Dubai Smart Splurges

An instant icon, this 248-room, pyramid-shaped tower located in the heart of Dubai managed to become the town’s hottest hotel just moments after opening in late 2007. Service here is impeccable as each floor has its very own butler eager to attend to patrons’ needs. Every room is a balconied suite with large living rooms and drop-dead-gorgeous views of Dubai’s mushrooming skyline. You’ll find all the standard amenities here – a pool, fitness room, and spa – but the dining and bar options, most of which are located on the hotel’s top floors, take the cake: don’t miss the champagne bar, which boasts 53 varieties of the bubbly (not to mention caviar flown in from Paris).

The first hotel to open in the Dubai Marina is understated yet decidedly elegant; and the view of the artificial Palm islands and downtown Dubai is spectacular from nearly every window.

Spend a few hours being scrubbed and pampered in a traditional Moroccan hammam. Several hotels and spas have them, but the city’s best is at the One&Only Royal Mirage.

Despite over-the-top presentations, this sparsely lit, brick-laden restaurant isn’t all...more