UAE
November to March. Jumeirah, One&Only, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis all operate across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The UAE runs on the same calendar as the rest of the Gulf. November to March is the season, with warm days, cool evenings and the desert at its best. April and October are borderline. May to September sits above forty degrees and humid on the coast, and is only worth it if the trip is indoors or the rates are the point.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi both take anything that flies, and the two are about ninety minutes apart by road. Dubai is the better base for restaurants, retail and onward connections. Abu Dhabi is quieter and has the stronger cultural offer, with the Louvre and the Grand Mosque.
Coverage by our preferred hotel partners is unusually deep here. Jumeirah runs the Burj Al Arab and the Madinat. One&Only has the Royal Mirage and One&Only The Palm. Four Seasons is on Jumeirah Beach Road and Mandarin Oriental Jumeira is on the same stretch of coast. Park Hyatt sits on Dubai Creek beside the golf club, and both the Ritz-Carlton and the St. Regis operate in Abu Dhabi.
Ask your advisor about desert camps at Liwa on the edge of the Empty Quarter, the Formula One weekend on Yas Island in late autumn, and how to use Dubai as a hub without losing two days to it.
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