The Best Resorts in Dubai, UAE

This is the one that looks like a monumental riad, an almost-half-kilometre of towers, arches and tiled roofs, overlooking the white sandy sickle of Sunrise Beach. Inside, rooms mix trad luxury – velvet chaise longues, black-quartz-and-wood bathroom vanities and chintzy floor lamps – with a contemporary, muted colour scheme. Of the seven lounges, bars and restaurants to choose from, the Sea Fu bar, with its sunken lounge encircling a fire pit, is the undisputed star, for evenings sipping cocktails under the violet, star-studded night sky.

It’s part of the same Madinat Jumeirah beach Resort Complex as Jumeirah Al Qasr – but this is a smaller, boutique wing with a range of rooms: there’s full-blown Arabian opulence, baubled with ornamental lanterns in arched alcoves, and at the other end of the scale, a more modern, pared-back iteration, with trad furnishings and finishes. If you’re looking to add a splash of excitement to your break, you’re also just minutes from the Wild Wadi waterpark.