Home to some of the best hotels in the world, these addresses get our pick for being the cream of the crop.​​

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Twenty-five years ago, there was only one skyscraper in Dubai: the Dubai World Trade Centre. Dubai is now home to more than 200 towers within its bigger-is-better desert fortress. Each addition adds a jewel to the city's crown through architectural-meets-art creations and sky-high structures, including the tallest building on earth. 

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The skyline of this city also boasts some of the country's best hotels, where luxury is pushed to its limits with every new opening. In Dubai, it's not all gold leaf and white gloves - though there is a lot of that - some of the best hotels are on the ground, lining golden beaches or even in the desert dunes. We share our favorite Dubai hotels on Rich Report.

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Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach

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The elegant compound on Jumeirah's crisp-white shores manages to be both part of Dubai and gently removed from it at the same time. There aren't many places that can offer a true beach and city break but this one can. Its soothing, earthy tones and marble, Murano chandeliers and gold-leaf ceilings are inspired by the Arabian Gulf and desert. There's never a shortage of citrus shooters and blueberry muffins around the curving, shadow-draped lagoon pools. And couples often head to the orb-like sculpture by the beach, flame-lit at night. 

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At vegetarian Folia, detox salads are served alongside yellowtail ceviche, while at Sea Fu, yellowtail ceviche is served alongside detox salads. There's also room for Nusr-Et, the steakhouse created by Turkish showman Salt Bae, since this is still Dubai. Atop the Mercury Lounge, with its Arabian archways framing the twinkling city, you can view the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, the closest beaches to Downtown. Seeing and experiencing Dubai with a tour is the only way to do it. 

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25hours Hotel One Central

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There is nothing glitzy or glamorous about this cool new hotel in un-Dubai. It is a hub for creatives, digital nomads, and those who know what they are doing. A large lobby has a huge collection of books, a studio where podcasts can be recorded, a pottery studio with typewriters, and desks filled with paints and typewriters where guests and visitors can express themselves. At night, communal spaces are filled with Emiratis looking for something different, savvy business owners, artists, trendy expats, and expats looking for something different.

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Most hotel guests relax around the rooftop pool, sipping margaritas and nibbling tacos while reclining on beds and bean bags. The newly opened Museum of the Future, which lights up in the evening, can be viewed from the pool's edge. 

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In the evening, you can choose from five restaurants and bars within the hotel, after a full body massage at The Extra Hour Spa. For sun-down punchy cocktails at Monkey Bar, dress up guests should first visit the delicious Indian restaurant Tandoor Tina downstairs. Bavarian bar Ernst - Dubai's first hotel to serve pork - offers large steines and bratwursts for a more casual atmosphere.

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There are 434 rooms and suites at the hotel, with public spaces on the first floor painted in beige like the desert. Each floor becomes more colourful as you ascend, a tribute to Dubai rising from the desert to become a modern city. Modern and playful rooms feature hammocks, freestanding baths to roll into from bed, local photography on the walls, and polaroid cameras in the lobby if you want to take pictures. 

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Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort

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Despite financial and environmental issues, the Anantara World Islands have been in development for decades. First to open on the man-made archipelago, Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort offers spectacular views of Dubai's glittering skyline that will be hard to match. You can explore the water using jet skis and hydrofoils once you've got to this place. Although it's still in the soft opening phase, the family-friendly suites and incredibly friendly staff are already making a good impression.

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FIVE Palm Jumeirah

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The party people will be at FIVE at the base of Jumeirah Palm if you'd like to join them. A place like this puts music at the forefront of its offerings. Whether it's a daytime pool party with giant bubbles and live saxophone, a sunset beach rave with world-class DJs, or late night dances in the blingiest of nightclubs, you'll never get bored at the hotel that never sleeps. A stylish room with bronze fixtures and fittings, and an elegant Art Deco bar awaits when you're ready to hit the sheets. Whether you want to drift off to distant hypnotic house music or cocoon yourself in silence, you can open the doors to your sea-facing terrace.

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The hotel offers plenty of downtime too, set in an architecturally striking building that curves like an amphitheatre around pristine beachfront overlooking Dubai Marina. On the roof of the spa pool, hydrotherapy jets are working away the knots in tired muscles. You can enjoy Italian alfresco lunches at Cinque restaurant, or eat sushi with a view of the Dubai skyline at Penthouse or dim sum at Maiden Shanghai. 

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No matter if you're on the beach eating tempura seafood or slurping a power juice for breakfast, the food here is outstanding. In addition to elaborate dances, sparklers, and drumming, if you order bottles of booze, you will be treated to elaborate dances and sparklers. 

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Bulgari Resort Dubai

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Designed by Italian-based Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel with the same perfection as Bulgari Hotels & Resorts' jewellery, Bulgari Resort Dubai is the fifth addition to the brand's portfolio. In low-key luxe rooms dressed in almost all-Italian furnishings, guests will experience understated Italian minimalism and ramped-up extravagance. This hotel brand's first private island location offers breathtaking views of the city's skyline and boasts a marina and yacht club, a first for the city. With a 25-metre indoor pool and a Vitality Pool lined with shimmering gold and green mosaic tiles, the 25-metre indoor pool is the hotel's crown jewel. 

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ME Dubai

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Due to its boundary-breaking design by Pritzker-awarded architect Dame Zaha Hadid, this (relative) low-rise stands out amongst a sea of skyscrapers. Inside The Opus tower, the curved glass structure makes getting into the bedrooms like stepping onto the bridge of a super-slick spaceship, accented by wavy furnishings, plush rugs, and even a slightly trippy bathroom. Aside from Hadid's specially designed furniture, the hotel also features curated exhibitions and art. An al fresco restaurant serving seasonal local fish and Latin American dishes in a tropical setting, Deseo, draws a creative crowd. 

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Al Faya Lodge

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Bringing a unique glamping experience to the desert, Al Faya Lodge is a Dubai hotel that isn't in the city. In the 1960s, the mountainside plot was just a dusty petrol pit stop located on the lonely Al Faya Road an hour east of Dubai. Derelict cement blocks were transformed into a five-room lodge retreat in 2016 by government developers. With stargazing skylights, fire pits, and sea saltwater pools, a boutique design hotel in Sharjah has created a pioneering breed. 

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Mandarin Oriental Dubai

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Dubai has many beachside hotels, but few are as well positioned and as shiny as the Mandarin Oriental, which opened in 2019 on a private stretch of Jumeirah Beach. A glittering fairy forest of bronze trees adorned with leaf-shaped crystal bulbs lines the lobby of this shiny new hotel, leading out to the beach. Avillez is also the chef at Belcanto, the two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Lisbon, one of six restaurants in the hotel.

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Jumeirah Mina A'Salam

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In contrast to most of its neighbours, this is Dubai insider's hotel - cooler and more understated. Many of Dubai's most respected restaurants and residences are located within Jumeirah, a heavyweight within the city's scene. In the heart of the Madinat Jumeirah souk, where bougainvillaea frame the white walls, and everything is connected by canals, is the mighty Mina A'Salam, one of the nine Jumeirah hotels. Among the hotel's attractions are Dar Al Masyaf, a cluster of summerhouses beloved by Hollywood stars, as well as the private beach, which has played host to many Dubai International Film Festival opening parties. 

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The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai

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Located along the expansive Dubai Water Canal, The St. Regis Downtown features the best of the city's modern financial Downtown district in a sister property to its New York counterpart. From the world's largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall, to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, all of the world's famous landmarks are within easy reach. Classical aesthetics are infused with Middle Eastern influences. Guests are offered the legendary St Regis butler service as standard, as well as spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking either the Dubai Water Canal or Burj Khalifa. Additionally, the hotel has the first St. Regis Spa in the Middle East, which features six therapy suites and a Hammam. There is also a purifying 24-carat gold facial (this is Dubai, remember) and a traditional Moroccan Hammam as signature treatments.