Skip to content
BrownTravels
Wind-sculpted golden dunes in the Arabian desert

Region

Middle East

Futuristic ultra-luxury and desert serenity.

24 hotels profiled in Middle East

Golden dunes of the Empty Quarter surrounding Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Abu Dhabi
Desert Resort

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

9.4

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara

A fortress-like retreat rising from the dunes of the Empty Quarter, where the world's largest sand desert supplies the drama and the silence.

Read the full feature →

King David Hotel, Jerusalem
City Hotel

Jerusalem, Israel

9.3

King David Hotel

Jerusalem's storied 1931 grande dame in pink limestone, whose gardens and terraces look straight across the valley to the Old City walls.

Read the full feature →

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

9.2

Atlantis The Royal

A sculptural mega-resort on the Palm where stacked-block architecture, sky pools and a deep bench of celebrity-chef dining redefine Dubai showmanship.

Read the full feature →

Jumeirah Al Qasr, Dubai
Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

9.2

Jumeirah Al Qasr

The palatial heart of Madinat Jumeirah, where abra-laced waterways, private beach and Burj Al Arab views meet Arabian summer-palace grandeur.

Read the full feature →

Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Muscat
Resort

Muscat, Oman

9.1

Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel

Oman's ceremonial palace-hotel of 1985, set between the Hajar Mountains and its own bay, with one of the Gulf's most magnificent domed lobbies.

Read the full feature →

Palm-fringed pool and low Moorish-inspired wings of One&Only The Palm, Dubai
Beach Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

9.1

One&Only The Palm

A low-rise, Moorish-inspired beach estate at the tip of the Palm that trades Dubai's usual scale for gardens, quiet and skyline views across the water.

Read the full feature →

Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai
Beach Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

9.0

Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

Dubai's sail-shaped icon remains an all-suite spectacle of gold, marble and butler service on its own island off Jumeirah Beach.

Read the full feature →

The Chedi Muscat, Muscat
Beach Resort

Muscat, Oman

9.0

The Chedi Muscat

A serene study in Omani-Zen minimalism, where black reflecting pools, white arches and lantern-lit gardens meet a long private beach outside Muscat.

Read the full feature →

The American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem
City Hotel

Jerusalem, Israel

9.0

The American Colony Hotel

A 19th-century pasha's mansion turned legendary East Jerusalem retreat, famed for its flower-filled courtyard, Cellar Bar and long literary pedigree.

Read the full feature →

alila-jabal-akhdar-oman
Resort

Jabal Akhdar, Oman

9.0

Alila Jabal Akhdar

A stone-built eyrie 2,000 metres up in Oman's Al Hajar mountains, perched on the rim of a vast canyon with cool air and huge stars.

Read the full feature →

Atlantis The Palm's coral-pink arch rising over the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai
Resort

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

9.0

Atlantis The Palm

The apex of the Palm Jumeirah and the Middle East's definitive family mega-resort — a 1,500-room ocean-themed palace wrapped around Aquaventure, the world's largest waterpark, and the Lost Chambers aquarium.

Read the full feature →

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi
Resort

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

8.9

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental

Abu Dhabi's monumental palace hotel pairs gilded Arabian grandeur with Mandarin Oriental polish, a kilometre of private beach and vast landscaped grounds.

Read the full feature →

The Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai skyline, home of Armani Hotel Dubai
City Hotel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

8.9

Armani Hotel Dubai

Giorgio Armani's fashion-house hotel occupying the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, all muted tones, curved corridors and Downtown Dubai at the door.

Read the full feature →

City lights of Amman viewed from the hilltop Four Seasons Hotel Amman
City Hotel

Amman, Jordan

8.8

Four Seasons Hotel Amman

Amman's benchmark hotel on a hilltop in the leafy Fifth Circle district, pairing sweeping city views with the most polished service in Jordan.

Read the full feature →

Curved glass architecture of Raffles Doha within the Katara Towers on Lusail's waterfront
City Hotel

Doha, Qatar

8.8

Raffles Doha

An all-suite statement inside one of Doha's crescent-shaped Katara Towers, where futuristic Qatari design meets Raffles butler tradition.

Read the full feature →

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, Riyadh
City Hotel

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

8.7

The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh

A vast palace originally built to host state guests, set in landscaped grounds beside Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter and run with ceremonial polish.

Read the full feature →

Antique-filled salon and terrace of Hotel Albergo in Beirut's Achrafieh quarter
City Hotel

Beirut, Lebanon

8.4

Hotel Albergo

An antique-filled Relais & Châteaux hideaway in a 1930s Achrafieh townhouse, the most romantic small hotel in the Levant.

Read the full feature →

Rooftop pool terrace of Le Gray with downtown Beirut and the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque beyond
City Hotel

Beirut, Lebanon

8.3

Le Gray, Beirut

A design-led boutique on Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, famed for its rooftop pool and terraces looking to the mountains and sea.

Read the full feature →

Rooftop pool terrace of The Merchant House overlooking old Manama towards the modern skyline
City Hotel

Manama, Bahrain

8.2

The Merchant House

Bahrain's first true boutique hotel, an art-packed, adults-only bolthole beside the Manama souq with a rooftop pool over the old town.

Read the full feature →

Striped stone courtyard and fountain of Beit Al Wali in the old city of Damascus
City Hotel

Damascus, Syria

7.9

Beit Al Wali

A restored Ottoman-era courtyard mansion in the old city of Damascus, all fountains, striped stone and centuries of layered craft.

Read the full feature →

Fountain courtyard and palm gardens of the Sheraton Damascus Hotel
City Hotel

Damascus, Syria

7.7

Sheraton Damascus Hotel

The Syrian capital's long-serving garden hotel in Umayyad Square's orbit, with courtyards, pools and decades of institutional memory.

Read the full feature →

The Mövenpick Hotel on high ground above Sana'a with mountains in the distance
City Hotel

Sana'a, Yemen

7.7

Mövenpick Hotel Sana'a

The Yemeni capital's principal international-standard hotel, on high ground above the city, long the base for agencies and delegations.

Read the full feature →

The Dama Rose Hotel beside the Barada river in central Damascus with Mount Qasioun behind
City Hotel

Damascus, Syria

7.6

Dama Rose Hotel

A large central Damascus hotel by the Barada river, long a hub for delegations and one of the capital's most dependable addresses.

Read the full feature →

The Coral Hotel above Gold Mohur bay in Aden with volcanic crags behind
City Hotel

Aden, Yemen

7.6

Coral Hotel Aden

Aden's leading operating hotel, on the Gold Mohur bay beneath the volcanic crags, serving the port city's official and business visitors.

Read the full feature →