Ein Gedi
This delightful low-rise campus, lushly planted with exotic trees and plants (including two immense baobab trees), offers a luxurious on-site spa and a…
Must-see hotels in Middle East
Sea of Galilee
Hosts Sara and Bentzi Zafrir offer the warmest of welcomes and a fantastic independent-travel vibe here. Inspired by the yurts (gers) used by the nomads…
Doha
The Mondrian, clad in thick metal mesh, is meant to evoke the image of an eagle's nest, and the radical design continues on the inside. With a black…
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Villas
Abu Dhabi
From the expansive bronze-toned foyer with its silver sand-rose sculptures to the 50-sq-metre rooms with daybed-strewn balconies and bathtubs made for…
Oman
This low-rise surfers lodge looks like a government school from a distance, but don't be put off: it's in a superb location at the top of the high-tide…
Al Hamra
This resort lives up to its name with panoramic views over Al Hamra basin, a dizzying 1400m below. Don't be put off by the cabins cantilevered over the…
Tel Aviv
This mammoth hostel is one of the best places to meet other travellers, and it has some of the cleanest and best-kept budget rooms. It offers excellent…
Hajar Mountains
This tiny guesthouse – the first to bring tourism income to the village – is set within a beautiful plantation. It's housed in two old buildings, family…
United Arab Emirates
It's the only hotel option in town, and it's a goodie. The stone-walled, red-tile-roofed chalets are surrounded by manicured lawns sprinkled with palm…
Jebel Shams
This delightful camp, attractively landscaped in sympathy with the wilderness setting, is thriving under new ownership. A range of accommodation is on…
Doha
With its heritage architecture, exquisite desert landscaping and beach location, this is one superb hotel. The intimate, super-luxurious rooms with four…
Tel Aviv
Boldly bursting onto the TLV scene in 2017, the 40-room Poli House is the latest creation from the owners of Brown TLV. Slightly different from the other…
Beirut
Sophie the superhero is your host at this strikingly original hotel with an exuberantly contemporary design, all reds, whites and quirks. There's plenty…
West Bank
Set in a beautifully restored Mamluk-Ottoman-era currency exchange in the Old City, Khan Al Wakalah has been a pit stop for travellers between Damascus…
Salalah
This welcoming family-style hotel, run by an amiable Tunisian manager who speaks English, Italian and French, has lovely views: the sea is so close you…
Jerusalem
Stay at the Three Arches and be happy in the knowledge that your hotel is one of modern Jerusalem's most recognisable landmarks. Beneath the soaring 46m…
Jerusalem
This wonderfully maintained guesthouse gets high marks for its period atmosphere, multilingual staff, prime location and garden setting. The simply…
Al Zahiyah & Al Maryah Island
This shiny high-rise packs in the flair of a hotel twice the price from the moment you walk into the triple-height lobby hung with swooping contemporary…
Iran
Brainchild of young Tehrani adventurers, this lodge nestled in the verdant Ramsar hinterland provides cultural, musical, gastronomic and adventure…
Tehran
What started as a Facebook forum for helping travellers in Iran has blossomed into Tehran's first fully-legit hostel. Run by a clued-up, youthful and open…
Sharqiya Sands
This magical camp is a haven of Bedouin-style tents, breezy Arabian-style seating areas and a swimming pool. This is one camp where you are genuinely in…
Dead Sea
This pleasantly green haven boasts a river that ambles through the village-style complex of rustic two-storey apartments. Wooden screens and balconies…
Al Ula
Although it's more desert glamping than camping, this new resort close to Al Ula and Madain Saleh is all about the location. It's hidden away inside the…
Bur Dubai
As the name suggests, the rooms are smaller here than at the adjacent Zabeel House, 23 sq metres to be exact. That said, they seriously pack a punch with…
Oman
This lovely little camp, located away from other camps and yet accessible by saloon car (except after rains), is on the fringe of a unique hem of desert,…
Dubai
If cookie-cutter hotels don’t cut it, try this polished pad styled after a Middle Eastern summer palace. Details are extraordinary, from the lobby’s…
Shiraz
One of only a handful of traditional hotels in Shiraz, this delightful, sociable hotel in the heart of the old quarter is a firm backpacker favourite. The…
Wadi Musa
This backpacker-friendly hotel has caught just the right vibe to make it Petra's most successful travellers’ lodge. There’s a cosy communal area with free…
Jordan
Due to open in 2018, this purpose-built ecolodge from the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature will served to anchor tourism in the Badia desert…
Doha
Coloured lanterns adorn the lobby of this hotel, with its attractive floral water features and spiral staircase to the mezzanine level. Furniture…
Beirut
Nestled on the flank of one of Beirut’s iconic stairways, this place enjoys a privileged position in the heart of the Gemmayzeh district, with great bars…
Jericho
One of the West Bank's best budget stays, Sami Youth Hostel is nestled deep in the refugee camp on the outskirts of Jericho with a dozen clean and quiet…
Iran
In the tiny outpost of Farahzad, neighbouring Mesr, this 11-room guesthouse occupies two beautifully restored mud-brick houses. The simple rooms with…
Downtown Dubai
Tailor-made for wallet-watching globetrotters, Rove is a hip launch pad with sassy, contemporary decor and such millennial must-haves as an outdoor pool…
Downtown Dubai
This is a hotel that truly evokes its surroundings with its black-and-gold colour scheme and a dramatic bronze lobby sculpture reminiscent of undulating…
United Arab Emirates
The Intercontinental swaggered onto the Al Aqah scene in 2017 and has been wowing beachgoers ever since. Fujairah hasn't seen sophistication like this…
Khasab
Perched on a headland just outside Khasab on the Khasab–Tibat road, this old favourite is surrounded on three sides by water and makes the most of the…
Jerusalem
We love Harmony as much for its ethos as for the quality of its rooms. Photos extend across the lobby ceiling representing Jerusalem's various religions,…
Riyadh
This hotel sums up Riyadh 'luxury'. A Hollywood-like driveway greets you at the entrance to grounds that boast 210,000 sq metres of pristine, landscaped…
Aqaba
An imposing full stop at the end of the bay, the InterCon boasts less of an infinity pool than an infinity sea: on a calm day, the Gulf of Aqaba stretches…
