Dubai
A city spread along the coast, where the hotels that matter stand on the beach, on the Palm or downtown, and a car is needed between them. November to March is the season, and much of what is best is booked through a hotel or a private host rather than in public.
30 recommendations in six sections.
Stay
The best hotel suites in Dubai
The room, not the hotel: in each hotel that matters, the suite to ask for.
The Armani Dubai Suite at Armani Hotel Dubai
The hotel's one Armani Dubai Suite: 390 sqm on level 39 of the Burj Khalifa, facing the Gulf, for up to five adults.
The Royal Penthouse at Mandarin Oriental Downtown
The only penthouse at Mandarin Oriental Downtown: about 555 sqm at the top of the hotel in Wasl Tower, with a private balcony, its own cinema and city views.
The Royal Penthouse at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira
A split-level penthouse of 850 sqm at the top of a beachfront hotel, reached by its own lift, with a rooftop terrace and a 7-metre pool over the sea.
The Royal Suite at Jumeirah Al Qasr
A one-bedroom suite of 336 sqm with a 60 sqm balcony over the Gulf, in the palace hotel of Madinat Jumeirah.
The Royal Suite at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab
A one-bedroom suite of 664 sqm with a 310 sqm wrap-around terrace and plunge pool, looking along the coast from the Burj Al Arab to the Burj Khalifa.
Dine
The table and the room: private rooms, chef's counters, and whom to ask.
The Heritage Room at 11 Woodfire
A five-seat chef's table behind a vault door at 11 Woodfire, the one-Michelin-star wood-fire restaurant in Jumeirah, where head chef Brando Moros serves a tasting menu drawn from his Colombian cooking.
FZN by Björn Frantzén
Björn Frantzén's 27-seat restaurant on two floors at Atlantis The Palm, serving one Nordic tasting menu with Japanese touches around an open kitchen, one of two in Dubai with three Michelin stars.
Row on 45
Jason Atherton's 22-seat tasting-menu restaurant on the 45th floor of Grosvenor House, with two Michelin stars.
STAY by Yannick Alléno
Yannick Alléno's two-Michelin-star French restaurant inside One&Only The Palm, serving two fixed menus of four and six courses and known for its pastry library.
Trèsind Studio
Himanshu Saini's Indian tasting-menu restaurant at St. Regis Gardens on the Palm, one of two in Dubai with three Michelin stars.
Arrive
Arriving in Dubai by private jet or commercial flight
Getting in and out without a queue: by private jet, on a commercial flight, by car or by water.
Al Majlis at Dubai International
Dubai International's private terminal for passengers on scheduled flights, inside Terminal 3, with its own immigration and security and a car between the lounge and the aircraft.
The ExecuJet terminal at Al Maktoum
A private jet terminal of 15,000 m² over three levels at Al Maktoum International, open around the clock, with suites to sleep in beside the runway, a spa and a 7,000 m² hangar.
The HeliDubai helicopter transfer
A private helicopter, planned flight by flight, from Dubai International or HeliDubai's helipad in Al Sufouh to a hotel helipad, a resort or another emirate.
The Jetex terminal at Al Maktoum
The private jet terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, 37 km southwest of Dubai, with its own customs and immigration and aircraft parked at the door.
The superyacht berths at Bay Marina, Dubai Harbour
The berths for superyachts and private owners at Bay Marina, one of the two marinas at Dubai Harbour, for yachts up to 160 m with direct access to open water.
Access
What is not on the public calendar: before opening, after closing, by appointment.
Couture appointments at Rami Al Ali
A private couture appointment at the Jumeirah villa showroom of Rami Al Ali, the house founded in Dubai in 2001 that shows at couture week in Paris.
Green Art Gallery in Alserkal Avenue
A contemporary gallery at Unit 28, Alserkal Avenue, in Dubai since 1995, showing and selling artists from the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and beyond.
Specialist appointments at Sotheby's Dubai
A meeting on request with a Sotheby's specialist in jewellery, watches, fine art, handbags or cars, at the auction house's gallery in Gate Village, DIFC.
The Farjam Collection in DIFC
A private collection of more than 6,000 works of Islamic, Middle Eastern and international modern art, shown in changing exhibitions in a ground-floor gallery on Gate Avenue in DIFC.
The Third Line in Alserkal Avenue
A contemporary gallery in Warehouse 78 on Alserkal Avenue, in Dubai since 2005, representing artists from the region and its diaspora.
Care
Private doctors and discreet services in Dubai
Discreet services on short notice.
A consultant appointment at Valiant Clinic
A consultant-led private clinic in City Walk, Al Wasl, where each department is run by a named, Western board-certified specialist, with diagnostics and surgery on site.
A hotel-room doctor visit from Nightingale
A DHA-licensed doctor sent to your hotel room anywhere in Dubai, day or night, to examine, treat and prescribe in the room.
A Huntsman bespoke fitting at the Waldorf Astoria DIFC
A one-to-one bespoke appointment with Huntsman's Middle East cutter and client manager, who bring the Savile Row house to the Waldorf Astoria in DIFC on set dates.
The personal shopping suites at Harvey Nichols
Private personal shopping suites, one for men and one for women, in a three-floor department store of more than 300 brands with a tailor in the building.
The private shopping suite at Level Shoes
A personal shopper and a private suite at the Level Shoes flagship on the ground floor of The Dubai Mall, with shoes, bags and accessories from more than 250 designers and sold-out pieces sourced to order.
Around
A day outside the city: the desert, Abu Dhabi, the mountains, the water.
The Ferrari 488 Challenge drive at Yas Marina Circuit
Seven laps, one of them a cooling lap, at the wheel of a 670 bhp Ferrari 488 Challenge race car on Yas Marina Circuit, the track of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Golden Tour at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The mosque's own private tour in Abu Dhabi: a cultural tour specialist for your party, a reserved parking place and a club car along a set route, for 45 or 90 minutes.
The Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club
The championship course at Emirates Golf Club, opened in 1988 as the first grass course in the Middle East and home of the Dubai Desert Classic.
The Presidential Palace at Qasr Al Watan
The working presidential palace of the UAE in Abu Dhabi, open to visitors since 2019: the Great Hall under a 37 m dome, the Presidential Gifts and a library of more than 50,000 books.
The Royal Platinum Desert Experience
A private evening for 2 to 20 in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve: a nature drive in a Land Rover Defender, a falcon show at sunset and a five-course dinner cooked at your own camp.
