The Gulf at its most assured, with beach, desert and skyline within the hour. November to March.
Dubai keeps the Gulf calendar. November to March is the season, with warm days, cool evenings and both the beaches and the desert at their best. April and October are borderline, and from May to September the heat moves life indoors, which suits a restaurant or shopping trip and little else.
The city is best read as a set of quarters rather than one place. Downtown and DIFC hold the restaurants and the galleries, Jumeirah Beach and the Palm hold the sea, and the old town along Dubai Creek keeps the souks and the abra crossing. An hour inland, the desert conservation reserve offers dunes, falconry and dinner under the stars.
Private aircraft arrive at Dubai International, for the shortest run into the city, or at Al Maktoum in Dubai South, which is quieter for private traffic and closer to Abu Dhabi, about ninety minutes away by road. Dubai also works unusually well as a hub, with the rest of the Gulf, the Indian Ocean and East Africa all within a few hours' flight.
Coverage by our preferred hotel partners is unusually deep. Jumeirah runs the Burj Al Arab, the Madinat and Marsa Al Arab. One&Only has the Royal Mirage and One&Only The Palm. Four Seasons is at Jumeirah Beach and in DIFC, Mandarin Oriental, the St. Regis and the Ritz-Carlton each have two addresses in the city, and Park Hyatt sits on Dubai Creek beside the golf club.
Ask your advisor about a private dhow along Dubai Creek, a morning in the desert conservation reserve, and how to pair Dubai with Abu Dhabi in a single stay.