KUWAIT
The northernmost Gulf state is one of the more liberal, although it doesn’t serve alcohol. There is an unspoilt coast to explore and a healthy café culture along the corniche.
Hot hotels
The Mövenpick Hotel Kuwait (+965 461 0033, moevenpick-hotels.com) is a sleek waterfront property in the Free Trade Zone. Doubles from £95. If you want the beach, head to Mangaf and the Hilton Kuwait Resort. Spacious rooms overlook a pristine private beach, with dive centre. Doubles from £125.
Shop
Along with the usual polished shopping malls, Kuwait is noted for its gold, mostly 21- and 22-carat in traditional Arabian and Indian styles, which is sold under strict quality control in the souks.
Eat
Palm Palace in Salmiya district (+965 574 0865) is popular with expats who come to chill out in outdoor tents, smoke shisha and sample the Lebanese menu. Bread is cooked fresh in a stone oven. For a great view of Kuwait City after dark, try the revolving Horizon restaurant in Kuwait Towers (+965 244 4021); its international menu changes daily.
See
Failaka Island makes for a great day trip. It’s the loveliest of Kuwait’s islands and is home to Greek and Dilmun archaeological remains. There is also an extensive tourist complex with swimming pools, playgrounds and restaurants.
Coming up
Later this year, Salmiya will be blessed with a Missoni hotel (hotels.radissonsas.com), with interiors by Italian architect Matteo Thun and housing a Missoni spa, restaurant and café. Dubai, meanwhile, doesn’t have exclusive rights to high-rise building in the Gulf. The truly epic City of Silk will comprise a 1,001-storey, 1km-high tower at its epicentre, due for completion in the next decade.
DUBAI
Of all the Gulf states, Dubai is the most visitor-friendly, five-star and shopping-rich. Whether you want a winter-sun fix with sybaritic spa treats or water rides, wadi-bashing and indoor skiing for the family, Dubai has it – or is building it as we speak.
Hot hotels
Beach lovers should book a Malakiya Villa (+971 4 366 8888, malakiyavillas.com), hidden in the grounds of Madinat Jumeirah. The two- or three-bedroom villas offer airy luxury, private pools and 24-hour butler service. Villas from £3,040 a week. Within a restored Iranian fisherman’s house in the historic Bastakiya district, the XVA Art Hotel (xvagallery.com) offers six rooms, ranging from kitsch to Bedouin to vintage Arabian. Doubles from £70. Alternatively, The Monarch Hotel (+971 4 501 8888, refad.com) is a sleek, efficient tower in the city’s financial hub, located on the main artery Sheikh Zayed Road. Doubles from £260.
Shop
Think Bond Street in a mall and that’s Dubai. Burjuman Centre has Cartier, Hermès and Louis Vuitton, as well as American favourites such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Mall of the Emirates has Harvey Nichols, Berluti and Asprey, and that’s just for starters. The hip If Boutique (+971 4 3947260) stocks an unrivalled collection of Comme des Garçons, Ann Demeulemeester and Yohji Yamamoto designs.
Eat
Standout restaurants include Gordon Ramsay’s Verre at the Hilton Dubai Creek (+971 4 227 1111), with competition from fellow Brit Gary Rhodes Mezzanine at Grosvenor House West Marina Beach by Le Méridien (+971 4 399 8888).
See
Take an abra (traditional water bus) across the Creek and, as night falls, smarten up for Burj Al Arab’s Skyview bar, where cocktails are mixed at your table while you take in views of the Palm.
Coming up
The buzz is Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, in which the first Armani hotel will open later this year. Dean & DeLuca’s deli and café is already trading in the adjacent Old Town. Meanwhile, Wags take note: the planned Isla Moda, a fashion concept island, will have personal style concierges and designer villas.
