Dusit Dubai by Vanessa Kaoukji

The Dusit is one of a number of tall mirrored buildings that line the main Dubai - Abu Dhabi road. The building itself may be vast, but the hotel consists of only 178 rooms and manages to retain an intimate feeling. The rest of the building is taken up with furnished and unfurnished apartments. The lobby is non-descript apart from an arched glass ceiling from which hang beautiful golden Thai chandeliers. The roof top pool is small as is the gym and the hotel’s three restaurants look out onto the busy Sheikh Zayed Road, which is fine if you like watching traffic while you eat. The Thai restaurant is staff by Thai’s, including the chef, and seems like a good bet.

What is promising to be the biggest mall in the Middle East is currently being built right beside the Dusit, which is good news for shoppers who won’t have to walk more than five minutes to participate in one of the sports that made Dubai famous. And for those who need a break, the hotel has an agreement with a beach hotel so that guests can get their doses of seawater.