Mandarin Oriental Jumeira

On the surface, the blingiest city in the Middle East seems to be all about size, scale and showing off. And if it’s a break from reality you’re looking for, there’s nowhere that delivers quite like Dubai. But care to look deeper, and there are nuggets of romantic history and culture to be found, particularly in the older Bur Dubai, and the atmospheric Gold Souk. But first, you’ll need to decide which palatial hotel to hole up in. Here are our top picks.