Burj Al Arab -- We're still unsure why one might need a revolving four poster bed, but at $24,000 a night you can deliberate for yourself in the Burj Al Arab's Royal Suite. Located in the world's first seven-star hotel and decadently furnished across 8,400 square feet, it's still perhaps the most coveted place to lay your head in Dubai. And with a choice of 14 types of pillow, you'd expect a restful night's sleep.
Courtesy Burj Al Arab
The Royal Suite's most extravagant touch? The 24 carat gold iPad guests are given to contact the concierge. A useful backup should all 27 phones dotting the suite happen to go down.
Courtesy Burj Al Arab
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates -- You can stay in Dubai and largely avoid the desert heat. But staying at the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates takes cool to a different level. The hotel has installed new "Aspen Chalets" backing on to the indoor artificial slopes of Ski Dubai.
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
Ski Dubai has became a symbol of the city's geography-defying ambition. Its piste is 279 feet high and 1,312 feet long, but it's about to be trumped by the Meydan One project -- also in Dubai -- featuring a 3,937 feet long ski slope.
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
The Underwater Suite at Atlantis, The Palm -- The Underwater Suite at Atlantis, The Palm is not the first hotel room in the world to give you a fish eye view. And if you want a real ocean experience in Dubai, there's the Floating Seahorse villa coming to The World archipelago. But the suites at The Atlantis are perhaps the gigantic hotel's most famous feature.
Courtesy Atlantis, The Palm
For approximately $12,250 a night, guests can look out of any of the three-floor suite's windows and see sharks and stingrays among 65,000 sea creatures occupying a humongous aquarium.
courtesy Atlantis, The Palm
The Palazzo Versace -- More is more might be the unofficial motto of Dubai, but it fits the bill for Versace too. The opulent Italian fashion brand cut its teeth nearly two decades ago with its first hotel in Australia, and their Dubai establishment continues the theme. Its unique selling point: every piece of furniture and textile within is designed by the House of Versace.
courtesy Palazzo Versace
The hotel, built to mimic the maximalist aesthetic of a 16th century Italian palazzo, contains 215 luxury rooms and is believed to have cost $625 million to build.
courtesy Palazzo Versace
Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa -- Located a 50 minute drive inland from Dubai City, Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa lies within a conservation zone which, among other things, reminds guests just from what the UAE arose: a vast swathe of hot, unforgiving desert. Of course, this being a luxury retreat, you need not feel the heat of the beating sun, with capacious suites ranging from 808 to 5,705 square feet.
Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa
The presidential suite sleeps up to six in blissful isolation, with unrestricted dune views. Camel treks, spa treatments and desert picnics are all thrown in to the deal for the resort's most exclusive guests.
Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa
Dukes Dubai -- The Dukes Hotel is a London institution, tucked into a quiet corner of plush Mayfair. As it undergoes refurbishing, the company opened a new venture in Dubai in January 2017. Located on the Palm Jumeirah overlooking the city's towering CBD, it offers a slice of anglophilia for any homesick British expat, including Liberty prints and Andrew Martin furniture in bedrooms -- a first for the UAE.
courtesy Dukes Dubai
The 506-room complex includes 279 bedrooms, with 20 suites on the Duchess floor designated women-only, intended to cater for female solo travelers.
courtesy Dukes Dubai
Habtoor Palace -- The Hilton-owned hotel oozes grandeur, with butler service for every guest, access to a private beach and helipad, and a suite named after Sir Winston Churchill with its own rooftop plunge pool.
Courtesy Habtoor Palace
Renaissance Downtown Dubai -- Located in the city center with rooftop views of Dubai's skyline, Renaissance Downtown is undeniably stylish. Foodies especially rejoice as it hosts three restaurants run by celebrity chefs Masaharu Morimoto, David Myers and Mohanad Alshamali.
Hakan Akdemir/Renaissance Downtown Dubai
The Armani Hotel Dubai -- The world's first hotel designed by fashion icon Giorgio Armani features his signature minimalist style with muted grey interiors, sumptuous fabrics and Japanese wooden floors.
Armani Hotel Dubai
The Armani Hotel Dubai features a handful of restaurants with influences from around the world. Amal offers Indian cuisine in a spectacular setting.
Armani Hotel Dubai
Bulgari Resort Dubai -- Situated on the exclusive, man-made Jumeira Bay, this opulent hotel was crowned best new luxury hotel of 2017 by Luxury Travel Intelligence.
Bulgari Hotels and Resort
One & Only Royal Mirage -- This romantic beachfront resort is set in 65 acres of lush gardens and a kilometer of private beach.
Courtesy One & Only Royal Mirage
Sheraton Grand Hotel Dubai -- The 54-story hotel has enviable views of the city's skyline.
Sheraton Grand Hotel Dubai
QE2 -- The hotel on a ship was built in England but remains permanently docked in Dubai's Mina Rashid, a man-made commercial port. Tentative cruise-goers might start with a stay here to see how they fare before embarking on open waters.
