Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa

Bab Al Shams is Arabic for Gateway to the Sun, and since 2004 the resort has stood in the dunes off Al Qudra Road built like a fort to guard it: low sandstone buildings round courtyards, the colour of the sand they sit on. It borders the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, home to oryx and gazelle, so most of the neighbours have hooves. The rooms look either into the courtyards or out over open desert, and the desert side is the one to ask for. The Desert Pool Villas each have a pool of their own, and the infinity pool, which everyone shares, faces the dunes, so the water stops and the sand carries on to the horizon.

Recommended for families who would like the desert with a kids' club in it, and for couples who would rather see Dubai's sand than its skyline. The kids' club is included and open from nine until six, the family pool has a lifeguard, and the lap pool, with a swim-up bar, is kept for adults. Days go to the reserve: falconry, archery, horses, a hot air balloon for the long view, and the camel ride, which guests write about warmly. Dinner is at Al Hadheerah, in the open air of the desert, where belly dancers and camel riders perform and the open kitchen turns out ouzi rice and kebabs. Afterwards the resort's astronomer leads the stargazing, 45 minutes' drive from a city that has never been shy of lighting up its own sky.