style architecture and decor. This grand hotel has pretty landscaped gardens…
Bur Dubai
Located to the far west of the atmospheric Al Seef development, Zabeel has arty contemporary decor with life-size sculptures of figures that beckon you to…
Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai
A lobby decorated in shades of charcoal and cream leads to a sweeping Gone with the Wind staircase and from there to 255 good-sized and well-lit rooms…
United Arab Emirates
The height of glamping luxury, these safari-style tents, all with patio and private plunge pool, sit in glorious isolation upon the skinny Khor Kalba…
Bur Dubai
Despite its ho-hum location on a busy street, this hotel scores highly for comfort, design and a happening vibe thanks, in part, to its myriad bars and…
United Arab Emirates
Overlooking the dunes, this modern and comfortable fort-style retreat lets you count the colours of the desert through a giant arch spanning the infinity…
Dubai
This chic boutique contender fits well with the urban lifestyle concept of City Walk but has the distinction of actually serving alcohol in its food…
Abu Dhabi
Slapped onto the side of the World Trade Center, this Marriott is a midrange winner. Shots of orange and wood add fresh vibes to the light-filled rooms…
Ras Al Khaimah
Comfortable and good value, this is a great choice if you want to be in the central city rather than out along the coast in one of the resorts. Rooms are…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
With a pop-art vibe and bright colours in the lobby, this is a funky alternative to the standard marble and crystal of neighbouring hotels. After…
Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai
Within suitcase-trundling distance of Al Fahidi metro station, this Four Points has carpeted rooms decked out in soothing yellows and anchored by…
Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa
Dubai
You'll sleep well at this oldie-but-goodie beachside resort with villas set among pools and tropical gardens. The beach is rather small, but there's a…
