Dubai

Dubai works as a destination in its own right and as the hinge of a longer trip: five nights here, then on to the Maldives, Seychelles or Zanzibar with a single change of plane. On the Palm and along Jumeirah the beach resorts compete on service in a way you feel within an hour of arrival. Inland, the desert conservation reserve is forty five minutes from the city and a different world. We usually suggest a split: three or four nights by the sea, one or two in the desert. Winter, October through April, is when the weather is right for both.