COMPILED BY Danielle Weakley
If it’s unabashed luxury you’re after, say hello to Dubai’s newest resorts.
Five Luxe
This collection of beachside hotels and residences is being touted as the ultimate spot for uninterrupted sunset sea views. The waterfront property reads as a community of buildings, with a luxe, monochromatically pale decor scheme broken only by the cerulean blue of the Persian Gulf. It’s the volume you’ll notice – the soaring ceilings in all the suites; a lobby dwarfed by the sinuous lines of sculptures and water features; armies of metres-tall palm trees flanking the pools… If that’s not enough, the sustainability credentials are first-class, with resource-conserving tech throughout. | fivehotelsandresorts.com
The Nest
Stephanie Reichenbach founded Nara Desert Escape back in 2018, as just a single lounge and an à la carte dining table amid the desert dunes. Fast-forward five years, and she’s now added The Nest to this fine-dining experience. Merging almost naturally with the surrounding sand, The Nest is a peaceful sleeping concept designed by Italian architect Gianni Ranaulo, which offers Nara guests the chance to truly immerse themselves in the serenity of the Arabian desert. Expect futurist-looking pods that are all daybeds and firepits on the outside, and luxury textured cocoon on the inside. | nara.ae
Atlantis The Royal
The opening of this resort featured a private concert by Beyoncé, and the restaurant lineup reads like a who’s who of the Michelin Guide, with concepts by everyone from Heston Blumenthal to Nobu. Atlantis The Royal was designed as a bold architectural deconstruction of Dubai’s traditional skyscraper skyline, with the buildings echoing stacks of individual blocks to create towers, sky bridges, and more intimate bespoke experiences within the vast complex. Sky villas – the last word in luxury – boast private infinity pools and landscaped gardens, so you can quite literally swim among the clouds while overlooking the Persian Gulf. | atlantis.com
Bungalo34 at Nikki Beach Resort and Spa
Tashas’ (yes, that Tashas) Natasha Sideris has dressed up her elegant beachside experience with pieces she’s collected during her travels to Greece, France and Italy, so Bungalo34 is reminiscent of the golden era of Riviera design, with coral-inspired textured tiles and playful artworks. And the unbuttoned decor of Nikki Beach Resort’s accommodation is equally appropriate to its setting. Expect lazy lunches that roll into late nights of music – and don’t miss the chance to order a signature frozen negroni. | bungalo34.com
Terra Solis
This luxury tented camp was dreamed up by the creative brains behind legendary European dance music festival Tomorrowland, so music is a huge part of Terra Solis’s wow factor – but so is location. Set in the desert as a poolside oasis, it boasts chilled daytime soundtracks from a roster of resident DJs that flow into all-night parties under star-soaked skies. Accommodation is either under canvas or in funky cabins and, while both are achingly chic, it’s the Orion cabins, which flank the main pools and their butterfly-canopied daybeds, that offer the perfect mix of DJs and downtime. | terrasolisdubai.com
Looking for more on local design or travel? Sign up to our weekly newsletter, here.
