Dubai is home to some of the world's most opulent hotels, but not all the best places to stay in Dubai are out of the price range of regular folk. It may be full of glitz and bling, but scratch beneath the surface (quite hard!) and you can find authentic little properties that are ideally located for exploring the historic sites, and give you a sense of what the place was like before the mega-resorts moved in.

Some of our Dubai Collections:

• 3 Best Hotels in Downtown Dubai
• 5 Best Hotels in Jumeirah Beach
• The Best Hotels in Deria
• 3 Best Hotels in Bur Dubai

Dubai is a glamorous, sunny destination. Perfect if you're craving the beach in October and you don't want to fly long haul from Europe. Even for families. The food is varied and facilities are modern and air conditioned. From the boutique shopping, to the polo and the races, to the ancient souqs, and the man-made coastline. But while it can be hectic, and expensive, it doesn't have to be. Dubai is broken up into several distinct districts, and you haven’t really visited the city unless you’ve explored two or three of them, and seen both the incredible modern miracles built in the desert, the city’s ancient cultural treasures and way of life, and the beach.

Beyond the glitz of the city is the peace of the desert.

Where to Stay - which neighbourhood?

• Downtown Dubai is where you’ll find both the Dubai Mall, which is the world’s largest mall, and the Burj Khalifa - which has been the world’s tallest building since 2008. It’s also home to the Dubai Fountain, which is the world’s largest choreographed fountain system. And the Souq Al Bahar, a luxurious Arabian market. Downtown Dubai isn’t all impressive new builds, the Old Town area, is in the original, low-rise Arabic style, with narrow, twisting streets, graceful old buildings, lively markets and traditional restaurants, but most of this area is big, confident and modern.
• Jumeirah Beach, which follows the long stretch of clean white sand and sea-green ocean west from Dubai Creek, between the Etihad Museum and the seven star Burj Al Arab Hotel, is probably one of the best known places to stay in Dubai. The hotels and resorts on this strip are big and fancy, with sea views and private beaches. Behind Jumeirah Beach are the elegant villas, boutique shops, rather glamorous cafes, and the Dubai Canal. If you’re not staying in one of the Jumeirah Beach hotels you can still enjoy the Jumeirah Beach Park, which welcomes all to relax, stroll, barbecue or enjoy the water and the view.
• If you’re looking for bragging rights consider staying on The Palm, the enormous island made in the shape of a palm tree. Some of the most luxurious hotels in Dubai can be found on The Palm, including the Atlantis.
• If you want to stay by the water you might also want to consider Dubai Marina, which has hundreds of tall buildings surrounding it, some of which are hotels. The marina is a good choice if you’re interested in eating out, and going out of an evening.
• Deira, on the other side of Dubai Creek from Jumeirah Beach, is busier and less sanitised. This is where you’ll find the souqs and the wharves lined with traditional dhows. The oldest souqs, the gold and spice souqs, are closest to the waterfront, and you should definitely start your explorations here. The textile souq is also unmissable. You should also check out the docks - nothing travels in shipping containers here, it’s all in cardboard or under tarpaulin. Shopping here is an entirely different experience to the 600 stores within the air conditioned Dubai Mall, and it’s definitely worth experiencing both. As well as the dhows and the fish souqs, the waterfront is lined with more luxurious hotels and resorts, especially as you head down the promenade towards the man-made promontory, the Corniche. Deira is also where you’ll find the Deira Clocktower, the Al Mamzar Beach Park and the Al Ahmadiya School, which was Dubai’s first school and has been carefully restored.
• Bur Dubai is the historic quarter or Old Dubai, where the city began. It’s where you’ll find the historic Al Fahidi and Shindagha districts and the incredible Dubai Museum, the Grand Mosque with its impressive minarets, and Sheikh Saeed House. In the evening you might want to head over to Zabeel Park or Creek Park to relax, cool down and catch some more local colour.
• Al Quoz is one of the newest districts of Dubai to become popular with visitors — it used to be really industrial, but its warehouses and factories have been transformed into boutique hotels, trendy galleries and cool places to eat, drink and hang out. Al Quoz is probably the hipster part of Dubai, home to culinary and cultural innovation.

This emirate is an ever-popular year round destination, so if you want to guarantee a room in one of the best places to stay in Dubai, you'll need to get organised and book well ahead.

The Best Places to Stay in Dubai

For a 'Once in a Lifetime' Hotel

• Dubai doesn't do things by halves, and there aren't many places this is more obvious than at Atlantis the Palm. On the ocean edge of the man-made Palm Jumeirah, this deep sea themed hotel is… Wow. It's not just a resort - there's a huge water park, an aquarium, a huge spa and shopping. There's a private beach, tennis courts, you can learn to scuba dive, or swim with dolphins. And there's a crazy array of restaurant options.
• If you want all the glitz and glamour Dubai can muster you need The Address Downtown Dubai, a luxurious skyscraper with seven swimming pools, an immaculate spa, award winning restaurants, private everything and wonderful views of the Burj Khalifa.
• Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah is a proper sultanate palace with all the flash. Rooms and suites are opulently filled with antique loveliness, there's a vast spa, sea views and private this, that and the other. This is a grand affair, with a pool complex so big that you can use their Venetian style gondolas to get around it. And a choice of 44 restaurants and bars.

For a city break

• The Armani Hotel is by 'that' Armani, so offers a flavour of Milano in the Burj Khalifa. Sumptuous, but muted, compared to many of the hotels around it, the Armani has clean modern lines and neutral shades, so it's popular with business travellers.
• The Palace Downtown Dubai is a classic hotel which bridges the gap between the modern glass giants and a sultanate palace. It's one of the best places to stay in Dubai if you're looking for comfort and elegance - there's a relaxed, almost colonial air, and not too much flash.
• Al Manzil is a very comfortable, 197 room hotel just five minutes walk from Burj Khalifa. The chic, contemporary rooms and suites are designed with business travellers in mind, and there’s a temperature controlled pool, a range of restaurants, and spa facilities.

For a traditional stay

• If you're looking for a smaller hotel, one of the best places to stay in Dubai is the Orient Guest House, which has 12 rooms in the Bastakiya Heritage Area near Dubai Creek. Traditional and romantic, this is a quiet spot within walking distance from many of Dubai's main attractions.
• The Ahmedia Heritage Guest House is a small, romantic, 15 room hotel with antique four-poster beds, and gorgeous fabrics, plus a lovely courtyard, and its own art gallery. The decor is traditional and you're right near the souks.

For a Desert Escape

• Desert Palm is a quite secret, 38 room desert hideaway, with facilities which could cater for more than double the number of guests. The city is your backdrop, but your immediate view is of the stunning green of the polo fields. For total privacy book your own villa, complete with your own pool.

For luxury

• The Meydan Hotel is a 284 room hotel overlooking Dubai’s racecourse. it’s big, with big rooms and suites, all of them lavishly kitted out with private balconies and huge windows. There’s a huge range of restaurants and bars onsite, and an excellent range of facilities, including a tennis academy and a golf course, plus an infinity pool over the racecourse, and a separate children’s pool.

For Families

• The Jumeirah Beach Hotel is one of those beautiful glass and steel structures rising out of the desert which you see in all the photos of Dubai. It might not look family friendly, but it has its own beach, a number of pools, an excellent spa, a collection of restaurants, kids clubs, you're right by the marina, AND you have free access to the Wild Wadi Water Park.
• The Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach is a huge, family-friendly resort hotel with a private beach and a fantastic array of facilities, including tennis courts, a golf course, a range of watersports, and a superb spa. The rooms are what other hotels would call suites, and the suites are more like apartments, and all up there are 237 to choose from, arranged in a five storey Moorish horseshoe with lots of marble and palm trees. There are three restaurants and a trio of bars, and you’re only 15 minutes from the centre of Dubai.

For great value

• The Barjeel Heritage Guest house is a beautiful Persian style guesthouse with nine comfortable, romantic rooms decorated with traditional antiques. There's a lovely waterfront restaurant which serves traditional cuisine.
• The XVA Hotel is a fabulous alternative to Dubai's grandiose palatial hotels - an arty, Arabian style property decorated with art, antiques and understated furnishings. You'll find it in the oldest part of Dubai Creek, near the Dubai Museum.

Prefer an apartment?

• If you’d prefer to stay in an apartment or private villa we recommend you visit our online partner, booking.com.

Travel information

• Dubai International Airport is only three and a half kilometres from the city centre, which takes between five and twenty five minutes by taxi, depending on the traffic, or you can catch the driverless Metro, which comes every ten minutes and takes about twenty to get into the city.
• If you’re thinking about hiring a car we recommend checking what our online partners, Rentalcars have to offer.
• Dubai is a city destination with year round appeal, but unlike many other cities, this is not somewhere to come in the summer unless you really like the heat. Temperatures throughout summer will be in the low to mid-30s, with the possibility of going beyond 40°C. Many places you go will have air-conditioning, and hotels have pools, but this heat is certainly not for everyone. Winter, between December and February, sees temperatures in the mid-teens to mid-20s, and some rain, but this is a desert, so there’s still not really a lot of rain. Spring and autumn offer a sliding scale between the hottest and coolest parts of the year, so it’s actually possibly to pick out your ideal temperature and plan to visit Dubai when those sorts temperatures can be expected.

Still not sure which to book?

• You could refine your search to one particular area and focus on the best places to stay in Jumeirah Beach, for example or the best places to stay in Bur Dubai.
• Or you could do the opposite and expand your search to include all the best places to stay in the United Arab Emirates?
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.

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