For a city like nowhere else: a futuristic showcase of record-breaking architecture, palm-shaped islands and malls with ski slopes, set against long beaches and a vast desert. It is brash and modern, but also a polished, easy and family-friendly destination with near-guaranteed winter sun, world-class dining and shopping, and quieter corners of old trading-port history by the creek. It flexes to suit almost any trip.

When is the best time to visit Dubai?

The cooler months between November and April, when warm, sunny days make the beaches, golf, desert and outdoor dining a pleasure; this is the busy, priciest season. June to September is intensely hot, often above 40 degrees, pushing life indoors, though hotel prices drop sharply. The shoulder months either side balance decent weather with better value.

Is Dubai good for a beach holiday?

Very. The coast around Dubai Marina, JBR and the Palm has long stretches of clean sand, warm sea and beach clubs, backed by hotels, restaurants and promenades. Note that not every Dubai hotel is on the beach, many of the best, including golf and city properties, are inland, so if sand at the door matters, check the location, or pick a beachfront base and travel to the sights.

How long do you need in Dubai?

Three to five days suits most trips: a couple of days for the beaches and the Marina, a day for Downtown and the Burj Khalifa, and a day for the desert and Old Dubai. It is also a popular stopover of a day or two between Europe, Asia and beyond. Golf or spa-focused stays can happily fill longer in one relaxed base.

How do you get around Dubai?

Mostly by taxi or ride app, which are plentiful and reasonable, as the city's districts are spread out and distances long. The driverless metro is clean and cheap along the main Sheikh Zayed Road spine and handy for Downtown and the Marina. A hire car is useful for the desert or outlying areas, and most hotels arrange airport transfers and tours.

Boutique Hotels in Dubai, UAE - Small Luxury Stays

Where to Stay in Dubai

Dubai sprawls, so the choice of area shapes the trip. The beach districts, Dubai Marina, JBR and the Palm, are where most leisure visitors base themselves, with sand, restaurants and a buzzy promenade life; Downtown, around the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, is the high-rise heart for shopping and sightseeing; and Old Dubai, by the creek, is quieter and more characterful. Away from all of it, the residential districts offer a calmer, more local-feeling stay. The club's choice sits in one of them. The Address Montgomerie is a 22-room boutique golf hotel in leafy Emirates Hills, wrapped around an 18-hole championship course designed by Colin Montgomerie, a country-club retreat of lakes, fairways and birdsong about 15 minutes from the Marina beaches. It suits golfers and anyone wanting a quiet, personal base away from the towers, rather than a room above the action.

When to Go

Dubai's season runs through the cooler months between November and April, when days are warm and sunny rather than fierce, and outdoor life, beaches, golf, desert and terraces, is at its best; this is peak, and prices rise around it. Between June and September the heat is intense, often above 40 degrees, and life moves indoors to the malls and air-conditioned interiors, though hotel rates fall sharply. The shoulder months either side are a fair compromise of warmth and value.

Getting There and Around

Dubai is one of the world's great aviation hubs, with Dubai International (DXB) close to the centre and superb connections worldwide; the newer Al Maktoum airport serves a growing number of flights. In the city, the driverless metro is clean and cheap along the main spine, but taxis and ride apps are the usual way to get around, since districts are far apart and distances long. A hire car suits those venturing to the desert or between outlying areas.