Top Hotels in Dubai - A Taste of Middle Eastern Glamour
Discover Dubai – the pearl of the Middle East and the most progressive and modern of the United Arab Emirates. It’s one of the fastest growing cities on earth and a hugely popular tourist and business destination. As the gateway between the East and West, Dubai is a truly unique destination; from the dry desert landscapes on the outskirts of the city, to the sky-scraping Burj Khalifa and artificial islands in the form of palm trees. Dubai’s distinctive culture is embodied by its top hotels, globally renowned for their glamour, comfort, style and six to seven-star luxury.
With the mix of traditional Arab heritage, hot weather all year round, and its booming trade and retail industry, Dubai is a flourishing tourist destination for people all around the world. Brazenly rich and glamorous, Dubai attracts affluent tourists and top businessmen all year round, hosting huge trade events such as Arab Health, top sporting events, music festivals and fashion shows. From golf courses and sand dunes to the world’s largest shopping centre, The Dubai Mall and Michelin star restaurants, there’s never a dull moment in Dubai.
Dubai - A Tale of Two Cultures
For a Middle Eastern country, Dubai is unashamedly Western. It has a thriving economy, with booming trade in tourism, real estate, IT and finance. With its unique position as a capitalist Emirate, Dubai has attracted people from all over the Middle East, Asia and Europe, creating a hugely cosmopolitan population. People flock to Dubai in the promise that it is a city like no other; ostentatious and glamorous where every visitor is a VIP. Dubai aims to stand out in the global market, with huge iconic structures like the Burj Khalifa and the huge artificial islands of the Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Jumeirah cementing Dubai’s world fame as a thriving and luxury holiday destination. With the famous wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the fortress-like structure of the Mövenpick Ibn Battuta Gate-Dubai, Dubai’s top hotels are unrivalled for their extravagance and style.
But beneath the veneer of shiny shopping malls and five-star hotels like the Sheraton Dubai Creek, lies the remnants of the true, traditional Dubai. Explore the mosques and souqs of Bur Dubai, where local Emiratis go about their daily rituals and habits and the Muslim culture lives strong. This is a stark contrast to the new build office blocks of Deira, the modern residential areas of Al Barsha, and world-famous top hotels of Jumeirah.
Dubai’s top hotels are scattered all over the city; from sea-side hotels such as the Grosvenor House in the Dubai Marina, overlooking the huge man-made palm islands, to more centrally-located hotels like the Burjuman Arjaan by Rotana, near the popular Burjuman shopping mall. Dubai is a city of extremes, contrasts and cultural diversity.
Getting to Dubai
Getting to Dubai is relatively easy. With direct flights from London taking only about 7 hours and airlines providing increasingly competitive prices, Dubai is becoming a much more accessible holiday destination. Being a relatively small city, Dubai International Airport is well-linked to all areas of the city. The airport is about a 25 minute drive from Jumeirah and only 7 miles from the popular tourist area of Deira, where you can find some of Dubai’s top luxury hotels like the Hyatt Regency. With so many good hotels closely located to the airport, businessmen are just as well-catered for as the tourists.